'Zhao dynasty'; Vietnamese: Nhà Triệu; 茹趙) ruled the kingdom of Nanyue, which consisted of parts of southern China as well as northern Vietnam.

Subsequent rulers were less successful in asserting their independence and the Han dynasty finally conquered the kingdom in 111 BC.

[7] Chinese historians have generally denounced Nanyue as separatists from the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), but have also praised them as a civilizing force.

[8] Qu praised Qin Shi Huang as a model of how to uphold the purity of Chinese culture, and compared Zhao Tuo unfavorably to the emperor.

[10] Meanwhile, Vietnamese historians have struggled with the issue of whether to regard the Triệu dynasty heroically as founders of Vietnam, or to denounce them as foreign invaders.

For centuries afterward, Zhao Tuo was a folk hero among the Viets, and was remembered for standing up to the Han Empire.

[7] Under the Nguyễn dynasty, Zhao Tuo continued to receive high praise, although it was acknowledged that the original Nanyue was not in fact a Vietnamese state.

[7] Modern Vietnamese are descended from the ancient Yue of northern Vietnam and western Guangdong, according to Peter Bellwood.

[16] "You are a Chinese and your forefathers and kin lie buried in Zhending in the land of Zhao", Lu told the king.

[19] "Emperor Gaozu set me up as a feudal lord and sent his envoy giving me permission to carry on trade," said Zhao Tuo.

[16] The army Zhao Tuo had created to oppose the Han was now available to deploy against the Âu Lạc kingdom in modern-day northern Vietnam.

[23] The Emperor Wu of Han offered to "help" by sending his army, ostensibly to suppress the assist Nanyue, but with an eye of seizing the country should an occasion arise.

[citation needed] Zhao Xing (r. 113–112 BC), also called Triệu Hưng, was just 6 years old when he ascended the throne.

The Han dynasty held Lady Jiu and Zhao Xing under the pretext that the young king needed their protection.

By acquiescing to this gesture, both the empress dowager and the young emperor gave the public the impression that they were just puppets in the hands of the Han court.

With Zhao Xing in their hands and the queen dowager beheaded, the Han dynasty prepared their army for an invasion.

In 112 BC, the emperor sent two of his commanders, Lu Bode and Yang Pu [zh], along with 5,000 of his best soldiers to invade Nanyue.

[citation needed] Nanyue's senior prime minister, Quan Thai-pho, Lü Jia sent out the army to meet the Han at the border to repel the invasion.

Based on many temples of Lü Jia, his wives and soldiers scattering in Red River Delta of modern-day northern Vietnam, the war might last until 98 BC.

[28][29] Afterwards, Nanyue territory was divided into nine districts and incorporated into the Han dynasty as the prefecture of Jiaozhi (Giao Chỉ).

[30] There was a fusion of the Han and Yue cultures in significant ways, as shown by the artifacts unearthed by archaeologists from the tomb of Nanyue in Guangzhou.