In 1288 after two unsuccessful military offensives (1258 and 1285), Kublai Khan sent an invasion force of 300,000 men to North Vietnam. The ruling Tran Court organized a plan of strategic withdrawal, and established guerrilla warfare to wear down their enemy. The invading forces dwindled, tried by both climate and the constant attacks, and were forced to withdraw. Tran Hung Dao had his men plant steel-tipped wooden stakes in the bed of Bach Dang river to create a line of defense blocking the Mongol retreat.

On the 8th day of the 3rd lunar month, as the fleet entered the mouth of the river, a few small boats engaged the enemy. When the tide ebbed, the fleet was thrown on to the wooden stakes, while Dao's army moved in for the kill. The 300,000 men were either killed or taken prisoner, and 400 enemy warships were destroyed.