Kublai Khan's Maritime Trade Route Securing Policy and the Vietnam Campaign

Author: Yoon Sung Yeon

Page: 97-134

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between the Mongol Empire’s South Sea expansion policy and its campaigns against Vietnam during the reign of Kublai Khan. After conquering the Southern Song, the Mongol Empire sought to secure maritime trade routes and expand its influence in Southeast Asia. In this process, Vietnam (the Trần Dynasty) faced three Mongol invasions but successfully repelled them using strategic defensive tactics and guerrilla warfare.

This research examines how the Mongols attempted to secure maritime trade routes in the South Sea region and expand their influence, as well as Vietnam’s diplomatic and military responses to these efforts. It also explores the connection between the Mongol campaigns against Champa and Vietnam and analyzes how Vietnam maintained its autonomy through international diplomacy.

The Mongol invasions of Vietnam were not merely military operations but were deeply linked to Kublai Khan’s strategy to dominate maritime power in Southeast Asia. However, Vietnam effectively utilized its geographical advantages, guerrilla warfare, and diplomatic strategies to resist Mongol incursions, ultimately imposing significant limitations on the Mongol Empire’s southern expansion.

This study reexamines the 13th-century Mongol-Vietnam relations from the perspectives of international diplomacy and maritime trade, shedding light on Vietnam’s role within the geopolitical landscape of East and Southeast Asia at the time.​​