Concept
The Hồ dynasty (Vietnamese: Nhà Hồ, chữ Nôm: 茹胡;Sino-Vietnamese: Hồ triều, chữ Hán: 胡朝), officially Great Ngu (Đại Ngu; chữ Hán: 大虞), was a short-lived Vietnamese dynasty consisting of the reigns of two monarchs, Hồ Quý Ly and his second son, Hồ Hán Thương. The practice of bequeathing the throne to a designated son (not simply passing it on to the eldest) was similar to what had happened in the previous Trần dynasty and was meant to avoid sibling rivalry. Hồ Quý Ly's eldest son, Hồ Nguyên Trừng, played his part as the dynasty's military general. In 2011, UNESCO declared the Citadel of the Hồ Dynasty in Thanh Hóa Province a world heritage site. The Hồ dynasty was conquered by the Chinese Ming dynasty in 1407. The Hồ/Hú family originated around modern-day Zhejiang province in the Southern Tang dynasty, which controlled much of southeast China, around the 940s. China was then in the midst of the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Hồ claimed descent from Duke Hu of Chen (Trần Hồ công, 陳胡公), who in turn was descended from the ancient Chinese Emperor Shun (Thuấn, 舜). Under Hồ Liêm (胡廉), Hồ Quý Ly's great-great-grandfather, the family migrated south from the Southern Tang until they established themselves in northern Vietnam. Hồ Liêm moved further south and settled in Thanh Hóa Province (about 100 km south of the modern city of Hanoi). Some historians bring attention to the fact that Hồ Quý Ly is also known as Lê Quý Ly. In his childhood, Hồ Quý Ly was adopted by Lê Huan, and took his family name. He did not change his family name from Lê back to Hồ until after he had deposed the last king of the Trần dynasty. Because of the short span of the Hồ dynasty and the tragic circumstances they brought upon the country, the family name "Hồ" was disgraced thereafter. However, historians have attributed to the Hồ family quite a few notable scholars, dignitaries, and government officials under both the Lý dynasty and the Trần dynasty. The Trần dynasty's authority and power in the 1370s and 1380s declined steadily after Trần Nghệ Tông's reign (1370–1372).
