# Nam quốc sơn hà

Nam quốc sơn hà (chữ Hán: 南國山河, lit. 'Mountains and Rivers of the Southern Country') is a famous 10th- to 11th-century Vietnamese patriotic poem. Dubbed "Vietnam's first Declaration of Independence", it asserts the sovereignty of Vietnam's rulers over its lands. The poem was first dictated to be read aloud before and during battles to boost army morale and nationalism when Vietnam under Lý Thánh Tông and Lý Thường Kiệt fought against two invasions by Song dynasty in 981 and 1075–1076 and would become became an emblematic hymn in the early independence wars. The poem is one of the best-known pieces of Vietnamese literature.
The poem's exact authorship, origin, and style of writing are still controversial. According to K.W. Taylor, the account of the poem comes from the 14th-century Buddhist scripture Thiền uyển tập anh and if the story of the poem is true, then the poem could not have been sung in the form it currently exists today. The poem is written in Classical Chinese in the form of an oracle following Tang-style rules that would have been hard to understand for Viet soldiers. It would also be the only literary work known to have been written by Lý Thường Kiệt, who was not a literary man. The story of singing in temples to boost military morale prior to battle is plausible, but whether or not it was this specific poem that was sung cannot be answered. It is possible that it was written after the event.

## 981 version

Lĩnh Nam chích quái ("Selection of Strange Tales from Lingnan") dates this version to the Song–Đại Cồ Việt war:
南
Nam
國
quốc
山
sơn
河
hà
南
Nam
帝
đế
居
cư,
南 國 山 河 南 帝 居
Nam quốc sơn hà Nam đế cư,
The Southern Country's mountains and rivers, the Southern Emperor inhabits.
皇
Hoàng
天
thiên
已
dĩ
定
định
在
tại
天
thiên
書
thư.
皇 天 已 定 在 天 書
Hoàng thiên dĩ định tại thiên thư.
The August Heaven hath willed it so in the Heavenly Book.
如
Như
何
hà
北
Bắc
虜
lỗ
來
lai
侵
xâm
掠
lược,
如 何 北 虜 來 侵 掠
Như hà Bắc lỗ lai xâm lược,
Why dare the Northern Barbarians (Lỗ) come to invade?
白
Bạch
刃
nhận
翻
phiên
成
thành
破
phá
竹
trúc
餘
dư.
白 刃 翻 成 破 竹 餘
Bạch nhận phiên thành phá trúc dư.
White blade swinging will turn you into broken bamboo chips!

## 1076 version

Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư ("Complete Historical Annals of Great Viet") dates this version to the Song–Đại Việt war:
| Chữ Hán | Sino-Vietnamese | Vietnamese translation | Chữ Nôm | English Literal Translation | English Poetic Translation |
| 南國山河南帝居 截然定分在天書 如何逆虜來侵犯 汝等行看取敗虛 | Nam quốc sơn hà nam đế cư Tiệt nhiên định phận tại thiên thư Như hà nghịch lỗ lai xâm phạm Nhữ đẳng hành khan thủ bại hư. | Sông núi nước Nam, vua Nam ở, Rành rành định phận ở sách trời. Cớ sao lũ giặc sang xâm phạm, Chúng bây sẽ bị đánh tơi bời. | 滝𡶀渃南𤤰南於 𤋶𤋶定分於冊𡗶 故吵𠎪弋𨖅侵犯 衆𣊾仕被打𧛷𢱎 | The Southern country's mountains and rivers; the Southern Emperor inhabits. The separation is natural and allotted in Heaven's Book. Why do the treacherous barbarians come to trespass, You shall, in doing that, see yourselves defeated into oblivion! | O'er the hills and streams of southern clime [a] southern monarch reigns; His sov'reign state On bamboo slip engraved by Time [t]he writ of Heav'n ordains Dare you, 'gainst Fate [t]hrust in, his turbulence to quell? Beware! - For you will sound the knell. |