Overview
Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital in 1010 to Thăng Long — Ascending Dragon, modern Hanoi. In 1054 the state took the name Đại Việt. The dynasty blended Buddhism, its own faith, with Chinese-style governance.
Key developments
Institutions followed: the Temple of Literature (1070), the first civil-service examinations (1075), and the Imperial Academy (1076). The general Lý Thường Kiệt struck Song China preemptively and repelled its invasion of 1075–77. The poem Nam quoc son ha — Mountains and rivers of the southern country — traditionally linked to that war, is remembered in Vietnam as a first declaration of independence.
End and transition
Court decline let the Trần family take the throne peacefully in 1225 through a marriage arrangement.