Suryavarman II's Failed Campaign Against Dai Viet

This episode focuses on Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor Wat, but not on his temple. Instead, we examine his disastrous military campaign against the Vietnamese kingdom of Dai Viet in the 1140s and 1150s. Drawing on the Annam chí lược and Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Lucas and Luna reconstruct the Khmer invasion of Nghe An, the Vietnamese counterattack under Emperor Lý Anh Tông, and the stunning failure that led to a century of Khmer-Vietnamese hostility. We also explore how this defeat may have weakened the empire, paving the way for the Cham sack of Angkor in 1177. The episode touches on the geopolitics of mainland Southeast Asia, the role of Champa as a buffer state, and the limits of Khmer military power. #SuryavarmanII #DaiViet #AngkorWat #LyAnhTong #Champa #NgheAn #KhmerEmpire #SoutheastAsia #12thCentury #MilitaryHistory #AnnamChiLuoc #DaiVietSuKyToanThu #FailedCampaign #Geopolitics #VietnameseHistory #CambodianHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo