Before becoming King, Lý Công Uẩn was an orphan, born in Cổ Pháp, the sacred land of Kinh Bắc. From childhood, he was extraordinary, with bright eyes, a composed demeanor, and a compassionate heart.
Zen Master Vạn Hạnh saw him when he was seven years old and brought him to Lục Tổ Pagoda to raise and teach him scripture, ethics, and, at times, how to look deeper into the human heart:
"The Dharma is not just in the temple, but in how you use your heart toward the world."
Công Uẩn grew up amidst the sound of wooden bells and mountain wind, amidst literature and the sword, amidst compassion and grand ambition. Villagers recounted that on nights when strange stars appeared, he would sit alone gazing upwards, as if listening to something from afar.
At twenty, he left the pagoda and descended the mountain, following General Lê Hoàn to conquer Champa, achieving many great feats. He held the position of Commander of the Left Palace Guard (Tả thân vệ điện tiền chỉ huy sứ), a high office, but he spoke little of power.
During the reign of Lê Long Đĩnh, he remained loyal, neither plotting nor inciting chaos. Only when the King died and the court fell into disarray did Vạn Hạnh, now a renowned Zen Master, visit him in the night and speak softly:
"The destiny of this nation has reached a turning point. You do not vie for power, but Heaven may choose the one who does not seek it. If your heart is righteous, stand up, for the people are seeking the light."
In October of the year 1009, the Early Lê Dynasty had no clear successor. Grandee Đào Cam Mộc, along with the generals, enthroned Lý Công Uẩn, who took the title Lý Thái Tổ.
On the day of the enthronement, the wind rose from the North, and bronze drums resonated like the voices of the ancestors. He knelt before Heaven and Earth, tears falling:
"Your servant dares not accept this throne for fame, but only because the people have suffered enough. If there is sin, I shall bear it for them."
When the court was stabilized, he looked at the capital Hoa Lư, where mountains enclosed it on all sides, then gazed out at the Red River Delta (sông Nhị), and said to Vạn Hạnh:
"This land is narrow, but the people's ambition is vast. High mountains obstruct the wind, and a narrow river obstructs commerce. If I wish to establish a lasting legacy for ten thousand generations, I need flat land, gathering the dragon's vital energy (long mạch)."
In 1010, he issued the Edict on the Transfer of the Capital, a document regarded as the nation's "Declaration to Heaven and Earth":
"I observe that Đại La Citadel is located at the center of the universe, possessing the posture of a coiling dragon and sitting tiger, situated precisely between north, south, east, and west, abundant in all things, and the people suffer no natural disasters. Truly, it is the supreme capital for ten thousand generations!"
On the day the royal boat left Hoa Lư and reached the Nhị River, the sky suddenly cleared, and a golden dragon ascended from the direction of the royal vessel. The soldiers and officials were astonished. Lý Thái Tổ smiled:
"That is a good omen. This land shall be the place where the Dragon ascends, the beginning of Đại Việt."
From then on, the new capital was named Thăng Long (Ascending Dragon). Lý Thái Tổ changed the national title to Đại Việt, built pagodas, established schools, enacted laws, taking "Benevolence" (Nhân) as the root and "Righteousness" (Nghĩa) as the foundation. He declared:
"Defending the nation is not only done with the sword, but with the people's heart."
Under his reign, for the first time in history, Việt Nam had a permanent capital, a long lasting national title, and a governing philosophy rooted in benevolence and righteousness.
Before his death in 1028, he wrote in the imperial diary:
"May people remember me not for the throne, but for moving the capital. For a nation that only knows how to remain in the old place will be buried beneath the shadow of the mountains."
And thus, from the faint lamp of Lê Long Đĩnh, Việt Nam burst into light as Thăng Long, where the sacred Dragon took flight, and history opened a new glorious era: ĐẠI VIỆT.