Ming Withdrawal from Annam in 1388

Timeline

1. 1388Thang Long (capital of Annam) · Thang LongAnnam's chancellor Ho Ky Ly deposed and killed King Tran Thieu De, installing Chen Rikun (Tran Nhuan), son of Tran Shuming (Tran Minh), as a puppet, further hollowing out the Tran royal authority. This continued the late Tran pattern of powerful ministers usurping control and repeatedly regiciding and usurping the throne, directly impacting the vassal order the Ming upheld.
2. 1388–1389Nanjing (Ming capital) · Yingtian PrefectureUpon learning of Annam's renewed regicide, the Hongwu emperor said 'to again treat them with courtesy would be greatly aiding the rebels,' and dispatched court messenger Lu Rang with a letter rebuking Ho Ky Ly, but refused to intervene by force in Annam's internal affairs, insisting on listing Annam among the 'unconquerable states.' The Ming court thereby withdrew any plans for cross-border campaigns.
3. 1388–1390Border of Siming Prefecture, Guangxi · SimingThe Ming maintained defensive deployments along the southwestern Guangxi border but no longer considered sending a large army into Annam to quell its internal disorders. In the following years the Ming court applied pressure through diplomatic exchanges for grain, tribute refusal, and admonitions, while Ho Ky Ly continued purging the Tran house and accumulating strength; Sino-Annamese relations shifted from relative moderation to long-term tension.