The great rice basin of the far north-west, the largest flat ground in these mountains and the prize of Tai politics on this side of the range.
It looks to Yunnan and to the Lao muang at least as much as to Thăng Long (board). The Tai Dam chronicle (Quam To Muong) makes the Tai come here from Mường Lò, but its chronology is not firm, so we do not say whether the Tai hold the basin on 1 January 1200.
Who holds it
- Title
- Tai chao muong of Mường Thanh
- Confidence
- low
The campaign board entry notes; Tai Dam chronicle as reported second hand
Lord in 1200
A Tai chao muong; not named.
What the town holds
- The Nậm Rốm rice plain and its weirs
- The roads to Muang Phuan, the Mekong and Dali's frontier
- Tribute from hill peoples above the plain
Wealth
Wet rice, buffalo, tribute.
Military
Valley levies under the chao muong; no numbers.
Threats
- Feud with neighbouring muang
Charter
None. A Tai muang is a valley held by a chao muong and his kin.
Council
The chao muong, his kin and the headmen of the villages of the valley; assemblies are not recorded for 1200.
Communities
Tai farmers; Khmu and other Mon-Khmer hill peoples above the plain.
Militia
Valley levies; no numbers.
Walls and castle
A fortified muang seat by later custom (stockades and a moat); nothing excavated for 1200.
Trade and crafts
Wet rice, cattle, forest goods, iron and salt traded in.
Places of note
- Muong Thanh: Seat
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Later chronicle only.
Primary sources for Tai and Muong of the north-west
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Complete Annals of Dai Viet, Ngo Si Lien, drawing on Le Van Huu's Dai Viet su ky (1272) and Phan Phu Tien; continued by Pham Cong Tru and Le Hi (1479; printed 1697 in the standard Chinh Hoa edition). The main narrative source for Dai Viet in 1200, compiled in 1479 from Le Van Huu's lost history of 1272. Read online
- The Unofficial History of Nanzhao, Yang Shen; revised by Hu Wei (16th century, revised 1775, from Dali and Yunnan traditions and lost local histories). The kingdom of Dali has no surviving text of 1200: its own records were destroyed in the Mongol conquest and after, and the Song shi's Dali entry ends in 1175. Read online
Sources and studies
- OMNIA board notes for the Vietnam and Champa area (a lead, not a source)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.