Piece of scholarly classical opera from the 18th century, composed of three acts. It relates the history of the conflict between two camps of mandarins: that of usurpers (the vizier Triệu Minh Hoán, in connivance with Kim Hùng, son of the loyal mandarin Tạ Ngục Lân) and that of the defenders of the legitimate dynasty (Khắc Minh and Tạ Ngọc Lân) and their families.
The 2nd camp succeeds in saving the pregnant Queen and in establishing a base on the Mt Hồng Sơn. The Queen gives birth to an heir. Years elapse, then Kim Hùng lays siege to the resistance base. Tạ Ngọc Lân feigns to make peace with his son and comes to live in the garrison. He sets the camp of the usurpers on fire, but dies in the flames, with his son. This piece is considered the perfect model of the scholarly classical opera; it contains famous scenes: Phượng Cơ crossing the frontier, the old Tạ in the flames.
