Lê Long Đĩnh

After the death news of emperor Lê Đại Hành to China, Some Song dynasty Mandarins urged Song emperor to dispatch force to invade Đại Cồ Việt. However, with the high self-esteem and respect to the tributary activities of Đại Cồ Việt, Song emperor refused to follow that idea. Some trading activities allowed by both countries at the border line.

In Spring 1007, Lê Long Đĩnh ordered his brother to give a white Pangolin (or white Rhinoceros) as an gift to Song dynasty in exchange to get Buddhist Sutras to Vietnam In Vietnamese buddhism records of Zen buddhist Thích Mật Thể, the 14th year of Ứng Thiên era (1008), Vietnam sent the envoy to song to pay tribute and asked for taking 9 classics and sutra to Vietnam. Song emperor approved it and gave it to Vietnamese ambassador. The nine classics included : I Ching, Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals, Classic of Filial Piety, Analects, Mencius. This were the 9 classics of Chinese civilization first time came to Vietnam under reign of Lê Long Đĩnh.

According to Complete annals of Đại Việt, he was one of the most brutal and sadistic rulers during Vietnam's dynastic era. His reign was considered a reign of terror at the time. He is comparable to the Roman Emperors Caligula and Commodus in their traits of excess cruelty and paranoia. Some of the acts of cruelty that he committed were:

• He often executed innocent people who were condemned to death for entertaining purposes by some frightful ways such as tying them with hay to burn to death or ordering an executioner called Liêu Thủ Tâm (廖守心) from Great Song to gradually mutilate victims to death slowly using dull bladed swords and axes. When the victims cried out in agony, this executioner would manipulate the victims into thinking they were not dying. The emperor was said to have delighted in the deaths of his victims.
• After capturing prisoners of war, he ordered his soldiers to march the prisoners along the riversides and crammed them into cages that were tied along the river banks. When the high tides came in at dusk, he would watch them drown slowly.
• The emperor himself often stuck livestock such as pigs or cows to death before he allowed servants to prepare them for feasts. At court banquets, he killed cats and served them to his guests and court officials and made them eat the cats. Afterwards, he would play around with their severed heads in front of the court audience, frightening them and reducing their chances of questioning his audacity.