This article provides an overview of the Ho dynasty’s war of resistance against the Ming invasion. It analyzes the causes of its failure, emphasizing the decisive role of the factor of “popular support.” Established in 1400, the Ho dynasty initially made considerable efforts to reform and restore the nation of Dai Viet/Dai Ngu after decades of crisis under the Tran dynasty. However, these reforms were left unfinished when the Ming army invaded. Although the Ho court mobilized all available domestic forces to confront the large-scale invasion, it quickly succumbed due to strategic mistakes, a lack of inherited experience from the Tran dynasty’s resistance wars, and, most importantly, its failure to rally the strength of the entire population. Through an analysis of historical sources and Nguyen Trai’s literary works, the article reexamines the validity of the assessment that the Ho dynasty “lost the people’s support,” thereby suggesting a more complex and dialectical perspective on popular will and political legitimacy. The study concludes that Ho Quy Ly’s defeat reflects an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful reform effort, leaving profound implications for the fate and limits of reform in Vietnam’s medieval history.