The Port and its Mo leaders have been portrayed within the context of Vietnamese historiography as the facilitators of the final round of Vietnam’s Southern Advance from its homeland in the Red River Valley. However, the Mo had other overlords, such as Cambodia and Siam, and enjoyed close ties to horizontal networks, including the Chinese and Austronesians. The Port’s ultimate incorporation into Vietnam was highly contingent. At the same time, The Port became a mediator and protector of the frontiers of the southern Vietnamese regime of Cochinchina, as well as its main source for the flow of Chinese influence.

The Mo never attempted to forge a state themselves but chose to utilize the territoriality of their realm to expand their economic interests. The Port became a transshipment point for goods and a provider of natural resources. It played a crucial role in the Chinese century in maritime East Asia by facilitating the offshoring of China’s economy. Its example demonstrates the convergence of similar trends and developments across the early modern world and highlights the importance of state-building and institutions in the rise and ultimate triumph of European maritime power.