The Later Lê dynasty, sometimes referred to as the Lê dynasty (the earlier Lê dynasty ruled only for a brief period (980–1009)), is the longest-ruling dynasty of Vietnam, ruling the country from 1428 to 1788, with a brief six-year interruption of the Mạc dynasty usurpers (1527–1533).

Vietnamese historians usually distinguish the one hundred-year Primitive Lê Dynasty (1428 to 1527) from two hundred and fifty-six years of figurehead emperors of the Restored Lê Dynasty (1533 to 1789) following the dynasty's restoration by powerful warlords.

The dynasty officially begins in 1428 with the coronation of Lê Lợi after he drivesthe Ming army from Vietnam.

In 1527, the Mạc dynasty usurps the throne; when the Lê dynasty is restored in 1533, they still have to compete for power with the Mạc dynasty during the period known as Southern and Northern Dynasties.

The restored Lê emperors hold no real power, and by the time the Mạc dynasty is confined to only a small area in 1592 and finally eradicated in 1677, actual power is in the hands of the Nguyễn lords in the South and the Trịnh lords in the North, both ruling in the name of the Lê emperor while fighting each other.

Their rule officially ends in 1788, when the peasant uprising of the Tây Sơn brothers defeats both the Trịnh and the Nguyễn, ironically in order to restore power to the Lê dynasty.

The Lê dynasty's rule sees Vietnam's territories grow from a small state in northern Vietnam at the time of Lê Lợi's coronation into almost its current size by the time the Tây Sơn brothers take over.

It also sees massive changes to Vietnamese society: the previously Buddhist state becomes Confucian after twenty years of Ming rule.

The Lê emperors institute many changes modeled after the Chinese system, including the civil service and laws.

Their long-lasting rule is attributed to the popularity of the early emperors.

Lê Lợi's liberation of the country from twenty years of Ming rule and Lê Thánh Tông's bringing the country into a golden age was well-remembered by the people.

Even when restored Lê emperors' rule is marked by civil strife and constant peasant uprisings, few dared to openly challenge their power, at least in name, for fear of losing popular support.

When the Mạc dynasty tries to do so, they ae not successful and are considered as usurpers and not recorded in official histories by later dynasties.