General Vo Nguyen Giap, who commanded the Vietnam People's Army to gain victories over two great powers in the 20th century, will live forever in the hearts of the people as a symbol of talent and virtue.

The legendary general (real name Vo Giap, alias Van) was born in 1911 in the north central province of Quang Binh into a family with a rich tradition of practicing Confucianism. From a very young age, Vo Nguyen Giap was educated by his parents in patriotism and hatred for foreign invaders as his home country was placed under the yoke of French colonial rule.

 If I had not become a soldier, I probably would have remained a teacher, maybe of philosophy or history. 

General Vo Nguyen Giap

Between 1925 and 1926, he joined a students’ movement at Quoc Hoc Hue School in Hue. In 1927, he participated in the Tan Viet (New Vietnam) Revolutionary Party - the predecessor of the Dong Duong Communist Party and now the Communist Party of Vietnam.

During this period, Vo Nguyen Giap became acquainted with documents on revolution and Marxism, including lectures by Nguyen Ai Quoc, the then name of President Ho Chi Minh.

In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for two years by the enemy. After being released, he continued his involvement in revolutionary activities and developing revolutionary bases among the youth.

From 1934 to 1940, he worked as a history teacher at a private school in Hanoi and also penned articles for revolutionary newspapers, including Lao Dong (Labour), Tieng noi chung ta (Our Voice), Tien len (Advance), and Thoi bao Co Giai phong (Liberation Flag Times).

In June 1940, he was admitted to the Dong Duong Communist Party and sent abroad to meet Nguyen Ai Quoc.

In 1941, he returned to Vietnam, and took part in activities to prepare for an armed uprising at the Cao-Bac-Lang revolutionary base.

In December 1944, Nguyen Ai Quoc assigned him the task of setting up the Vietnam Liberation Army Team, the first major unit of the revolutionary armed forces and predecessor of the Vietnam People's Army.

 The Vietnam People's Army, led by Vo Nguyen Giap, was founded in December 1944. (Photo: VNA)

After the August Revolution 1945, he held many important positions, including Minister of Defence and Commander in Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army and Militia.

In January 1948, he was conferred the highest military rank of General and Commander in Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army.

During the nine-year national resistance war against the French colonialism, Vo Nguyen Giap was the commander of major campaigns, with the most prominent among them being the Dien Bien Phu Campaign - a historic turning point leading to the signing of the Geneva Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina.

 President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap discuss the battle plan for the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954. (Photo: VNA)

Later, in the 21-year anti-US resistance war, his strategic plans and military operational plans contributed to defeating the US military's tactics in their "local war" in the South and the destructive war in North Vietnam.

When the US sent troops to South Vietnam, friends in many foreign countries advised Vietnam to give up its intention to directly confront the US. However, Vo Nguyen Giap asserted that Vietnamese people would win in the battle by fighting in Vietnamese style rather than following common military strategies.

 General Vo Nguyen Giap and members of the Central Military Commission follow the developments of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975. (Photo: VNA)

During the two resistance wars against the French and the US, Vo Nguyen Giap often noted and reminded leaders of fronts and localities that it would prefer to temporarily lose land to the enemies than lose people’s trust. For him, the people play an indispensable role in any military activity.

The general also paid much care and attention to his soldiers regardless of their positions and military rank. He was like a father, elder brother, and close comrade of his junior colleagues. He used to write letters of encouragement to his soldiers before major battles.

 I am a general who fought for peace. I wanted peace - but not peace at any price. 

General Vo Nguyen Giap

After his retirement, General Vo Nguyen Giap still kept a close watch on the domestic and world situations and contributed opinions to the Party and State on issues related to the issues of great importance.

In recognition of his great contributions to the Party and country’s revolutionary cause, he was awarded with the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order, the 70-year Party membership insignia, and other noble orders and medals of Vietnam and foreign countries and organisations.

The “Eldest Brother of the Vietnam People's Army” left the world in October 2013 at the age of 103. His passing triggered public mourning among millions of Vietnamese people as a sea of mourners gathered in the streets during the two-day State funeral to bid farewell to the national hero.