Ten years have passed since the article titled “General Vo Nguyen Giap – A pan-century military marcher”, written by People’s Artist Dao Trong Khanh for Vietnam Pictorial, was published on the occasion of the General’s 90^th birthday in 2001. General Vo Nguyen Giap began his 100th year on August 25,nbsp;2010 at the time when the whole country is preparing for the Great Celebration of the 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi . On this occasion, Vietnam Pictorial again introduces to readers the article, written by People’s Artist Dao Trong Khanh, about the eminent general of the nation, Vo Nguyen Giap.

One day at the start of the year 2001, General vo Nguyen Giap joyfully told us: “I’m a pan-century traveller.”

He was born on August 25, 1911 in the village of An Xa, Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province in the year of Tan Hoi, when the Tan Hoi Revolution broke out in China . As a poor little boy of the country with “west wind, white sand”, he went to school, grew up, joined the revolutionary movement, and became an outstanding general of the Vietnamese Revolution. His life and career has been closely linked to the history of formation, growth and development of the Vietnam People’s Army. He was an excellent and close disciple of late President Ho Chi Minh, and a close comrade-in-arms of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam.

He remembers much about the ancient capital of Hue, where he was an excellent student at the National College , and where he had very intimate friends who later became prominent revolutionaries such as Nguyen Chi Dieu, Hai Trieu, Nguyen Khoa Van.

Expelled from the College for his participation in the April 1927 school walkout, he taught himself, wrote articles for the paper “Tieng dan” (People’s Voice) edited by the patriot Huynh Thuc Khang and joined the “Tan Viet” (New Vietnam) Party. In 1930, he was arrested and indicted, then put under house arrest at his home village.

One stormy day when the Kien Giang River rose high, the patriot Nguyen Chi Dieu came in a little boat to get him. It was the day when he joined the revolutionary movement.

He went to Hanoi , learning and working for his own living, passed the exams as First Laureate in the All-Indochina general examinations, held exclusively for excellent students, then graduated as a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Bachelor of Laws with an excellent thesis.

Giap worked as a teacher and a journalist while embarking on revolutionary activity. Duringnbsp;time off from teaching at Thang Long Schoool, he wrote articles for the newspapers “Lao Dong” (Labour), “Tin Tuc” (News), “Tieng Noi Cua Chung Ta” (Our Voice), both in Vietnamese and French. During this period, he co-operated with Truong Chinh in writing the book titled “Van De Dan Cay” (The question of the tiller) under the pen-names of “Qua Ninh” and “Van Dinh”. In the Indochina Congress Movement, he was elected Chairman of the Tonkin Press Committee.

One afternoon, on Co Ngu Road in Hanoi, Hoang Van Thu, Secretary of the Provisional Central Committee entrusted Giap and Pham Van Dong with the mission to Kunming ( China ) to meet the Party leaders overseas. And on the shores of the romantic Thuy Ho Lake , they met a middle-aged gentleman in a plain grey stiff-collar jacket. He was Nguyen Ai Quoc, a member of the Communist International, who later became President Ho Chi Minh.

The meeting left a profound impression on him throughout his revolutionary career. He never forgot the injunction by Nguyen Ai Quoc: “In embarking on revolutionary work, one should put public affairs above everything!”

In May 1945, in the jungle of Pac Bo, Nguyen Binh District, Cao Bang Province – the 8^th Session of the 1^st Party Central Committee Plenum, chaired by Ho Chi Minh decided to found the “Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi”, known as “Viet Minh”. Vo Nguyen Giap was entrusted with controlling the Military Division of the Viet Minh Central Committee, forming the armed forces in preparation for insurrection to seize power.

The important turning point that brought him to the post of a general commanding a people’s army was the foundation on December 22, 1944, of the “Viet Nam Tuyen Truyen Giai Phong Quan” (Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army) in Tran Hung Dao Jungle of Nguyen Binh District – Cao Bang Province, the predecessor to the Vietnam People’ Army of today.

Only two days after its foundation, under his command, the fledgling army recorded its first two victories at Pay Khat and Na Ngan of Cao Bang Province.

Vo Nguyen Giap was appointed a member of the Tonkin Revolutionary Military Committee, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam Liberation Army and a member of the Provisional Command of the Viet Bac Liberated Zone. The National Congress held at Tan Trao elected him into the Vietnam National Liberation Committee. On behalf of the Military Committee, Vo Nguyen Giap signed the order for general insurrection. On the afternoon of August 16, 1945, upon the closing of the Congress, under the age-old banyan tree, a unit of the Liberation Army under the command of Vo Nguyen Giap held a ceremony before marching on to Thai Nguyen Town to fight the Japanese. “For the moment, as the time is ripe, whatever sacrifices we have to make, even though we have to set ablaze the Truong Son Range, we must resolutely win national independence at all costs”. That was the injunction of President Ho Chi Minh, then on his sickbed, given exclusively to Vo Nguyen Giap in a thatched house of Na Lua, prior to the National Congress, both a sacred sentiment and an urgent order for the commander-in-chief of the army in his march to Hanoi.

The August General Insurrection was victorious. The Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed. Vo Nguyen Giap held the posts of Minister of Home Affairs and Vice Minister of Defence, building and safeguarding the fledgling revolutionary power.

Then, taking cover behind the British Army, the French troops opened fire to reconquer Vietnam.

On December 19, 1946, the resistance war against the French colonialists started. Vo Nguyen Giap was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the National Army and the self-defence militia forces.

He ordered general engagement in all towns and cities with the invaders, fighting the adversary forces in all corners of the land. The 60-day battle in the heart of the capital city of Hanoi was one of the most gallant combats, ushering in the holy 9-year resistance war waged by the entire nation.

On January 2, 1948, President Ho Chi Minh signed a decree, appointing him a General.

During the early years of the resistance war, he created a compatible fighting approach of his own, killing the enemy in parallel with building up his forces, making full use ofnbsp;mobile guerilla warfare in coordination with small forces of the regular troops. From the reality of the war, he sought out ways for his fledgling army to dodge annihilation by an enemy with over-whelming forces.

Throughout the nine years of the resistance war, the Vietnam People’s Army was growing with every passing day, defeating the French colonialists’ strategy of “lightning attacks, lightning triumphs”, taking the strategic initiative on all battlefields, and launching offensive and counteroffensive campaigns on an ever larger scale on all battlefields. This resulted in the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring victory of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign that planted “a brilliant golden landmark” and helped topple the strongholds of colonialism worldwide.

In the nine-year resistance war, his exceptionally prominent stamp lay in two major decisions of vital significance, changing the target of the offensive from Cao Bang to Dong Khe in the Borders Campaign (1950), and altering the guiding principle for the operation of the campaign from “lightning attack, speedy settlement” to “fighting firm, advancing firm “in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. He often said: “It was the most difficult decisions in all my life as a commander of an army to fight the enemy!”.

In the long march against US imperialism for national salvation, as a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Army Central Committee and Minister of National Defence, he helped build a regular and modern army as a powerful support in the struggle for national reunification, blazing the “Duong Truong Son” (Truong Son Trail) to send reinforcements to the battle fronts in the South and defeating the US air and naval war of destruction against the North.

In the Spring of 1975, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign won great victory, with the total collapse of the Saigon puppet regime and its unconditional surrender in face of the lighting and thundering offensive of the revolutionary army. From Saigon, news of the great triumph flew to the General Headquarters in the capital of Hanoi . The aged General of the two wars of liberation zealously recalled: “All people jumped up, hugging each other, shouting for joy… a sight that was beyond all words. The members of the General Staff hugged us and the other men present there. All were choked with emotions, some even melting into tears. It was a once in a lifetime experience – The longest war of the century came to a close!”

Besides being an outstanding general, he is a dedicated scientist and educator. In 1978, as Vice Prime Minister, he was in charge of the development of science and education. His work “A few questions on science and education” is one of great value in terms of ideology in the new period.

Imbued with the Ho Chi Minh thought and applying it in reality, he and the entire army and the entire people have recorded resounding exploits. Since giving up the posts in the Party and the State, he has devoted his time and energy to research and editing the scientific work “Ho Chi Minh Thought and the Road of the Vietnamese Revolution” – an in-depth and insightful theoretical work.

He is author of such works of military art as “People’s Warfare, People’s Army”, “National Liberation and National Defence Warfare” and many others, a total of 70 works in all. Many of them, especially his memoirs on the wars, have produced great echoes and been translated into many languages. He is one of the grand masters of culture of Vietnam in the 20^th century, indeed!

Mentioning the power of Vietnam that has routed all invaders, he said: “Thanks to the power of their traditional culture, the Vietnamese came to know how to combine their resolute “esprit de combat” for national defence with their imaginative and creative art of war to build up an original military tenet; the military doctrine of Vietnam”.

He often speaks ofnbsp;the birth and growth of the Vietnam People’s Army, i.e. his work “From the People”. He has been thenbsp;general of the people and from the people, making his way to a great career.

General Vo Nguyen Giap has dedicated his whole life to the army, and retained a clear and lucid mind and a romantic soul, permeated with an immense love for people. He loves poetry and music. He likes the gallant marches of the nation in the long struggle for independence and freedom. His life is like a mighty beautiful military march – a Pan-Century Military March – resounding forever in the advances of the succeeding generations, living forever and ever with time.

Story: Dao Trong Khanh – Film Director - Photos: Trong Thanh – Tran Dinh – File