Salute to Vietnam’s Major General Nguyen Thi Dinh
March 15, 1920 – August 26, 1992
By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira
As a salute to the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s triumph over U.S. imperialism, I was inspired to paint a 20” X 24”, acrylic paint canvas portrait of Major General Nguyễn Thị Định. Her legacy symbolizes the resilience of the heroic Vietnamese people, first against the French and then the United States.
Nguyễn Thị Định joined Vietnam’s liberation struggle by coming into the ranks of the Viet Minh at just 16 years of age. In 1938 she joined the Indochinese Communist Party which eventually became the Communist Party of Vietnam.
She was arrested by the French colonizers and imprisoned between 1940-1943. Dinh’s husband was also captured by French authorities and sent to a torturous facility in Con Dao Island. It was there where he was killed. Dinh always promised to avenge his death.
During the Vietnam War Định commanded the all-women guerilla force which became known as the “Long-Haired Army”. She is remembered for her brilliant leadership in the 1960 Dong Khoi uprising in the Ben Tre Province, the turning point in the Vietnam War.
As the conflict intensified Dinh developed necessary strategies and tactics in guerilla warfare that resulted in inflicting many casualties on U.S. military personnel and their puppet soldiers in the South Vietnamese Army.
Nguyễn Thị Định was a co-founder of the National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam (also known as the Viet Cong). She became a prominent political figure in the People’s Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam.
In April 1974, due to her unique leadership capabilities, Dinh was promoted to become Vietnam’s first female military general, earning her the rank of Major General.
This significant development in Vietnamese history reflects the pivotal role women played during that country’s liberation struggle. Most combatants of the NLF were women.
The gender of these fully capable women combatants became psychologically disturbing for imperialist troops trained to further adopt the views of male dominance. Many of these U.S. troops were guilty of terrorizing the Vietnamese civilian population.
The lessons the Vietnamese struggle provided the world are numerous. The steadfast and courage of the Vietnamese people impacted the intensity of the 1960s-70s mass upsurge in this country. Thanks to the Vietnam’s war for liberation Black and Brown people in the U.S. were given another point of reference for their own struggles.
And when a mighty anti-war movement rose up in this country it became decisive with its opposition to stop the colonial war the U.S. was waging in Vietnam.
Today, Nguyễn Thị Định is remembered for inspiring the Vietnamese people to do the impossible, defeating in battle the greatest tyrant ever known in human history. What this heroine proved is that oppressors are never invincible.
LONG LIVE THE HEROIC EXAMPLE OF THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE!
LONG LIVE THE LEGACY OF MAJOR GENERAL NGUYEN THI DINH!
carlitoboricua 