Abstract: I stood on bank of Hoan Kien Lake in downtown Ha Noi in gloaming of day The park was still alive in early evening with people enjoying themselves. It is a very popular place in Ha Noi for people to gather, to relax, to eat picnics, to do group Tai Chi exercises, to walk, to meditate, to hold hands. I had come here, aged 80, in these last days of 2011 on a journey of reminiscence and goodbye to see this ancient city once more and for last time to see a man I had come to know well, Senior General (Dai Tuong) Vo Nguyen Giap, now old and sick in his 101st year of life. As I lingered near water in growing darkness, I recalled how lake had gotten its name: Lake of Returned Sword. In year 1418, a Vietnamese patriot, Le Loi (1384-1433), had grown increasingly angry at Chinese Ming dynasty's control over land and how its overlords badly treated his people. He wanted them gone! He wanted to fight them but had no weapons. Beside waters of lake in Ha Noi, he bowed in prayer to Buddha and asked for help. Suddenly, up out of water came a giant turtle (Kim Qui) known as Golden Turtle God, carrying in its mouth a magic sword on whose blade was inscribed legend the will of heaven. It laid sword at Le Loi's feet. Le Loi picked it up and now while holding weapon having strength of many men, he went in search of fellows, for there was no Vietnamese army to call upon. Gathering a force of common people, he went up against Chinese and in a war of national liberation defeated Mings and forced them from land. Following his victory Le Loi went back to lake and returned sword to Golden Turtle God which then submerged into dark waters of lake, never to be seen again. Thus waters became known as Lake of Returned Sword. Le Loi went on to found Le dynasty of Vietnamese emperors and is today recognized as one of nation's greatest heroes. Hardly a town or village that does not have a Le Loi street. The man I had come to see was, like Le Loi, a hero to his countrymen and, like him, leader of a war of national liberation. This modern Le Loi also had no weapons when in 1940 he began his task of freeing Viet Nam from foreign occupation. France had controlled and occupied Viet Nam for one hundred years, siphoning its riches and viciously treating any who resisted its power. Uprisings had occurred, but had been quickly smashed. Now, in 1940 Japanese had taken over from French using Viet Nam as a staging area for an attack upon India. Giap had no military experience, once commenting that he had learned art of war by fighting. My only academy was bush. In northern hills, this former history teacher in Ha Noi, under supervision of Ho Chi Minh, established a beach head. Working with tribes there, he put together a small fighting force, unifying their hatred of French. By war's end they had freed many of northern provinces from foreign influence. As French came back in first years of peace that followed conflict, Giap and his growing force fought them, culminating in 1954 with absolute defeat of French at battle of Dien Bien Phu. But French still controlled southern half of Viet Nam and so Giap and his growing army continued fight. The French finally gave up and left, but United States now entered fray on behalf of newly created southern government, Republic of Viet Nam. Years passed. Fighting continued until 1976 when, ignominiously, American forces returned home. Giap was triumphant! Yet his work was not done. After 1976 neighboring Cambodia, now Kampuchea, under Pol Pot, had been making incursions on Vietnam's western borders. Finally in 1978, Giap moved his army against them and by 1979 had overthrown Pol Pot's army, forcing its remnants into jungle. China had been an ally of Kampuchea, and angry that Viet Nam had invaded Kampuchea, attacked from north. …
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-09-22
Language: en
Type: article
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