General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was a former Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Defence Minister and Commander in Chief of the Viet nam People's Army, passed away on October 4 at the age of 103.
General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was a former Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Defence Minister and Commander in Chief of the Viet nam People's Army, passed away on October 4 at the age of 103.
 |
General Vo Nguyen Giap (real name Vo Giap, alias Van) was born on August 25, 1911 , in Loc Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, the central province of Quang Binh .
During 1925-1926, he joined students' movement in Hue .
In 1927, he participated in the Tan Viet (New Vietnam) Revolutionary Party (a predecessor of the Dong Duong Communist Party and now the Communist Party of Viet Nam).
In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned two years by the enemy. After being released, he continued to involve in revolutionary activities, developing revolutionary bases among the youth.
In 1936, he worked as an editor for the Party's newspapers, including Lao Dong (Labour), Tieng noi chung ta (Our Voice), Tien len (Advance), and Thoi bao Co Giai phong (Liberation Flag Times). He was appointed to be the chair of the Bac Ky (North) Press Committee.
In June, 1940, he was admitted to the Dong Duong Communist Party and sent abroad to meet comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh).
In 1941, he returned to the country, taking part in activities to prepare for an armed uprising in the Cao-Bac-Lang revolutionary base.
In December, 1944, Nguyen Ai Quoc assigned him the task of setting up the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army (now the Vietnam People's Army).
In April 1945, Giap was appointed to the Bac Ky (North) Military Committee.
From May 1945, he was commander of the new armed revolutionary forces (then they were merged to be the Viet Nam liberation army).
In June 1945, he was assigned by Nguyen Ai Quoc to set up the provisional Commanding Committee of the liberated area.
In August 1945, he was appointed to the Party Central Committee and the National Uprising Committee. At the Tran Trao National People's Congress, he was elected to the Viet Nam National Liberation Committee and Minister of Interior Affairs in the provisional government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.
In March 1946, he was military chairman, member of the coalition government. Then he became Secretary of the Central Military Commission when the commission was formed.
In October 1946, he was Minister of Defence and authorised by President Ho Chi Minh to be Commander in Chief of the Viet Nam People's Army and Militia.
In January, 1948, he was conferred the highest ranking of General, Commander in Chief of the Viet Nam People's Army.
In Feburary, 1951, he was elected to the Party Central Committee at the second National Party Congress and the Party Central Committee then elected him to the Political Bureau.
From September 1955 to December 1979, he was Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
At the third National Party Congress in September 1960 and the fourth National Party Congress in December 1976, he was re-elected to the Party Central Committee and the Political Bureau.
At the fifth and sixth National Party Congresses, he was re-elected to the Party Central Committee.
From January 1980, he served as Standing Deputy Prime Minister.
From April 1981 to December 1986, he was Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
He was a deputy of the National Assembly from the first to seventh tenures.
In recognition of his great contributions to the Party and country's revolutionary cause, General Giap was conferred with the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order, the 70-year Party membership badge and other noble orders and medals of Viet Nam and foreign countries and organisations.
(Source:VNS)
