Thayer Vo Nguyen Giap: The Last Centurion

7/27/2019 Thayer Vo Nguyen Giap: The Last Centurion

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Xut bn RFI (http://www.viet.rfi.fr)

Nhng iu t c bit n v TngGipBy Trng Nghang ngy 2013-10-13 04:00 Sun, 2013-10-13 02:001

Cc lnh o Vit Nam tin a linh cu Tng Gip ra khi nh tangl Quc gia ngy 13/10/2013.REUTERS/Kham

Vo hm nay, 13/10/2013, i tng V Nguyn Gip v n ni an ngh cui cng tiqu nh tnh Qung Bnh. T lc ng qua i n nay, c rt nhiu bi vit v cuci v s nghip ca ng. Trong khun kh tp ch c bit hm nay, RFI Vit ng xingii thiu nhn nh ca Gio s Carl Thayer - chuyn gia k cu v qun s v chnhtr Vit Nam ti Hc vin Quc phng c (i hc New South Wales) - v mt s yut t c ni n, nu khng mun ni l hon ton vng bng - trong tiu s chnhthc ca i tng Gip.

RFI : Cho n nay, cc nh bo v cc nh bnh lun ni rt nhiu v cuc i catng Gip. Theo quan im ca Gio s, di sn chnh ca ng Gip l g ?

CarleThayer : S nghip ca Tng V Nguyn Gip tri di trn 64 nm k t nm1927, khi ng b trc xut khi trng Quc Hc v hot ng chnh tr, cho n nm1991 khi ng chnh thc ri b tt c cc chc v trong ng v Nh nc. S nghipca ng c th chia thnh nm giai on :

- 1927-1944 : ng cn l mt hc sinh u tranh, nh bo, mt nh tuyn truyn chnhtr, mt t nhn, mt gio vin v mt sinh vin sau i hc ;

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- 1944-1973 : ng gi nhi u chc v trong c chc ch huy Qun i Nhn dn Vit Nam, B trng B Quc phng v y vin B Chnh tr ;

- 1974-1980 : ng t b quyn kim sot hot ng ca qun i v gi chc PhTh tng, B trng B Quc phng v y vin B Chnh tr ;

- 1980-1991 : ng thi lm B trng B Quc phng v y vin B Chnh tr ; trongthi gian ny, ng ph trch khoa hc v cng ngh, dn s v k hoch ha gia nh,v sau gio dc ;

- 1991-2013 : Tng Gip ri khi chc v cui cng l Ph Th tng chnh ph vngh hu vnh vin.

Di sn chnh ca Tng Gip xut pht t vai tr t lnh Qun i Nhn dn Vit Namtrong giai on hai (1944-1973). ng bt u ch huy mt trung i 34 ngi v phttrin lc lng ny thnh mt o qun nhn dn gm vi trm ngn ngi trongkhng y mi nm. Tng Gip ng thi kt hp cc tc phm qun s caNapoleon, Clausewitz v Mao Trch ng vi truyn thng qun s c xa ca VitNam.

Tng Gip nm vng ngh thut chin tranh nhn dn bng cch vn ng dnchng chin u v tr thnh nhn cng trong mng li hu cn rng ln cang. Tng Gip bit kt hp u tranh chnh tr v qun s. Mc tiu ca ng l uiPhp ra khi Vit Nam trong mt cuc chin tranh trng k.

Chin cng ly lng nht ca ng l chin dch dn n s tht bi ca Php inBin Ph. Tng Gip dng chin thut nghi binh, gi lc lng ca mnh sang Lov ri sau cp tc chuyn hng tin n vng thung lng in Bin Ph. TngGip nhanh chng bc b li khuyn ca cc chuyn gia Trung Quc tung cc lnsng ngi tn cng vo doanh tri qun Php. ng s dng chin thut bao vy,vi lc lng c tip ng lin tc v mt hu cn, cung cp lng thc, thit b vtt, v kh v n dc cho chin trng.

Tm quan trng ca trn in Bin Ph l n khng ch nh du s tht bi ca thcdn Php ng Dng, m c ca ch ngha thc dn nh mt h thng trn tonth gii. Trong vng tm nm sau , Php s phi chu tht bi Algeri.

Hai tiu s : Chnh thc v khng chnh thc

RFI : Gio s nh gi sao v mt s iu c che giu v cuc i ca Tng V Nguyn Gip, nhng iu khng h xut hin trong tiu s chnh thc ?Carl Thayer : C hai phin bn v cuc i v s nghip ca i tng V NguynGip. Trc ht l tiu s chnh thc mang tnh cht tn vinh, gn cho ng tt cnhng thnh cng qun s ca Vit Nam k t nm 1944 v miu t ng nh mtvin tng ti ba hon ho.

Phin bn th hai v s nghip ca Tng Gip khng mang tnh cht chnh thc vcho thy rng ng l mt ngi kin nh c ngi cho y l tnh kiu ngo v mttr thc mt ngi c nhn ch ngha d ni gin khi b can thip vo vai tr tng tlnh cc lc lng v trang ca ng. ng c m t nh l "ngn ni la di lpbng tuyt" chnh v yu t c cho l nng ny .




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Tng Gip c nhi u ngi ng h nhng cng b nhi u ngi gim pha. Lc cncng tc, ng thng xuyn ng chm vi nhng ngi gim pha v cc i th cang, nhng ngi khng ngn ngi ch trch ng. Nhng ngi ph phn ng xutpht t hai ng c : Ch ngha gio iu v mt thc h v lng ghen t, s rngTng Gip ni ting s lm quyn lc ca h suy yu. y l thi k lnh o tp thv danh.

Trong sut s nghip ca mnh, ng Gip tng b ch trch v tm kim mt hc bngca chnh quyn thc dn Php, c ngi thm ch cn hm rng - nu khng ni lbuc ti ng - l mt nhn vin S Mt thm Php.

ng cng b kch v hc chng trnh Php, c c bng t ti baccalaurat, hcti trng Trung hc Albert Sarraut c uy tn, ni ng ng u mn trit hc, vTrng i hc Lut H Ni, ni ng tt nghip th khoa v kinh t chnh tr. i thca Tng Gip dng thnh tch hc tp ca ng qut li ng. Du sao th ngthnh vin duy nht trong ban lnh o bn trong (ti cao) ca ng c c mt nngio dc phng Ty.

Cc yu t khng c php nu ln trong s nghip ca Tng Gip cho thy mttp th lnh o chia r v s ganh ua r rng gia cc c nhn. Cuc i u giaTng Gip vi nh thc h Trng Chinh thnh huyn thoi, tng t nh cccuc ng sau ny ca ng vi Tng Nguyn Ch Thanh v ng L Dun, B thTh nht ca ng Cng sn.

Bt ng vi Trng Chinh v vai tr c vn Trung Quc

Nm 1946, Trng Chinh, ng th hai trong ban lnh o sau H Ch Minh, thtbi trong vic ngn khng cho ng Gip c phong cp i tng v chc ch huyQun i Nhn dn. Trng Chinh v Tng Gip bt ng v phm vi v mc mcc c vn qun s Trung Quc c th nh hng n chin lc chin trng ca

Vit Nam, v trn quyn ca Tng Gip c n phng b nhim cc tr l quantrng.

Vo nm 1951, Tng Gip cho m mt cuc tn cng qu sm vo cc v tr kinc ca Php ng bng sng Hng. Chin dch tht bi v Qun i Nhn dn bthng vong nng n. Tng Gip b buc phi t ph bnh, cch chc mt s ph tquan trng, cho php thnh lp mt h thng chnh tr vin trong qun i, v chpnhn cc c vn qun s Trung Quc cc cp khc nhau trong Qun i Nhndn.

Sau khi Chin tranh ng Dng u tin (1946-1954) kt thc Vit Nam b chia ct.Mc d Tng Gip c uy tn rt ln, nhng nhng k kch ng vn tip tcthch thc quyn lc ca ng v t nghi vn v cch ng iu hnh cuc chin min Nam Vit Nam. B th Th nht ca ng l L Dun mun y mnh vic lt chnh quyn min Nam, ng Gip thn trng hn v hai ngi knh chng nhau.

Phe gim pha Tng Gip thnh cng trong vic bt ng Nguyn Ch Thanh(1959) v sau l ng Vn Tin Dng (1974) ln cp i tng. Trc lc nhngngi ny c thng cp, ch c ng Gip mang cp i tng m thi. C hai vtng mi bt v sau, u ginh ly quyn kim sot hot ng chin tranhtrong Nam t tay ca ng Gip.

Vo nm 1960, Tng Gip b y li t hng th t xung hng th su trong BChnh tr ti i hi ng ton quc ln th ba. Ch trng chung sng ha bnh ca




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lnh o Lin X Nikita Khrushchev vo nm 1960 l i u tc hi n nhi u ngitrong gii lnh o Vit Nam.

Tng Gip, ngi thin v pha Lin X nc h tr qun s cho Vit Nam vc thi ph phn vi Trung Quc, khng ng nhp vi cc lnh o khc. Mtln na, ng b cc ng ch ch trch.

Trong nm 1965, khi Hoa K tung lc lng chin u vo Vit Nam, L Dun vNguyn Ch Thanh ra lnh tung cc n v Qun i Nhn dn min Bc vo cucchin. Nguyn Ch Thanh l ngi thit k chin dch Tt Mu Thn 1968 nhng quai v mt cn au tim trc khi chin dch c thc hin. Lc lng Cng sn minNam nm vng b thng vong rt ln, Tng Gip c phuc hi v uy tn ca ngtng thm.

Sau ci cht ca H Ch Minh vo nm 1969, mt b ba lnh o mi ni ln : LDun, Phm Vn ng v V Nguyn Gip. Vo thi im , Tng Gip nm ba vaitr quan trng : y vin B Chnh tr, B th Qun y Trung ng ng, B trng BQuc phng. Tuy nhin, ng khng bao gi ly li c quyn kim sot hot ngca cc lc lng v trang. Tng Gip phn i c hai chin dch Tt Mu Thnv chin dch Nguyn Hu 1972, v kin ng b bc b c hai ln.

Thng 4 nm 1972, Tng Vn Tin Dng ch huy chin dch Nguyn Hu v nthng 10 nm 1973, ng c trao quyn ch huy ca cuc tn cng cui cng cacuc chin : Chin dch H Ch Minh. im ng ch , l s kin chnh mt yvin dn s cao cp ca B Chnh tr - ng L c Th - ch khng phi l TngGip, l ngi ra ch th cho Qun i Nhn dn bt u chin dch tn cng cui cngca mnh bng cch tn cng Ban M Thut vng Cao nguyn.

Sau nm 1975, b gt ra bn l, nhng vn ln ting

RFI : V cc hot ng ca ng sau nm 1975, mt s ngi cho rng ng honton khng cn vai tr g, nhng cng c ngi thy rng ngi ta gt c ng rabn l, nhng khng hon ton bt ming c ng. kin ca Gio s nh th no ?

Carl Thayer : Sau khi Vit Nam thng nht, Tng Gip vn lm B trng Qucphng cho n nm 1980. Nhng chnh Tng Vn Tin Dng l ngi ch huy quni Vit Nam nh qua Cam Bt vo cui nm 1978 v bo v min Bc Vit Nam vothng Hai - thng Ba nm 1979 khi Trung Quc xm lng Vit Nam tr th.

R rng ngi sao ca Tng Gip vo thi im lu m nhanh chng. Nm 1976,Tng Vn Tin Dng l ngi c bo co qun s ti i hi ng ton quc lnth t, cn Tng Gip c phn cng ni v cc chnh sch ca ng v khoa hcv cng ngh. Tng Gip cng khng thnh cng khi phn i vic giao cho qun inhim v xy dng t nc sau chin tranh. ng phi ci u trc nguyn tc"tp trung dn ch" ca ng v bo v chnh sch ca ng trc cng chng.

Thng 2 nm 1980, Tng Gip ri khi B Quc phng, nhng vn gi chc PhTh tng. Nm 1981, ng thot u b ging cp t Ph Th tng th nht xunglm Ph Th tng th ba. n thng Ba nm 1982, Tng Gip b loi ra khi BChnh tr ti i hi ng ton quc ln th nm, nhng vn gi c chc y vinTrung ng ng.

Tng V Nguyn Gip rt c lng dn v c hu thun mnh m trong ng. Vogia nhng nm 1980, nhng ngi ng h ng tht bi trong vic a ng ln




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thay th ng Phm Vn ng chc Th tng. Cng c r t nhi u tin n v vicnhng ngi ng h Tng Gip vn ng ng tr thnh lnh o ng. Sau ,ng Gip ln lt ph trch vn nhn khu hc v k hoch ha gia nh, ri vn gio dc. ng ri khi chnh quyn vo nm 1991 khi v hu trong t cch l PhTh tng.

Rt kh nh gi v nhng ng gp ca Tng Gip trong giai on ny. Vit Namkhi y c lnh o tp th, v cho n nm 1986 vn tip tc i theo m hnh khoch tp trung khng thnh cng ca Lin X. iu ng nu bt l Tng Gip tiptc hot ng trong chnh ph cho n nm tm mi tui.

Kin tr bo v ch quyn Vit Nam trc Trung Quc

RFI : C ngi cho rng gn y Tng Gip rt lo ngi v s thao tng ca Trung Quc i vi Vit Nam. Nhn nh ny c phn no ng hay khng ?

Carl Thayer : S nghip qun s lu di ca Tng Gip cho thy r l ng sn sngchp nhn s gip ca Trung Quc v k c nhng t vn, nhng ng vn utranh gi c s t ch v c lp trong hnh ng ca Vit Nam.

Tng Gip nghing v Matxcva nhiu hn Bc Kinh trong thi k chin tranh, v schi vin qun b to ln ca Lin X cho Vit Nam - bao gm c tn la phng khng.Mc d Lin X c cho l khuyn Tng Gip thc hin mt v Afghanistanbng cch tn cng Cam Bt v lt ch Khmer c Trung Quc ng h,Tng Gip vn chng li vic can thip qun s trn quy m ln.

Khi Trung Quc v Vit Nam bnh thng ha quan h tr li vo nm 1991, TngGip hon ton ngh hu

Trong nhng nm thng ngh hu, Tng Gip rt c bit n vi hai ln ln ting.Nm 2004, ng vit th cho B Chnh tr ph phn s can thip ca tnh bo quni (Tng Cc II) vo cc cng vic ni b ca ng.

Nm 2009, ng thu ht s ch ca cng lun khi vit ba th ng gi ti cc lnh ong v Nh nc cnh bo tc ng mi trng ca d n khai thc bauxite, doTrung Quc ti tr, Cao nguyn Trung phn. ng cp n vn ny vi lplun rng l mi e da i vi an ninh quc gia.

S kin gy ra mt dy chuyn cng hng trong dn chng ni chung, ang ngycng lo lng trc s quyt on ca Trung Quc ti Bin ng.V anh hng Vit Nam cn khi phi i mt vi ngoi bang xm lc

RFI : Gio s gii thch th no v vic Tng Gip c lng dn n nh vy ?

Carl Thayer : Tng V Nguyn Gip l mt nh chin lc qun s tm c th gii. Vo nm 1944 - khi ng ch huy mt trung i 34 ngi - ai c th ngh c rngtrong vng 10 nm, ng pht trin lc lng ln thnh mt qun i c hng trmngn binh s v nh bi c Php, mt trong nhng th lc qun s mnh nht vothi im ? Tng Gip c c uy phong rt ln vi chin thng ti in Bin

Ph, mt s kin li du n trong sut cuc i ng.S c lng dn ca ng da trn nhiu nn tng. Trc tin, hng triu ngi VitNam phc v trong Qun i Nhn dn khi Tng Gip l Tng ch huy v B




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trng B Qu c phng. ng l ngu n cm hng ca h. Cc cu chi n binh v gianh ca h l mt thnh phn to ln trong c dn ti Vit Nam.

Th hai, sau H Ch Minh v c th Phm Vn ng, Tng Gip l lnh o qucgia duy nht ni bt bn trn mt ban lnh o tp th m nht. ng c sc li cun,pht biu lu lot v truyn cm hng cho ngi dn. ng l v anh hng m VitNam cn c khi phi i mt vi s xm lc ca ngoi bang, t nm 1946 n 1973v sau , trong nhng nm 2000, khi Trung Quc e da ch quyn ca Vit Nam Bin ng.

Sau thi gian lm mt nh qun s, Tng Gip ph trch nhng lnh vc quantrng lin quan n s pht trin nh khoa hc v cng ngh, dn s v k hoch hagia nh v gio dc. l nn tng th ba ca vic ng c lng dn.

Uy tn Tng Gip trong dn chng cn da trn s thnh cng ca ng trong sut 64nm phc v ng Cng sn Vit Nam, Qun i Nhn dn Vit Nam v t nc

Vit Nam. ng s lun lun c tng nh nh l ngi ch huy chnh, nh bihai cng quc ln.

R rng, Tng Gip thu ht c cm tnh ca c hai th h tr v gi ti VitNam. iu ny c thy qua vic ngi dn mi la tui th hin s au bun, tng x n nh ng thp nn v hng.

Tng Gip l hin thn ca mt chnh khch Vit Nam bit s dng tr tu a racc chin thut v chin lc cho php k c v l yu nh bi c k mnh.

Tp ch c bit ngy 13/10/2013[1] VIT NAM Tp ch c bit Trng Ngha Tp ch Vit Nam V Nguyn

Gip Magazine

URL ngun: http://www.viet.rfi.fr/viet-nam/20131013-nhung-dieu-it-duoc-biet-den-ve-tuong-giap

Cc lin kt:[1] http://www.viet.rfi.fr/contenu/20131013-mag-special-giap-13102013-ok




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Background Brief

Vietnams Vo Nguyen Giap:The Last Centurion, 1911-2013

Carlyle A. Thayer

October 13, 2013

Vo Nguyen Giaps career effectively spans sixty -four yearsfrom 1927, when he was expelled from Lycee Quoc Hoc forpolitical activism, to 1991 when he formally retired from allparty and state positions.

His career can be broken into five phases: (1) 1927-1944when he was a student activist, journalist, political agitator,prisoner, teacher and post-graduate student; (2) 1944-73when he held several posts including commander of thePeoples Army of Vietnam, Minister of National Defence and

member of the Politburo; (3) 1974-80 when he gave up operational control of themilitary and held the posts of Vice Premier, Minister of National Defence, and

member of the Politburo; (4) 1980-1991 when he ceased to be Minister of NationalDefence and member of the Politburo; in this period he took responsibility forscience and technology, demography and family planning, and then education; and(5) 1991-2013 Giap relinquished his last government post as Deputy Premier andwent into permanent retirement.

General Giaps main legacy derives from hisrole as commander of the Peoples Army of Vietnam in phase two (1944-73). He beganas leader of a 34-man platoon anddeveloped it into a peoples army of several hundred thousand in less than tenyears. At the same time he integrated themilitary writings of Napoleon, Clausewitzand Mao with Vietnams ancient militarytradition.

General Giap mastered the art of peo ples war by mobilizing the population to fightand to become porters in his vast logistic network. Giap combined political andmilitary struggle. He aim was to drive the French out of Vietnam in a protracted war.His masterstroke was his execution of the campaign that led to the defeat of the

French at Dien Bien Phu. Giap feinted by sending his forces into Laos and thenrapidly changed direction to invest the valley of Dien Bien Phu. General Giap quickly

Thayer ConsultancyABN # 65 648 097 123


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discarded the advice of Chinese advisors to launch human wave assaults on theFrench garrison. Giap employed siege tactics fed by a logistics train that brought himfood, supplies, weapons and ammunition.

The importance of the battle of Dien Bien Phu is that it marked not only the defeat

of French colonialism in Indochina but colonialism as a worldwide system. Withineight years the French would suffer defeat in Algeria.

Giaps Biography The Official and the Unauthorised Versions

There are two versions of the life and career of General Vo Nguyen Giap. The first isthe authorized official hagiography that credits General Giap with all of Vietnamsmilitary successes since 1944 and portrays him as the brilliant flawless general.

The second version of General Giaps career is unofficial andit reveals that he was a strong-willed some would say

intellectually arrogant - individual who bristled atinterference in his role as commander of the armed forces.He was once described as the snow capped volcanobecause of his rumoured hot temper.

Giap had many supporters but many detractors as well. Hisactive career was dogged by constant friction with hisdetractors and rivals who never hesitated to criticize him. His

critics were motivated both by ideological dogmatism and jealousy that Giapspopularity would undermine their power. This was the era of the faceless collectiveleadership.

During his career Giap faced criticism for seeking a scholarship from French colonialauthorities, some even intimated - if not accused him - of being an agent of theFrench Surete. He was also lambasted for his French education by earning thebaccalaureate, studying at the prestigious Lycee Albert Sarraut where he ranked firstin philosophy, and University of Hanoi Law School where he graduated with a first inpolitical economy. Gi aps academic achievements were turned against him by hisrivals. Giap, after all, was the only member of the partys inner leadership to havereceived a western education.

The unauthorized account of Giaps career reveals a divided collective leadership a nd

sharp rivalries between individuals. Giaps clash with ideologue Truong Chinh islegendary, as were his later clashes with General Nguyen Chi Thanh and Le Duan,first secretary of the party.

In 1946 Truong Chinh, second in rank after Ho Chi Minh, unsuccessfully opposedGiaps elevation to the rank of full general and commander of the Peoples Army.Truong Chinh and Giap disagreed over the scope and extent to which Chinesemilitary advisers should influence Vietnams battlefield strategy and over Giapsauthority to unilaterally appoint key aides.

In 1951 General Giap prematurely went on the offensive and ordered his troops to

attack fortified French positions in the Red River Delta. The offensive failed and thePeoples Army suffered heavy casualties. Gia p was forced to undergo self-criticism,


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dismiss several key aides, permit the establishment of a political commissar systemwithin the military, and accept Chinese military advisers at various levels in thePeoples Army.

After the end of the first Indochina War (1946-54) Vietnam was partitioned.

Although Giap had enormous prestige his critics continued to challenge his authorityand question his conduct of the war in South Vietnam. Party first secretary Le Duanpushed for the overthrow of the southern regime, Giap was more cautious and theylocked horns.

Giaps detractors succeed in promoting Nguyen Chi Thanh (1959) and later Van TienDung (1974) to the rank of full general. Up until their promotions Giap was the onlyfull general. Both generals took operational control of the war in the south out of Giaps hands.

In 1960, Giap was dropped from fourth to sixth in Politburo rankings at the third

national party congress. Nikita Khrushchevs advocacy of peaceful coexistence in the1960s was anathema to many in the Vietnamese leadership. Giap, who leanttowards the Soviet Union for its military support and who was critical of China, wasout of step with his colleagues. Once again he came under criticism by his peers.

In 1965, when the United States introduced combat troops into Vietnam, Le Duanand Nguyen Chi Thanh ordered northern Peoples Army units into the fray. Thanhengineered the 1968 Tet Offensive but died of a heart attack before it was executed.The southern communist underground suffered enormous casualties. Giap wasvindicated and his fortunes rose.

Following Ho Chi Minhs death in 1969 a new leadership triumvirate emerged: LeDuan, Pham Van Dong and Vo Nguyen Giap. Giap at that time held three importantposts: member of the Politburo, secretary of the Central Military Party Committeeand Minister of National Defence. But he never regained operational control of thearmed forces. Giap opposed both the Tet Offensive and 1972 Nguyen Hue Offensive(Spring or Easter Offensive) and was overruled on both occasions.

In April 1972 General Van Tien Dung led the Nguyen Hue Offensive and in October1973 was named commander of the final offensive of the war, the Ho Chi MinhCampaign. Tellingly, it was a senior civilian member of the Politburo, Le Duc Tho, notGiap, t hat directed the Peoples Army to begin their final offensive by attacking Ban

Me Thuot in the highlands. After the reunification of Vietnam, General Giap remained as Minster of NationalDefence until 1980. But it was General Van Tien Dung who commanded theVietnamese forces that invaded Cambodia in late 1978 and defended northernVietnam in February-March 1979 when China invaded in retaliation.

Clearly Giaps star was fading fast. In 1976 General Van Tien Dung delivered themilitary report to the fourth national party congress. Giap was given the task of delivering the partys policy on science and technology. Giap unsuccessfully opposedthe post-war assignment of the military to domestic construction tasks; nonetheless

he bowed to the partys principles of democratic centralism and defended partypolicy in public.


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In February 1980 Giap relinquished the defence portfolio but retained his position asDeputy Premier. In 1981,Giap was demoted from first to third Deputy Premier. InMarch 1982 Giap was dropped from the Politburo at the fifth national party congressbut retained his seat on the Central Committee.

Giap had enormous popularity and had strong support in the party. In the-mid 1980shis supporters pushed unsuccessfully for Giap to replace Pham Van Dong as Premier.It was also strongly rumoured that Giaps supporters also campaigned for him tobecome party leader. Giap then shuttled between various posts first withresponsibility for demography and family planning and then education. Hisgovernment service ended in 1991 when he retired as Deputy Premier.

It is difficult to make an evaluation of Giaps contributions during this period.Vietnam was led by a collective leadership that until 1986 continued to follow thefailed Soviet model of central planning. What is remarkable is that Giap continued ingovernment service until aged eighty.

The China Factor

General Giaps long career clearly indicates that he was willing to accept Chinese aidand even advice but struggled to retain Vietnams autonomy and ind ependence of action. Giap leaned more towards Moscow than Beijing during the war because of the big ticket military hardware the Soviet Union provided including anti -aircraftmissiles. Although the Soviets reportedly advised Giap to do an Afghanistan b yinvading Cambodia and overthrow the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge, Giap opposedlarge-scale military intervention. Giap was fully retired when China and Vietnamnormalized relations in 1991.

During his retirement years Giap is best known for two famous interventions. In2004 he penned an open letter to the Politburo complaining about the interventionof military intelligence (Tong Cuc II) in internal party affairs. In 2009 he attractedmuch public attention when he wrote three open letters to party and state leaderswarning of the environmental impact of Chinese-financed bauxite mining in theCentral Highlands. He took the matter further by arguing that it was a threat tonational security. This struck a resonant cord among the general population whowere gro wing increasingly restive about Chinese assertiveness in Vietnams EasternSea.

Military Strategist Par Excellence

General Vo Nguyen Giap was a world-class military strategist. Who could haveimagined in 1944, when he took command of a 34-man platoon, that in ten years hewould raise an army of several hundred thousand and defeat the French, one of themost powerful military forces at that time. Giap gained enormous prestige andcredibility for his victory at Dien Bien Phu which lasted throughout his lifetime.

His popularity rests on several foundations. First, millions of Vietnamese served inthe Peoples Army when Giap was their commander and Minister of NationalDefence. He inspired them. These war veterans and their families constitute a very

large constituency in Vietnam.


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Secondly, after Ho Chi Minh and perhaps Pham Van Dong, General Giap was the onlynational leader to stand out from the colourless collective leadership. He wascharismatic and articulate and inspired the general populace. He was the nationalhero Vietnam needed when it was faced with foreign aggression from 1946 until1973 and again in the 2000s when China threatened Vietnams sovereignty in theEast Sea.

Giaps post -military career took him into important areas related to development:science and technology, demography and family planning, and education. This was athird foundation for his popularity.

General Giaps popularity rests on successful career spanning sixty -four years of active service to the Vietnam Communist Party, the Peopl es Army of Vietnam andthe Vietnamese nation. He will be forever remembered for creating the PeoplesArmy of Vietnam and masterminding the defeat of two major foreign powers.

General Giap has clearly captured the emotions of both the younger and older generations in Vietnam.This is witnessed by the spontaneous outpouring of grief by citizens of all ages who flocked to his home tolight candles and incense. General Giap embodied theVietnamese character of using their intellect to devisetactics and strategies by which the seemingly weakcould defeat the strong.

Selected Bibliogaphy

Boudarel, Georges. 1977. Giap! Paris: Editions Atlas.

Colvin, John 1996. Giap: Volcano Under Snow . New York: Soho Press Inc.

Currey, Cecil B. 1997. Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Viet Nams Gen. Vo NguyenGiap. London: Brasseys Inc.

Jenkins, Brian. 1972. Giap and the Seventh Son . Santa Monica: The RANDCorporation.

Le Quang, Gerard. 1973. Giap: ou la guerre du people . Paris: Denoel.

Macdonald, Peter. 1993, Giap: The Victor in Vietnam . London: Fourth Estate.ONeill, Robert J. 1969. General Giap: Politician and Strategist . Melbourne: CassellAustralia and New York: Praeger.

ONeill, Robert J. 1969. The Strategy of General Giap Since 1964 . Canberra Papers onStrategy and Defence No. 6. Canberra: Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, TheAustralian National University.

Stetler, Russell. 1970. T he Military Art of Peoples War: Selected Writings of General Vo Nguyen Giap . London: Monthly Review Press.

Vo Nguyen Giap. 1968. Big Victory, Great Task . New York: Praeger.


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Vo Nguyen Giap. 1970. Banner of People's War: The Party's Military Line . Preface byJean Lacouture ; introduction by Georges Boudarel. London: Pall Mall.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, Vietnams Vo Ngu yen Giap: The LastCenturion , Thayer Consultancy Background Brief , October 13, 2013. All backgroundbriefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from themailing list type UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.

Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues andother research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officiallyregistered as a small business in Australia in 2002.

Thayer Vo Nguyen Giap: The Last Centurion

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