Võ Thị Sáu (1933 – 23 January 1952) was a
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
schoolgirl who fought as a guerilla against the French occupiers of
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, then part of
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
. She was captured, tried, convicted and executed by the French colonialists in 1952, becoming the first woman to be executed at
Côn Sơn Prison. Today she is considered a Vietnamese
national martyr and
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
ine.
Biography
She was born in Phước Thọ Commune,
Đất Đỏ District, in 1933. At the time, this was part of Bà Rịa Province, but today is a part of Long Đất District,
Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province
Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu ) is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's Southeast region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam's southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, under South ...
. In 1948, she became a contact for a local guerilla group after many of her friends and family joined the
Việt Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Front ...
.
When she was 14 she threw a
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
at a group of French soldiers in the crowded market area, killing 1 of them and injuring 12. She escaped undetected. Late in 1949, she threw another grenade at a Vietnamese canton chief — a local man responsible for executing many suspected Việt Minh sympathizers. The grenade failed to explode, and she was caught by the French authorities.
Sáu was imprisoned in three different facilities,
the last of which was a police post near
Côn Sơn Prison in the
Côn Đảo Islands. She was executed on 23 January 1952, at the age of 18 by firing squad in the corner of Bagne III; it is said that she refused to wear a blindfold.
Today, Sáu is considered a nationalist martyr and a symbol of revolutionary spirit. She is venerated by the Vietnamese people as an ancestral spirit,
and has amassed almost a cult-like following of devotees who venerate her grave in
Hàng Dương Cemetery
Hàng Dương Cemetery is a memorial cemetery in Vietnam with the remains of independence fighters and prisoners who died at the Con Dao Prison. The cemetery is situated near the prison on Côn Sơn Island
Côn Sơn ( ), also known as Côn L ...
on Côn Sơn Island.
There is also a temple dedicated to her in her hometown of Đất Đỏ. Many Vietnamese cities and towns also have streets and schools named after her.
See also
*
Lê Văn Tám
*
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi (1 February 1940Staff report (16 October 1964)''Time'' (only available online for subscribers). The article describes Trỗi as aged 17 at the time of his execution, although other sources cite 1940 as his year of birth, mak ...
*
Võ Thị Thắng
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vo, Thi Sau
1933 births
1952 deaths
People from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province
Executed Vietnamese people
Women in warfare post-1945
Women in war in Vietnam
People executed by the French Fourth Republic
People executed by France by firing squad
Executed revolutionaries
People executed for attempted murder