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. Vo Thi Sau grave 01

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.

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

Biography

See also

References