Madame Nguyễn Thị Định (15 March 1920 – 26 August 1992) was the first female general of the

Vietnam People's Army 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 ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and the first female Vice President of Vietnam. Her role in the war was as National Liberation Front deputy commander, and was described as "the most important Southern woman revolutionary in the war". Furthermore, she was commander of an all-female force known as the Long-Haired Army, which engaged in espionage and combat against

ARVN The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. It is estimated to have suffe ...

and

US Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

Biography

Nguyễn Thị Định was born from a peasant family in Bến Tre Province, and fought with the

Viet 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 Fro ...

forces against the French. She was arrested and incarcerated by the French colonial authority between 1940–43, and helped lead an

insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

in Bến Tre in 1945, and again in 1960 (against the government of

Ngô Đình Diệm Ngô Đình Diệm ( or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician. He was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955), and then served as the first president of South Vietnam ( Republic ...

). In that period, she lost her first husband while incarcerated by French authorities. She was a founding member of the National Liberation Front (NLF). In 1965 she was elected chairwoman of the South Vietnam Women's Liberation Association, who were given the name the "long-haired warriors" by

Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as (' Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as P ...

. A portion of membership in the National Liberation Front continued to be women, and many were drawn to the promise of changes in the role of women in society. After the Vietnam War and the reunification of Vietnam, Madame Định served on the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party and also became the first female

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

to serve in the

. She was also one of the Deputy Chairmen of the Council of State from 1987 until her death. Together with Madame

Nguyễn Thị Bình Nguyễn Thị Bình (born Nguyễn Châu Sa; 26 May 1927) is a Vietnamese revolutionary leader, diplomat and politician who became internationally known for her role as head of the Viet Cong (NLF) delegation at the Paris Peace Conference. The ...

, she is one of the two most prominent female Vietnamese communist leaders. She was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize for 1967. In 1995, she was posthumously awarded the title

Hero of the People's Armed Forces The Hero of the People's Armed Forces ( vi, Anh hùng lực lượng vũ trang nhân dân) are designations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Qualifications for receiving The Hero of the People's Armed Force is awarded to individuals with " ...

. Her memoirs were translated and published by Cornell University Press in 1976. Nguyen Thi Dinh was interviewed by

Stanley Karnow Stanley Abram Karnow (February 4, 1925 – January 27, 2013) was an American journalist and historian. He is best known for his writings on the Vietnam War. Education and career After serving with the United States Army Air Forces in the China B ...

for Vietnam: A Television History documentary. She contributed the piece "The braided army" to the 1984 anthology '' Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology'', edited by

Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Thi Dinh 1920 births 1992 deaths Vice presidents of Vietnam Lenin Peace Prize recipients Members of the 4th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 5th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam People from Bến Tre Province Place of death missing Women in the Vietnam War Vietnamese people of the Vietnam War 20th-century Vietnamese women politicians 20th-century Vietnamese politicians Women vice presidents Women government ministers of Vietnam