Brigadier General Trần Văn Hai (1927-1975) was an officer in the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam 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 suf ...

. He was born in

Cần Thơ Cần Thơ, also written as Can Tho or Cantho (: , : ), is the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its floating markets, rice paper-making village, and picturesque r ...

Military service

In 1951, Hai graduated from the Dalat Military Academy, Class 7. In 1968, he was commanding the Ranger Branch Command, directly supervising the Ranger's raid to clear the enemy force that infiltrated into the business quarter of Cho Lon area. He was then assigned National Police Chief. He was the commander of the 7th Infantry Division at Dong Tam, near

Mỹ Tho Mỹ Tho () is a city in the Tiền Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. It is the regional center of economics, education and technology. The majorit ...

. In 1970, he was commander, Special Tactical Area 44, before commanding the 7th Division. He was renowned for being incorruptible, outspoken and brav

On April 30, 1975, at midnight he committed suicide at the Division Headquarters, Đồng Tâm Base Campbr>
His motives are unknown, but according to NY Times, General Hai feared persecution due to the humiliation of surrendering to VC divisions outside at the National Route 1 (Vietnam), NH4 (now National Route 1A). General Hai is one of the five ARVN generals who committed suicide to avoid a humiliating surrender to VC/NVA soldiers.

References

External links

1927 births 1975 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals South Vietnamese military personnel of the Vietnam War Deaths by firearm in Vietnam People from Cần Thơ Vietnamese military personnel who committed suicide {{Vietnam-bio-stub