Phùng Quang Thanh (; 2 February 1949 – 11 September 2021) was a

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the

Vietnam People's Army Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and served both as

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from 2006 to 2016, and Deputy Secretary of the

Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to: *Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China. *Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...

. He was Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam’s People Army from 2001 to 2006, A member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

and

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. He enlisted in 1967, and fought in various battles during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and was honored for bravery with the title and medal as

Hero of the People's Armed Forces The Hero of the People's Armed Forces () is an honorary designation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Criteria The title (and medal) of Hero of the People's Armed Force is awarded to individuals with "exceptionally outstanding achievements ...

in 1971 at age 22.

Military career

Phùng Quang Thanh was born on 2 February 1948 in Thạch Đà commune, Mê Linh district,

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. In 1967, he joined the army at the age of 18 and was admitted to the People’s Revolutionary Party. He participated in combat in the Quảng Trị battlefield, Southern Laos during the Vietnam War, and the

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a brief conflict that occurred in early 1979 between China and Vietnam. China launched an offensive ostensibly in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia in 1978, whi ...

. In his early years, Thanh fought in various battles of the Vietnam War notably in the Quảng Trị campaign and during the counter-offensive of the Vietnam People's Army against

Operation Lam Son 719 Operation Lam Son 719 or 9th Route – Southern Laos Campaign () was a limited-objective Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the Kingdom of Laos. The campaign was carried out by the ...

where he served as

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

commander (đại đội trưởng) in the 9th Battalion, 64th Regiment,

320th Division (Vietnam) The 320th Division or Đồng Bằng Division (Vietnamese: ''Sư đoàn Đồng Bằng'', Delta Division) is a formation and one of the six original "Steel and Iron Divisions" of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). It was established in January ...

On February 11, 1971, Phùng Quang Thanh, the platoon leader of 1st Company, 9th Battalion, 64th Regiment, 320th Division, personally commanded a squad defending the Hill Không Tên. Against a company of airborne troops of the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...
(ARVN) with aerial support, the enemy using one company with air support, launched an attack in two directions. Phùng Quang Thanh commanded his squad (''tiểu đội'') to hold fire until the enemy was close before opening fire, killing 38 of the enemy soldiers and forcing them to retreat. He personally was credited with killing 8 of the enemy. Two days later, the enemy attacked the position again. Phùng Quang Thanh was wounded, and his superiors ordered him to withdraw to the rear, but he requested to stay and continue fighting. He asked his comrades to remove the safety caps from 17 grenades and place them in a bag around his body. A medic bandaged him and tied up his left arm to prevent it from getting in the way. He then led his squad in a flank attack against the enemy, coordinating with allied units to completely destroy the enemy company. His squad alone killed 37 enemy soldiers, captured one, and seized two weapons. For this feat of arm, Thanh was awarded the prestigious title
Hero of the People's Armed Forces The Hero of the People's Armed Forces () is an honorary designation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Criteria The title (and medal) of Hero of the People's Armed Force is awarded to individuals with "exceptionally outstanding achievements ...
(''Anh hùng lực lượng vũ trang nhân dân'') on 20 September 1971.

In June 1971 he was ordered to leave combat to study in the School for Infantry Officers, later in the Academy of Infantry, he was also appointed commander of the 9th Battalion, 320th Division, 1st Army Corps (Vietnam People's Army) (''Quân đoàn 1'') from 1972. During the war, he received total three Liberation Distinguished Service Medals, 1st Order (''Huân chương Chiến công Giải phóng hạng nhất''), three Brave Soldier Titles (''Danh hiệu Dũng sĩ'') and other awards. After the Vietnam War, Thanh continued to hold several positions in the 1st Army Corps from chief of staff of the 64th Regiment to acting commander of the 312th Division in 1988. In 1991, after two years studying in the Soviet Union and the Military Academy of Vietnam, Thanh was promoted to commander (''sư đoàn trưởng'') of the 312th Division. Afterwards, he served in the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of the Vietnam People's Army from 1993 to 1997 and as commander (''tư lệnh'') of the 1st Military Zone from 1997 to 2001. In May 2001, Thanh became Chief of the

and Deputy Minister of Defence of Vietnam. Five years later, he was elected to the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and began to hold the position of Minister of Defence of Vietnam, succeeding General Phạm Văn Trà.

Health rumors and Death

General Thanh visited France for medical care on 24 June 2015, due to complications from a wartime lung injury. The month-long absence sparked rumors of an assassination attempt; he was reported dead on 19 July by a German newspaper but this later was found to be false; he made a full return to

on 25 July. On the morning of September 11, 2021, according to information from the Central Committee for Protection and Care of Health for Senior Officials, General Phùng Quang Thanh passed away at 3:45 AM on September 11, 2021 (corresponding to the 5th day of the 8th lunar month, Year of the Ox) at his private residence. He succumbed to his illness after a prolonged period of severe health decline, leaving behind a son. Despite the efforts of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese government, a team of dedicated professors and doctors, and his family’s devoted care, he succumbed to his illness after a prolonged period of severe health decline.{{cite news , title=Đại tướng Phùng Quang Thanh từ trần , url=https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/dai-tuong-phung-quang-thanh-tu-tran-20210911064756320.htm , access-date=10 February 2025 , date=11 September 2021 , language=vi

Rank

Phùng Quang Thanh was promoted to major general in 1996, lieutenant general in 1998, colonel general in 2003 and army general in 2006.

Notes

{{commons category, Phùng Quang Thanh {{reflist {{Communist Party of Vietnam {{Vietnam People's Army Generals {{Vietnam People's Army Chief of Staff {{Ministers of Defence of Vietnam {{DEFAULTSORT:Phung, Quang Thanh 1949 births 2021 deaths Generals of the People's Army of Vietnam Hero of the People's Armed Forces Government ministers of Vietnam Members of the 10th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 11th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam North Vietnamese military personnel of the Vietnam War Ministers of defence of Vietnam Politicians from Hanoi Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Vietnamese expatriates in the Soviet Union