Along with the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Truong Son Road), the Ho Chi Minh Sea way has connected the large rear of the North with the Southern battlefield, contributing to the complete victory of the resistance war against foreign invaders.
debtors take revenge on their houses
General Nguyen Thi Dinh was born on March 15, 1920, the youngest child in a poor family in Luong Hoa commune, Giong Trom district, Ben Tre province. Growing up in a state of houselessness, the beautiful girl from Ut Dinh chose the path of a hard revolution. She joined the Indochina Party Congress movement in 1936 and was promoted to the Party's ranks in 1938. She built a family with Mr. Nguyen Van Bich (Ba Bich) - a member of the Provincial Party Committee - who worked openly and took the stage name Ba Dinh from her husband.
After giving birth for 3 days, she suffered great pain when her husband was captured by the enemy and deported to Con Dao. When her child was only 7 months old, she was arrested by a reconnaissance team and sent to Ba Pa prison. In prison, she received news that her husband had died outside of Con Dao. Released in 2006, she continued her activities. The 25-year-old widower led thousands of people to rise up to power in the Leon province during the August Revolution.
When France returned to occupy the South, in March 1946 she joined a sea crossing group by boat from Ben Tre to the North to report to Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee about the situation in the Southern battlefield, asking for arms to attack France. She then led a team to transport 12 tons of weapons from the North to the South safely. Her historic sea crossing journey and her teammates opened the legendary path - the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea - for the future resistance war.
Dong Khoi torch
After the Geneve Agreement, she joined the Standing Committee of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee and was assigned to stay in the South to work secretly in extremely difficult conditions, and died many times.
At the end of 1959, as Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, she was sent to receive Resolution 15. Returning to Ben Tre, in early 1960 she directly directed the "Dong Khoi" - a new concept named by her - which broke out on January 17, 60. From here, the legendary "Long hair Army" was born. Along with that is the motto of attacking the enemy with "three lines of armored fighting" - politics combined with weapons and military transport - the wonderful creative way of fighting the enemy of the people's war, quickly spreading throughout the South.
After the resounding victory of Dong Khoi, in April 1960 she was elected Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee. In 1964, she was elected as a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.
In 1965, she was elected as the President of the Southern Women's Liberation Union. Also in this year, she was assigned the position of Deputy Commander of the Southern Liberation Army of Vietnam.
On April 17, 1974, she was officially promoted to the rank of Major General.
The general in the hearts of the people
In the spring of 1975, in the 5 groups advancing to liberate Saigon, there was female general Nguyen Thi Dinh in the role of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation Army and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Campaign. After the country's reunification, she held many important positions in the Party and State. From 1987 to 1992, she held the position of Vice Chairwoman of the State Council. She is also Vice President of the International Federation of Democratic Women, President of the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Association.
From the countless hardships, many times of life and death, going through 2 resistance wars, until holding a high position in the State apparatus, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh has always been kind, generous, tolerant, living in harmony, closeness, and sincerity with everyone. She is like an older sister, a teacher, dedicated to taking care of the soldiers, comrades, and teammates with food and clothing; deeply sympathizing with the pain, loss, and noble sacrifice of the people.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh passed away on August 26, 1992. With many great contributions to the Fatherland and the people, she was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal, the First Class Military Exploit Order and many other noble titles by the State. In 1968, she received the Putin International Peace Award. In 1995, she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.
In 1966, at the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnam Women's Union, President Ho Chi Minh said: "The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation Army is Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh. The whole world believes that our country has such a female general. It is truly a glorious thing for the South, for our entire nation (Ho Chi Minh: Complete source, Publishing House. National Politics of Truth, Hanoi, volume 15, p.173).
On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the birth of Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh (March 15, 2020 - March 15, 2025), on March 15, 2025, in Ben Tre City, Ben Tre Province, the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee jointly organized a ministerial-level scientific conference: "The life and revolutionary career of comrade Nguyen Thi Dinh".
