hits since 9 February 2007.
Written by Mark Pryor, November 2000
Last Revision: 18 December 2001
Copyright © MMV Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Site
The Hai Ba Trung Legend refers to the Trung sisters. They were Vietnamese warriors and they are still celebrated heroes. There are statues and shrines throughout Vietnam dedicated to them.
The Chinese first annexed Vietnam in 111B.C. They sent Chinese officials to govern the province in all the top positions. They did however allow the Vietnamese to keep their own system of feudal chiefs at lower levels. These acted as landlords much like the lords in many European countries.
The legend goes that in the year 39 A.D. the Chinese governor of Chiao Chi decided to frighten some of the Vietnamese landlords, by assassinating one of them. The man who was assassinated was the husband of Trung Trac. She was well educated, strong-minded and versed in the military arts. She called upon her sister, Trung Nhi, and together they organized an army with the help of the other lords around them. This was the first major revolt and is still one of the most celebrated in Vietnamese history.
This early revolt led to the expulsion of the Chinese from Vietnam. It secured the independence of Vietnam for the first time in a century and a half. The Trung sisters were made Queens. They established a new capital at Me-Linh in present day Vinh-Phu province. However, this victory was only to be short lived. In 43A.D. the Chinese would attack and retake Vietnam under General Ma-Vien. The Trung sisters, rather than be captured drowned themselves in the Hat-Giang River on the 60th day of the second lunar eclipse. Today the temple of Ha-Loi, located in a village of the same name, in Vinh-Phu province near the Red River, where the Trung sisters' capital, Me-Linh was located, stands as a tribute to them as well as being an inspiration to revolutionaries against foreign rule. In addition each year a festival is held in their honor on the 15th day of the first lunar month. This includes a pageant, with the participation of 150 boys and 150 girls.
Bibliography
Cima, Ronald J., ed. Vietnam: A Country Study. Washington D.C.: United States Government as Represented by the Secretary of the Army, 1989. This source contains a lot of information about the topic.
Davidson, Phillip B. Lt. Gen.,USA (Ret.) The History 1946-1975 Vietnam At War. Novato, CA.: Presidio Press, 1988. This source is useful to support the information found in other sources.
Gibson, James William. The Perfect War. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986. This source contains a lot of information about the topic.
Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: A History. New York: The Viking Press, 1983. This source is useful to support the information found in other sources.
Kutler, Stanley I. Encyclopedia Of The Vietnam War. New York: Simon and Schuster Macmillan, 1996. This source contains a lot of information about the topic.
Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. United States: Microsoft, 1997. This source is useful to support the information found in other sources.
Murphey, Rhoads. A History Of Asia. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. This source is useful in supporting the information found in other sources.
Sheldon, Walter J. Tigers In The Rice. Toronto: Crowell- Collier Press, 1986. This source contains a lot of information about the topic.
Whitfield, Daniel J. Historical And Cultural Dictionary Of Vietnam. U.S.A.: Daniel J. Whitfield, 1976. This source contains a lot of information about the topic.
Internet Locations
http://www.asiatour.com/vietnam/e-01land/ev-lan24.htm. This site contains a lot of information used to support information found in other sources.
http://infoweb.magi.com/~minh/History/trsister.ht. This site contains a lot of information used to support information found in other sources.
http://www.nhandan.org.vn/19981116/1611english/index.html;This site contains a lot of information used to support information found in other sources.
http://www.sunsite.wits.ac.za/untpdc/incubator/vnm/tphan/trholi.htm . This site contains a lot of information used to support information found in other sources.
http://www.viettouch.com/trung_sisters_main.html . This site contains a lot of information used to support information found in other sources.
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This page has had hits since 9 February 2007. |
URL: http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/htrung.html Written by Mark Pryor, November 2000 Last Revision: 18 December 2001 Copyright © MMV Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Site
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