"Asia and Africa today"
- is a scientificl monthly journal (in Russian)
of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Included in Russian Science Citation Index on
WoS platform, and EBSCO Publishing.
ISSN 0321-5075. Published since July 1957.

"Asia and Africa today" № 8 2020

Title

ARMY GENERAL VAN TIEN ZUNG - OUTSTANDING COMMANDER OF VIETNAM

DOI

10.31857/S032150750010452-9

Аuthor Grigory M. LOKSHIN
PhD (History), Leading Research Fellow, Center for Vietnamese & ASEAN Studies, Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Abstract:

   On September 2, 2020 the Socialist Republic of Vietnam celebrates its 75th anniversary. In the historiography of Vietnam among the leaders of the national liberation movement, the most famous along with President Ho Chi Minh and his successor Le Zuan, there are the former Prime Minister of the DRV Pham van Dong and the legendary army general Vo Nguyen Giap as the winner of the famous battle of Dienbienfu in May 1954 which put the end to the colonial regime of France. Behind these glorious names is a large list of their associates, many of whom also made their significant contribution to the conquest of freedom and independence of Vietnam. One of them is army general Van Tien Zung. In 1980, he replaced Vo Nguyen Giap on the post of Minister of defense. Before that for many years he headed the General staff of the Vietnam National Army (VNA). This article is devoted to the life and work of this outstanding commander and strategist of Vietnam. His reputation among military professionals was not so much inferior to the authority of his close friend and mentor, army general Giap. But for the broad public in Russia and on the international arena, he was not so known, because he never was a so called “public figure”, rarely appeared in public and almost did not give any interviews to media. After the division of the country in 1954 together with Le Zuan and other leaders of the party he led the organization and development of the guerrilla movement in South Vietnam. General Van Tien Zung became the most famous celebrity in Vietnam after he planned and successfully carried out under his immediate command the famous “Operation Ho Chi Minh» in the spring of 1975 which finished the war and led to the reunification of the country.

Keywords: Van Tien Zung, Dien Вien Рhu, Vo Nguyen Giap, Road № 9, “Ho Chi Minh’s plats”, “Operation Ho Chi Minh”, Spring offensive 1975, liberation of Saigon
Pages 57-63