THE LEGEND OF THE TRUNG SISTERS OF VIETNAM

BY JOE RACE
Author of “Moon over Manila

On a recent trip to Vietnam, I came across many streets, buildings and temples named after two heroic sisters, Hai Ba Trung, separately known as Trung Trac (the oldest) and Trung Nhi. I even found their images on dozens of paintings sold by street merchants and on postage stamps. They are usually pictured riding on elephants into battle, perched high and ready to take on the enemy. There is even a holiday named after them every February 6 of the Lunar calendar called Trung Sisters Day, which coincides with the Vietnam National Women’s Day.

A little research and a trip to a Saigon museum quickly revealed the two heroines are well-known in Vietnam but as we know, virtually unknown in the Western World. In Vietnam folklore and legend, the Sisters are highly revered and have become almost cult figures in modern days and inspirational in fighting the occupying Chinese, French colonizers and then the American troops later on.

There are two versions of the Trung Sisters story. The Vietnam record is that China had occupied Vietnam for a thousand years, and China tried continually to assimilate the people into their culture and impose harsh laws and taxes. Trung Trac had married a village chieftain named Thi Sack, who resisted many of the Chinese restrictions. The Chinese army captured him, and the Chinese Commander raped Trac. The Chinese government governor, To Dinh, ordered Thi Sack executed as an example to all that considered rebellion. Sisters Trac and Nhi were rightfully outraged and were determined to drive the Chinese Army out of Vietnam.

Trac and Nhi came from a prominent local army family, daughters of General Lac, and they had learned military skills and marital arts early in their childhoods. As part of their plan to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam, Trac and Nhi gathered up 36 prominent, educated women, including their mother, and trained them to be generals. Eighty thousand Vietnamese joined their army, with a large majority being women. They drove the Chinese Army north and eventually took control of sixty-five Vietnamese cities (41-43 A.D.). Trac was given the title of “She-King Trung” and co-ruled with her sister at Me-Linh on the Hong River. Slowly but effectively, China organized a large, well-equipped army under the command of General Ma Vien, a highly experienced and competent commander; and the Chinese invaded from the coast.

In 43 A.D., legend has it that the Chinese male soldiers fought completely naked and the enemy’s brazenness so shamed the Vietnamese female warriors that they fled the battlefield. One of the women leaders, pregnant Phung Thi Chinh, stood her ground, and gave birth on the battlefield. She then fought the Chinese with her baby in one arm, and her sword in the other. Eventually the Chinese’s great numbers overwhelmed the Vietnamese, and to save their honor and not giving the Chinese the chance to capture and torture them, the Trung Sisters threw themselves in the Hat River, committing suicide by drowning. Seeing the battle was lost, Phung killed herself and her baby, deciding to join the sisters in the Hereafter. It is also recorded that an unnamed female warrior randomly rode through the Chinese camp, killing many soldiers, and then committing suicide before she could be captured.

The Chinese version of the rebellion barely rates a small mention in their history and is clear that no Vietnamese were abused; that Thi Sack was not executed; no Chinese soldiers ever fought naked; and nothing was known of the Trung Sisters’ suicide. As in any “official” record, it is obvious that the victors had the opportunity to write the history.

Regardless of the truth and outcome of the rebellion, the Trung Sisters will always be a symbol of determination and bravery for the Vietnamese people; and for the strength and courage that they displayed as women defending the Vietnamese culture and freedom from abuse and despotism.

A poem was written in the 15^th Century about the Sisters: “All the male heroes bowed their heads in submission; Only the two sisters proudly stood, up to avenge the country…” To merely assert that these women are prominent in Vietnam history, culture and mythology is an understatement. They will never be forgotten!

Joe Race is retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and has completed tours of police assignments in several US states, Saipan, Kosovo and Bosnia. He currently lives in Saipan where, among other activities, he writes prolifically. (Friends wonder in amazement where he finds the energy and motivation.) In his free time, Joe helps build houses for impoverished people through Habitat for Humanity in the Philippines and Botswana, Africa. He is the author of seven books, including “Moon Over Manila,’ ‘Continuin On,’ ‘Sitting on a Goldmine,’ ‘and ‘Hawaiian Paniolo.’ Joe is a regular contributor to tedlerner.com.

To learn more about Joe and his books, visit his website at www.josephrace.com