Hoàng Văn Thái

Hoàng Văn Thái Hoàng Văn Xiêm
Portrait of General Hoàng Văn Thái (1986)
Nickname(s)	Mười Khang (Muoi Khang) Thành Quốc Bình
Born	1 May 1915 Tây An, Tiền Hải, Thái Bình Province, French Indochina
Died	2 July 1986(1986-07-02) (aged 71) Hanoi, Vietnam
Allegiance	Viet Minh  Vietnam
Service/branch	Vietnam People's Army Viet Cong
Years of service	1941–1986
Rank	General
Commands held	Việt Minh Vietnam People's Army People's Liberation Armed Forces
Battles/wars	First Indochina War Battle of Điện Biên Phủ Vietnam War Tết Offensive
Awards	Resolution for Victory Order
Other work	Chief of General Staff of Vietnam People's Army Political Commissar cum Military Region V of Viet Nam Deputy Ministry of Defense of Viet Nam Chairman of the Committee for Physical Training and Sports of the Government Viet Nam. and more …

Hoàng Văn Thái (1 May 1915 – 2 July 1986), born Hoàng Văn Xiêm, was a Vietnamese communist military and political figure. His hometown was Tây An, Tiền Hải District, Thái Bình Province.^[1] During the Tết Offensive, he was the most senior North Vietnamese Officer in South Vietnam.^[2] He was Chief of Staff in the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ.

Early life

Hoang Van Thai was born Hoang Van Xiem, on May 1st 1915 in the village of An Khang (now Tay An, Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province. His father, Hoang Van Thuat, was a Han Nom teacher.

Hoang Van Xiem was dedicated to studying. Graduated in a French-Vietnamese colonial elementary school, however he dropped out of school at the age of 13 because of financial difficulties, Xiem had to work as a barber. Age 15, He was influenced by Communist movement.

Age 18, Hoang Van Xiem worked in a mine in Hong Gai, Quang Ninh Province, he attended movements against the unfairness of the mine owners and returned to his hometown in 1936.

He opened a music class to organize young men to participate in rebellious activities. After few months, students numbered to 170 members with himself as a secretary. Through experiences gained from secret activities, he spread leaflets on the sly in order to encourage people to get involved against high taxes, struggle for democratic freedom. Due to his achievements, Xiem became a member of Indochinese Communist Party in March 1938.

Service in military

In 1941, Viet Minh was founded, he became a commander of the squad National Salvation Army Bắc Sơn (Lạng Sơn). Under the name of Quoc Binh, meaning "peaceful country", several comrades and he left for military training in Liuzhou, China.

In late 1943, he met with Ho Chi Minh, then released by Chiang Kai-shek government. After military school he returned to Vietnam with a new assumed name Hoang Van Thai (Thai stem from his hometown Thai Binh, also meaning "peaceful"), joined the resistance against Japan and then joined the August Revolution against France in 1945. He also was one of 34 soldiers led by Võ Nguyên Giáp that met on 22 December 1944 to found the Armed Propaganda Unit for National Liberation that later became the Vietnam People's Army.

7 September in 1945, assigned as the first Chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. (1945–1953), by President Ho Chi Minh of the Provisional Government at the age of 30.

January 1948, he was promoted to one of the first generals of Vietnam, along with: General Võ Nguyên Giáp, Lieutenant General Nguyễn Bình, and Major Generals: Nguyen Son, Chu Văn Tấn, Hoang Sam, Trần Đại Nghĩa, Le Hien Mai, Văn Tiến Dũng, Trần Tử Bình, Le Thiet Hung, Duong Van Duong (died in 1946).

In 1950, he was Chief of Staff of Borders campaign and the Commanding Officer in the Battle of Đông Khê, which opened the campaign.

In 1954, he was Special Campaign Chief of Staff Điện Biên Phủ, Assistant to the Commander in Chief Võ Nguyên Giáp.

On 31 August in 1959, he was proposed to Colonel General rank, but he refused because of professing himself lacking moral and not deserving the position, then eventually was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General.

In 1960 to 1965, part-time chairman of the Committee for Physical Training and Sports of the Government.

In Vietnam War

March 1965, the first US troops were sent to Danang, marked the official appearance of the American in South Vietnam. North Vietnam decided to send one of its most important seniors to the south, trying to balance the difficulty. Thai was assigned as Commander, Political Commissar cum Military Region V in 1966.

From 1967 to 1973, he was assigned to the South, made Commander of the People's Liberation Armed Forces and Deputy Secretary of COSVN. The US army called him as "3 legged tiger", the highest Northern commander in the South during the war years under the name of Muoi Khang.^[3]

During the time, he was the leader of First Battle of Loc Ninh Commanding Officer (October 27, 1967 – December 10, 1967). Also on 30 January 1968, he was the main commander of events during the Tet offensive throughout South of Viet Nam under instructions from the North.

After the war

From April the year 1974 to 1986, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General and was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense, and First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Standing Member of the Central Military Committee.

January 1980, he was promoted to full General.

He was a member of III, IV, and V Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and a member of the VII Congress.

On 2 July in 1986, he died suddenly of a heart attack at the Army Medical Institute 108 before he could be promoted as the minister of defense, the first chairman of the Vietnam National Security Council (responsible for national security, home affair and foreign policy matters however the position was rejected and has never been in active since his dealth), some considered this event as an assassination as well as general Le Trong Tan's death in the same year of 1986.^[4][5]

Awards and honours

• Vietnam State: Gold Star Medal (the most prestigious medal in Vietnam, awarded posthumously in 2007), Order of Ho Chi Minh City, 2 Military Medal class, Victory Medal class, Order of Resistance first class and many decorations and medals others.
• Street titled Hoang Van Thai in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi and District 7, Ho Chi Minh City,...

Home

• General Thai's widow is Dam Thi Loan, a former Lieutenant Colonel in the People's Army of Vietnam. She was one of three female soldiers in the original Vietnam Armed Propaganda Unit for National Liberation and was in the honor guard hoisting the flag of the new independent country in the Independence ceremony held at Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945.^[4]

References

Generals of the Vietnam People's Army Võ Nguyên Giáp (1948) Nguyễn Chí Thanh (1959) Văn Tiến Dũng (1974) Chu Huy Mân (1980) Hoàng Văn Thái (1980) Lê Đức Anh (1984) Lê Trọng Tấn (1984) Đoàn Khuê (1990) Nguyễn Quyết (1990) Phạm Văn Trà (2003) Lê Văn Dũng (2007) Phùng Quang Thanh (2007) Đỗ Bá Tỵ (2015) Ngô Xuân Lịch (2015)