Vo Nguyen Giap

Vietnamese military leader who masterminded the rout of the French at Dien Bien Phu and then overcame the US-backed might of South Vietnam
The Times
Giap, in black, explaining his battle plan to his aides before Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the defeat which destroyed France’s colonial rule in Indochina
Giap, in black, explaining his battle plan to his aides before Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the defeat which destroyed France’s colonial rule in Indochina
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The Times

General Vo Nguyen Giap was the guerrilla mastermind who overcame enormous odds against superior forces to drive first the French and then the Americans out of Vietnam. Only his mentor, President Ho Chi Minh, held a higher place in the pantheon of the communist heroes who led Vietnam to independence.

A self-taught military strategist, Giap commanded the forces of the nationalist Viet Minh during the First Indo-China War which began in 1946. That bitter struggle ended in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu with his comprehensive rout of the French.

The defeat of a well-equipped modern army by what had recently been a guerrilla force was a remarkable achievement. Giap would forever be known as “The Victor of Dien Bien Phu”. The blow to French pride,