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<font size=3><br>
</font><font size=4><b>Photos honor General Vo Nguyen Giap’s 100th
birthday <br>
</b></font><font size=3><i>VietNamNet Bridge - Vo Nguyen Giap, the first
General of the Vietnam People’s Army and the highly talented
Commander-in-Chief during the two resistance wars, against the French
colonialists and the US imperialists, will be 100 years old on August
25.<br><br>
</i>
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<br>
<br>
</a>General Giap is the longest-living person in the military history of
Vietnam.<br><br>
For many years, on special holidays of the nation and his birthday,
representatives from all walks of life visit General Giap to pay tribute
to the man who devoted his whole life for the cause of national
liberation.<br><br>
On August 22, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central
Committee, Huynh Dam, visited General Giap and wished him a long
life.<br><br>
One day earlier, hundreds of military officers, intellectuals and
entrepreneurs from all parts of the country gathered at General Giap’s
house in Hanoi to congratulate him on this occasion of his 100th
birthday.<br><br>
They recalled unforgettable memories about the morals and talents of
General Giap, who is informally known as “Eldest Brother of the Vietnam
People’s Army”.<br><br>
Numerous activities are held to celebrate General Giap’s
birthday.<br><br>
They include a meeting of Dien Bien war veterans in Ho Chi Minh City,
exhibitions of photos and sand paintings and 3D animated film on General
Giap.<br><br>
The Kim Dong Publishing House launched the pictorial book, “General Vo
Nguyen Giap, one century - two long marches”. Meanwhile, the Les Indes
Savantes Pari publishing house of France issued the book “Vo Nguyen Giap
- a life” by Alain Ruscio.<br><br>
Vo Nguyen Giap is the most outstanding military leader beside President
Ho Chi Minh. He became a general when he was 37. He commanded a series of
important campaigns during the two resistance wars against the French
colonialists and the US imperialists, including the Dien Bien Phu
Campaign in 1954.<br><br>
<br>
The “globe shaking” Dien Bien Phu Victory is considered as a brilliant
milestone in the cause of national liberation, marking the end of the
French imperialists’ power in Indochina after 83 years, inspiring
national liberation movements in colonial countries and promoting General
Giap as a world military figure.<br><br>
American historian Cecil Curry affirmed that General Giap has become not
only a legend, but also a military genius in the 20th century and is
among the greatest military strategists of all time.<br><br>
Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Military History, Ho Khang,
said General Giap knew to develop the tradition of the elder generations
in the new era, using the weak to fight the strong, using a few to fight
a crowd, fighting firmly, and always winning. The moral aim of troop
commander General Giap was to treasure each drop of soldiers’ blood and
have close ties with team mates and people as if they were
relatives.<br><br>
After the country was united, General Giap took various important
positions in different fields and made many contributions to
society.<br><br>
<b>A veteran and a photo book of General Giap <br>
</b>A veteran living in the central province of Quang Binh has spent 4
years collecting photos and articles about the life of Vietnam’s military
commander, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and compiled them into a
book.<br><br>
In Dao Thong’s book which he calls a diary, the 60-year-old man gathered
more than 1,000 photos and articles from books, newspaper and the
Internet.<br><br>
The book arranged in chronological order gives a look at the legendary
commander’s simple life, his humility and genius in military
leadership.<br><br>
Thong worked very hard. He even once rode a bike over 45 kilometers to Le
Thuy town --- the General’s hometown -- to get to know about an event
related to the commander.<br><br>
“I used to be a soldier and I do respect our General, so I created this
book and give it to him with all my love to him, especially on the
occasion of his 100th birthday (August 25)”, Thong said.<br><br>
The veteran also said he will continue his work and gather more books and
photos about the General.<br><br>
<b>Activities to celebrate General Vo Nguyen Giap's 100th birthday<br>
</b> <br>
Photos of the legendary general have gone on display in Hanoi to mark his
100th birthday on Thursday, August 25.<br><br>
The 200 photos were selected from 500 provided by Giap's family,
individuals and military units.<br><br>
The photos displayed at the exhibition are also printed in a pictorial on
the general which will be released soon.<br><br>
"In the 1,000-year history of the capital, the last 100 years were
the most difficult but glorious with the devotion of heroes like
President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap," Labor Hero
Professor Vu Khieu wrote in the pictorial. "Among the great leaders
of the time, Giap is the only one still living."<br><br>
The photos are on display at Exhibition House, 45 Trang Tien Street, till
September 3. <br><br>
Many other activities have also been launched before to celebrate the two
special events.<br><br>
The Youth Publishing House has announced to publish a biography titled
“Vo Nguyen Giap – the 100-year spirit” capturing the life of the General
since he was a child.<br><br>
The book includes photos and stories by people who are close to the
General such as Tran Dai Nghia, the founder of Vietnam’s modern arms
industry or Phung Chi Kien, one of his first comrades.<br><br>
A very first Vietnamese 3D animated film, titled “A historical decision”,
on the revolutionary war against French colonialists also features the
legendary military commander. The movie has been finished after more than
two years.<br><br>
The 20-minute movie depicts the General and his internal struggle in a
charismatic leadership that has scored the most significant victory in
modern Vietnamese history, in the battle of Dien Bien Phu.<br><br>
An exhibition recalling the commander’s life through a collection of
paintings made of colored sand, by artist Y Lan, was held early this
month at the Ho Chi Minh City Exhibition and Display House at 92 Le Thanh
Ton in District 1.<br>
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Vietnam: Vietnam marks General Giap’s 100
years</b></h1><font size=3>
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<br><br>
</font><h3><b>The famous independence hero was born August 25, 1911 in a
central-north province. His name is linked to the wars against the
French, Japanese and U.S.. He is still remembered for the battle of Dien
Bien Phu in the plain, in 1954, which ended the war in Indochina. He is
also a vocal critic of the ...</b></h3><font size=3>Thursday, August 25,
2011<br>
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</ul>Hanoi - After defeating the French, Japanese and Americans one after
the other, he also seems to have defeated time itself: General Vo Nguyen
Giap, hero of the Vietnamese, today celebrates his 100th birthday. He was
born August 25, 1911 in central-north Quang Binh province to a poor
family, composed of seven siblings, some of whom died young. Politically
active since his school years, he was expelled from a school in Hue for
organizing student protests. But his name is tied hand in glove with the
wars in Indochina in the second half of the 1900’s, so much so that the
Vietnamese people consider him the second most important national
personality, only after "Uncle" Ho Chi Minh.<br><br>
Do Quy Doan, Vice Minister of Culture, recalled that "some of the
country's most glorious and most important events are associated with his
name and his cause." Yesterday, the four-star general received a
delegation of Communist Party politicians and leaders, to celebrate the
centenary. He still has a colonial-style villa in Hanoi, not far the
mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, in the city center, where until three years ago
he would still receive foreign heads of state and leaders. The official
Viet Nam News Agency reports the elderly leader’s "thanks" and
"renewed commitment" to the conquest of new objectives
<br><br>
His most famous military conquest dates back to May 1954, with the
historical humiliation of the French army in the Dien Bien Phu plain.
General Giap, thanks to a clever counter-offensive, cut the trans-Alpine
lines, causing them to collapse and ending the war in Indochina. The
Hanoi government this week dedicated a photo exhibition to his enterprise
with decades-old pictures in black and white. <br><br>
However, in recent years he has repeatedly clashed with the Vietnamese
government, accusing them of promoting policies all too
"pro-Chinese" to the detriment of the country's territorial and
economic independence. Among others, the battle against the bauxite
mining program in the Central Highlands, the exploitation of which (for
the benefit of Beijing) has provoked criticism from scientists and
environmentalists. <br><br>
Finally, his accusations of corruption against political leaders and his
criticism of the bureaucracy and the party led to his marginalization
from the political scene for the past 25 years. In a speech to Congress
in 2006 he repeatedly insisted on the need for transparency and democracy
and decisive action against corruption. "A party that conceals its
defects is in ruins - Giap wrote in a state newspaper - a party that
admits its mistakes and is transparent is courageous, strong and
honest."<br><br>
<br><br>
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