In 39 CE, a Vietnamese nobleman named Thi Sach and his wife Trung Trac led the first revolt against the Chinese who had ruled Nam Viet ("southern country of the Viet") since 111 BCE. The successful military campaign enabled the Vietnamese to free themselves from Chinese rule. Trung Trac, along with her sister Trung Nhi, established a court northwest of Hanoi at Me-linh. Vietnamese tradition states that the execution of Thi Sach by the Chinese had ignited the rebellion, while Chinese sources indicate that Thi Sach simply followed his wife's authority. The Vietnamese recognized Trung Trac as queen until the Chinese, under General Ma Yuan, invaded with an army numbering around 20,000 and eventually defeated the Vietnamese forces. At the battle of Lang Bac, some 10,000 Vietnamese surrendered, and thousands more were executed. Vietnamese tradition holds that the Trung sisters escaped the Chinese and committed suicide by leaping into the Day Hat River. Chinese sources, however, claim that Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were captured and beheaded, and their heads were sent to the Han court. By late 43, Ma Yuan had regained control over the Red River Delta area, and the Chinese thus secured their rule over the Vietnamese.
The Trung Sisters (Hai Ba Trung, "the two ladies Trung"; also known as Truong Vuong or Trung Nu Vuong, "the queens Trung") are today revered by many Vietnamese as the most important heroines in Vietnamese history. The anniversary of their deaths is Vietnamese Women's Day, and the Vietnamese hold annual ceremonies honoring them on the sixth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. In practically every Vietnamese city, there is a street named "Hai Ba Trung" in honor of the two Vietnamese revolutionaries.
Further Reading
Taylor, Keith. (1983) The Birth of Vietnam. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Tucker, Spencer. (1999) Vietnam. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.
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