GENERAL VO NGUYEN GIAP ALIVE AND KICKING AT 100

LOOKING PRETTY DAMN GOOD AT 100

I admit not only did I miss the birthday of General Vo  Nguyen Giap, I didn't really know that he was still alive.  As they say, me bad.  


Gen. Giap not only defeated the Americans, he knocked off the French and battled the Japanese, too.  His defeat of the French at the battle of Dien Bien Phu was historic and demonstrated that the time of the colonial empires was coming to a rapid end.  His leadership role in ousting of the USA from Vietnam helped begin the long (and on going) decline of American imperialism.  


You know all this, but did you know that the old general has not rested on his laurels.  He has not been afraid to speak up when need be to help push his country to achieve the potential demonstrated by its history. 


General Giap has called his Party to task on occasion (and has made some enemies as a result). In 1982, to the shock of the nation, he was ousted from the Politburo, some say due to jealousy of his popularity, stature, intellect, and a bit concerned by his continued outspokenness.  Didn't shut up the old soldier. For example,  in 1986, he criticized the Party, saying of it,

‘"the prevailing bureaucracy, corruption and red tape reduce the party’s reputation and threaten its very existence.’

 (However, I have to add, for many war veterans, his criticism didn’t go far enough.)


Did you know that General Giap has also taken on environmental 
degradation in Vietnam.  Quoting from Asia Beat:

"By 2009, the Vietnamese government had signed a joint venture deal to exploit bauxite in the Central Highlands. But Giap was angry over the potential environmental impact and fired off an open letter to the Vietnamese prime minister warning that open-cut mining would destroy vast areas of forest and crops, leaving huge deposits of toxic sludge.

‘Giap was our first leader after the war to focus on environmental problems,’ says Nguyen Huu Ninh, who was part of a UN team awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their work on climate change.

Upset that there was no response from the Vietnamese government to a second open letter, Giap made sure that his fiery salvo was published by the media. In the letter, he recalled that as deputy prime minister, he had blocked the same bauxite project in the Central Highlands from being developed by the Soviet Union, and noted the same environmental problems remained.

The campaign snowballed, with 135 intellectuals, scientists and communist cadres signing a petition to the Vietnamese National Assembly, a rare act of protest in this one party state."

Vo Nguyen Giap celebrated his 100th birthday in August.  


A great man for an entire century.


If only there were more.


The following is from VietNam News.


 Leaders visit master tactician Gen Giap on 100th birthday

General Vo Nguyen Giap (first right) discusses military operations with President Ho Chi Minh during the historic battle of Dien Bien Phu, in which Vietnamese forces defeated the French in May 1954. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI — The military mastermind behind victories against the French and American forces in Viet Nam, General Vo Nguyen Giap, yesterday received Party and State leaders on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, along with other high-ranking officials, brought the affection and reverence of the whole nation to congratulate Giap, who turns 100 today.

An exceptional military strategist, Giap lead the Viet Nam People's Army to defeat the French colonialists and the US imperialists. He was best known for his military leadership during the historic defeat of the French at the battle of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954.

Visiting the former Commander in Chief, the leaders wished him good health and longevity, to continue his contribution to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Trong said the whole Party, army and people would always appreciate and keep in mind Giap's great achievements.

The leaders said that in carrying on the glorious revolutionary cause of previous generations, they were determined to try their best to lead the country through difficulties to successfully implement the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress, thus helping the nation and its people thrive and prosper.

Giap expressed his thanks to the leaders for their best wishes and said he believed they, along with the people, would continue to strive for new achievements. — VNS