Empowered Women: The Trung Sisters

Whilst in Vietnam I was interested in finding an empowered Vietnamese woman! I was expecting to hear tales of wonder, spiritual and heroism. I was told to google ‘Hai Ba Trung’ and so I did…

The Trung sisters (c. 12 – c. AD 43) were leaders who rebelled against Chinese rule for three years, and are regarded as national heroines of Vietnam. The Trung sisters were born in a rural Vietnamese village, into a military family. Their father was a Prefect of Mê Linh, therefore the sisters grew up in a house well-versed in the martial arts. They also witnessed the cruel treatment of the Viets by their Chinese overlords. The Trưng sisters spent much time studying the art of warfare, as well as learning fighting skills. When a neighbouring prefect came to visit Mê Linh, he brought with him his son, Thi Sách. Thi Sách met and fell in love with Trưng Trắc during the visit, and they were soon married.

With Chinese rule growing extremely harsh and cruel towards the Vietnamese. Thi Sách made a stand against the Chinese. The Chinese responded by executing Thi Sách as a warning to all those who contemplated rebellion. His death spurred his wife to take up his cause and the flames of insurrection spread. In AD 39, Trung Trắc and Trung Nhị, after successfully repelling a small Chinese unit from their village, assembled a large army consisting mostly of women. Within months, they had taken many (about 65) citadels from the Chinese, and had liberated Vietnam. They became Queens of the country, and managed to resist subsequent Chinese attacks on Vietnam for over three years.

Their rebellion was short lived, however, as the Chinese gathered a huge expeditionary army under the veteran General Ma Yuan to suppress the rebellion. The Trung sisters were defeated and committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Hát River in AD 43.

According to legend, Phùng Thị Chính, a pregnant Captain of a group of soldiers who were to protect the centre of Vietnam, gave birth on the frontline. With her baby in one arm, and a sword in the other, she continued to fight the battle. She committed suicide along with the Trưng sisters and also took her newborn baby’s life.

The Trung Sisters are highly revered in Vietnam, as they led the first resistance movement against the occupying Chinese after 247 years of domination. Many temples are dedicated to them, and a yearly holiday, occurring in February, to commemorate their deaths is observed by many Vietnamese. A district in Hanoi called the Hai Bà Trung District is named after them. In addition, numerous large streets in major cities and many schools are named after them.

Well that ending was slightly morbid, but I can confirm their temples are very pretty!

Photo Credits:

wikimedia.org

vnanet.vn