Trung Sisters
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The Trưng Sisters, known in Vietnamese as Hai Bà Trưng (the two Trưng women), are two 1st century women regarded as national heroines of Vietnam after they successfully repelled Chinese invasions for three years.
The sisters were known as Trung Trac and Trung Nhi and were born during the 1000 years Chinese occupation of Vietnam. The dates of their birth are unknown, but Trung Trac was older than Trung Nhi. The exact date of their death is unknown but they both died in the year AD 43.
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Early Years
The Trung sisters were born in a rural Vietnamese village, into a military family. Their father was a prefect of Me Linh, therefore the sisters grew up in a house with a lot of militaristic influence. They also witnessed the cruel treatment of the Chinese who subjugated the Vietnamese. The Trung sisters spent much time studying the art of warfare, as well as learning fighting skills.
When a neighbouring prefect came to visit Me Linh, he brought with him his son, Thi Sach. Thi Sach met and fell in love with Trung Trac during the visit, and they were soon married.
Rebellion
Soon, the Chinese became intolerably cruel, and exploited the Vietnamese, as well as forcing them to assimilate into the Chinese. Thi Sach believed this oppression was unbearable and made a stand against the Chinese. In an effort, made by the Chinese, to deter any insurrectionary activity, Thi Sach was executed. However it was in fact this event that probably spurred rebellious behaviour on faster.
In AD 39 Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, after successfully repelling a small Chinese unit from their village, together amassed a huge army, consisting mostly of women and within months had taken back many (about 65) citadels from the Chinese, and had liberated Nam Viet. They became Queens of the country, and managed to resist all Chinese attacks on Nam Viet for two years.
Defeat
Their revolution was short lived however, as the Chinese gathered a huge army that managed to overrun and finally recapture Nam Viet. The Chinese army did this by fighting the battle naked. It was an unspeakable taboo for a woman to see a man naked who wasn't her husband, and therefore not all the women fought in the battle, and subsequently, with so little numbers, most of the male battalions were wiped out. Phung Thi Chinh, a pregnant noble lady was the captain of a group of soldiers who were to protect the central flank of Nam Viet. She gave birth on the front line, and with a baby in one arm, and a sword in the other, continued to fight the battle.
However, the Trung sisters realised that they had been defeated and that to fight now would be death at the hands of the Chinese. Therefore to protect their honour, and to elude ridicule, the two Queens committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Hat River (AD 43). Some of their loyal soldiers continued to fight to the death, whilst others committed suicide (e.g. Phung Thi Chinh, who also took her newborn baby's life). There is a story of one woman who would randomly charge through Chinese camps, screaming and slaying random men. Finally, after killing many more, she committed suicide in the hope of returning to her respected commanders.
Impact
The Trưng 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. In addition, numerous large streets in major cities are named after them. They are often depicted riding on elephants into battle.
The stories of the Trung sisters and of another famous woman warrior, Triệu Thị Trinh, are cited by some historians as hints that Vietnamese society before Sinicization was a matriarchal one, where there are no obstacles for women in assuming leadership roles.