Everyday images of General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife Dang Bich Ha

General Vo Nguyen Giap is known as a military genius, the architect of shocking victories that made the West bow down. Behind the achievements of the talented general is his virtuous wife, Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Bich Ha. 11 years after General Vo Nguyen Giap passed away, she also followed him to the world of the virtuous, at the age of 96.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Bich Ha is the eldest child of Professor Dang Thai Mai, Minister of Education, Director of the Institute of Literature, a famous teacher, writer, theorist, and literary critic. General Vo Nguyen Giap was a friend and comrade of teacher Dang Thai Mai, so he also knew Ms. Bich Ha early on.

In 1944, General Vo Nguyen Giap suffered a great loss when his first wife Nguyen Thi Quang Thai died. Not long after, General Vo Nguyen Giap met Mrs. Ha again. His younger sister and old friend wanted to share with him all the hardships on the revolutionary path and in life. At the end of 1946, the two held a simple wedding. According to Colonel Tran Hong, in the picture is Mrs. Dang Bich Ha when she was young. The photo was taken by General Vo Nguyen Giap himself as a gift for one of his younger sisters.

The photo was taken on an October morning in 1994, the first morning Colonel Tran Hong was allowed by General Vo Nguyen Giap to record his working and daily life moments. Colonel Tran Hong said that seeing the couple giving each other 2 eggs moved him for a long time. He understood more about the simple life and sincere feelings of a great personality.

Dien Bien Phu battlefield relic site is where General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Vietnamese army and people achieved a resounding victory that shook the world.

Mrs. Dang Bich Ha and her husband revisited the Dien Bien Phu campaign command bunker in Muong Phang, Dien Bien in 2004.

Colonel Tran Hong named the photo “Melody of Peace”. The photo was taken in 2006, right after General Vo Nguyen Giap’s 95th birthday. “This is a moment I have always wanted to capture. I named it “Melody of Peace” because peace was the General’s greatest wish. Beside him was the solid rear, Ms. Bich Ha,” said Mr. Hong.

Mrs. Bich Ha accompanied her husband to many events. In the photo, General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife visited a charity class in 2007.

The General and his wife took their grandchildren to visit the Vietnam Military History Museum.

In the eyes of many people who have met, talked to and been close to General Vo Nguyen Giap’s family, Mrs. Dang Bich Ha is a kind, simple, sincere and always very tactful woman. The above photo was taken during a trip when Mrs. Ha and the General visited their hometown of Quang Binh.

The photo captures the moment Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan sat watching TV with the General's family.

General Giap and his wife smilingly welcome a guest to their home. Many people shared that Mrs. Ha treated everyone equally, regardless of whether they were officials, farmers, intellectuals or ordinary workers.

Mrs. Dang Bich Ha visited Mr. Hong’s small house on Duong Thanh Street, Hanoi. After looking at the portraits of her husband in the photographer’s house, Mrs. Ha stood for a long time in front of the stone-carved picture of General Vo Nguyen Giap and Colonel Tran Hong.

The photo of General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2006 at 30 Hoang Dieu. This was an important diplomatic event with strict security. That day, Mr. Hong captured the moment when Mr. Hugo Chavez hugged General Giap with one arm and put his arm around Ms. Dang Bich Ha's shoulder as they entered the private room.

“The General said that the Venezuelan people love Hugo Chavez as much as the Vietnamese people love Uncle Ho. The General rarely invites guests to visit his private room, but with the Venezuelan President, he broke the rule, proving that he loves this leader very much,” said Colonel Tran Hong.

Colonel Tran Hong's family visited and wished General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife good health. Mrs. Dang Bich Ha was always very grateful for the affection and admiration that Colonel Tran Hong had for General Vo Nguyen Giap. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Hong recorded thousands of moments of the General and her family.

Once, Mrs. Ha told Colonel Tran Hong: “Our family is always grateful to you, what you have given to my family and especially the General is truly great. We always appreciate that”. The statement made Mr. Hong appreciate and was moved by its simplicity and sincerity. Mr. Hong printed that statement in a wooden frame and kept it solemnly in his house.

The photo captures the moment the General and his wife happily enjoyed their children and grandchildren on the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Hai, former assistant to General Vo Nguyen Giap, his wife Dang Bich Ha was the one who made great contributions in taking care of and educating the children, keeping the family warm.

General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife and grandchildren went shopping for books in 2007. During his lifetime, the General was famous for being an avid reader and self-learner.

According to Colonel Tran Hong, in the living room of General Vo Nguyen Giap's family, there were always two chairs, one for the General and the other for his wife. The two often sat there drinking tea, chatting, and catching up. During the days the General was recuperating at the 108 Central Military Hospital, Mrs. Ha arranged documents and letters for her husband.

“When I focused on the lady and took a photo, I could not press the shutter again because I saw a large empty space next to me. The General was missing… Mrs. Ha was reading a document when she looked up and asked me: “Are you not taking any more photos?”. I answered the lady: “No, sir”. At that moment, I really missed the General and the image of him sitting next to her. I think Mrs. Ha also felt the same way,” Colonel Tran Hong recalled.

Photo: Colonel Tran Hong

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/hinh-anh-doi-thuong-cua-dai-tuong-vo-nguyen-giap-va-phu-nhan-dang-bich-ha-20240919170711996.htm