Creative Arts Competition – background notes

The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association is organising a writing and creative arts competition in collaboration with Victoria University and Offset on the theme : The Trung Queens and women in the 21st century. Prizes are $3,000, $1,000, and many other prizes. A book including the best compositions will be launched, on March 4th 2013, to celebrate both the United Nations International Women’s Day and the 30th anniversary of the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association..

Included in this document are several papers written on the Trung Sisters and these can be used for basic background information – the more research you do – the better your chance of winning . . .

Successful rebellion leaders and teen queens in 1st century AD

By Cam Nguyen

To promote understanding of the nature of leadership throughout history, it is unlikely that any researcher would think of looking at Asian history in general and Vietnamese history in particular. And yet, in the 1st century AD, two Vietnamese sisters of the Trung family succeeded in not only driving back the armed forces occupying the land which is now the heartland of North Vietnam but also in keeping them at bay for three years during which time, they reigned as the “Trung Queens”. The occupying forces belonged to no less than the mighty Chinese Han Empire which spread from Mongolia in the West to Korea in the East, Siberia in the North and North Vietnam in the South.

“The Trung sisters” have been so revered throughout Vietnamese history that they are perceived more like superhero deities rather than flesh and blood women. This attitude is a shame as it denies to women, especially young Vietnamese women, the opportunity to identify and be inspired by “Hai Ba’’ (The Two Ladies). Trung Nhi was unmarried, in an age when girls were married soon after the onset of puberty, in their early or mid-teens. There was no record of Trung Trac’s age or how long she had been married before her husband was executed for rebellion. But as she had no children, it would be fair to guess that she was probably in her late teens or early twenties. As young women leaders, they should be re-assessed through the lens of not only scholars and specialists of various professional backgrounds but also through the lens of ordinary 21st century men and women, old and young.

How did two young women succeed in gaining the respect of so many men and women of all ages and convincing so many, presumably older, men and women to become their followers and join their barefoot “guerrilla” army? That army raised and equipped on a shoestring was able to inflict such casualties on Chinese occupying forces that they ran away. It took the Chinese three years to progressively re-conquer the province. It is true that the sisters and Trac’s husband were from the local gentry, the leading class but, then as now, there should not have been any dearth of would be male older leaders. How did the sisters overcome the twin handicap of youth and femaleness? How could such extraordinary charisma be explained?

Another remarkable feat is how the two sisters were able to so seamlessly continue the task of continuing the rebellion, after Trac’s husband was executed by the authorities. Was it because Trac’s relationship with her husband was a partnership closer and more equal than anything we could imagine even now? Was such a smooth transition due to mere luck or effective succession planning?

In Vietnamese songs and poems about Hai Ba, there is usually talk of “han nuoc” (nationalist anger) and “thu chong” (hate on account of what happened to her husband) but what were the two sisters’ true or main motivation? In pre-historic times, 2879-258 BC, a mythical dynasty reigned in what is now North Vietnam. Chinese occupation started in 258 BC. The Two sisters were apparently connected to the old dynasty. As to the interpretation that Trung Trac did what she did out of hate, would it stand up to close scrutiny? For had Trac gone to the people, crying and ranting about her anger and hate of the Chinese occupying forces for executing her husband, people would merely feel either pity, sympathy or empathy for her as a grieving widow. Why should they respect, admire and follow her as leader? As to the interpretation that the two sisters did what they did out of nationalistic feeling, did the concept of nation really exist at the time? One might query their sense of nationalistic identity or the nationalism of their contemporaries as members of the Giao Chi tribe. Since Vietnam as a nation had not yet been established, why would they be willing to put their lives on the line? For with Thi Sach’execution, everyone would have realised the danger of participating in a rebellious movement: the Giao Chi fighting the might of the Han Empire was like a David and Goliath struggle. At stake was not only a matter of life and death in actual battles followers would have had to plot and train for months, going through a lot of stress, sweat and tears as such covert high risk activities must have required trust, effort and commitment over an extended period.

How could Trung Trac have been so inspirational that not only her little sister was willing to back her all the way but so were thousands of total strangers. When I was visiting the temple of “Hai Ba” in Hanoi in 2000, I was surprised to see among the list of names of the female generals, the name of a Buddhist nun. Buddha’s message is universal love and compassion, certainly not hate and revenge. Could it be that in her grief following the death of her husband, Trung Trac came to the decision that she did not want any other or any more Giao Chi women to suffer the heartbreak that she was suffering? Could it be out of love of justice and compassion for fellow beings that she decided to take up the banner of rebellion from her fallen husband to chase away a cruel and unjust administration? Could it be because Trung Trac was angry that ordinary people around her were exploited, reduced to forced labour, treated inhumanly and unfairly, that she was willing to stand up to defend justice, basic human rights and dignity?

As rebellion leaders, the two sisters could not possibly have bought the support of the people through giving out either money, land, goods, positions or titles. However, if we look at the story of another teenage heroine, this time on the other side of the globe, the key factor was admiration. After Joan of Arc, then a 17 years old simple peasant girl, was able to convince the King of France of the genuineness of her holy voices and he appointed her as commander of his troops in 1427, his generals did not take her seriously at first. It was only after a few months, when they realised she was a brilliant strategist, that they did follow her orders.

When objectively assessed, rebellion against the Han Empire must have appeared clearly a reckless and impossible task, yet after the two teenage sisters started their open rebellion, 2 adjoining provinces and over 50 citadels came to their side!

Analysing the social, religious, political, economic and technological features of the environment they were operating in, how were the two sisters able to overcome such formidable challenges? For instance, how did the two sisters travel from one hamlet to another, from one village to another, across rivers, forests and rice fields, on foot or horseback, by row boat or ox cart, in order to mobilise the people? What were the dangers apart from being caught by the authorities? Strong currents, leeches and crocodiles, tigers and panthers, snakes and spiders, mosquitoes, heat and cold, etc..? How did they have the stamina and endurance?

How did they communicate with their followers in distant locations? Orally or in writing? If in writing, what materials or tools were used? How could secret messages be delivered? How fast or slow? How the two sisters were able to first, train and instruct their followers, then, so successfully co-ordinate the uprising under the very noses of the occupying army. The slower the means of communication, the more thorough must the strategic planning be.

However methodical and analytical our approach might be, it is all conjecture: the mystery remains about their motivation, the type of leaders they were, the movement or forces they led. Was it a political insurrection like the 2011 Arab Spring? Was it a struggle against foreign dominance like the one Joan of arc was involved in? Or was it a crusade on the model of waves of believers across Europe rushing to the Holy Land to defend what they considered as the essence of Christianity? Did Trung Trac hate To Dinh, the cruel Chinese governor who ordered the execution of her husband? Or did she only hate the sins but not the sinner? Could it be the very reason people not only admired her, but possibly revered her and were prepared to sacrifice their lives following her?

Anyway, it is extraordinary how the Trung sisters were able to achieve what they set out to achieve. Their courage, vision, perseverance, resilience, leadership, public relations, strategic thinking, martial and other skills, combined most probably with compassion and integrity helped them to achieve what no other women succeed in achieving, before or since, anywhere, in the history of mankind, that is successfully leading a rebellion, not against any occupying forces but the forces of a mighty empire. That the two sisters’ troops were finally defeated by the far superior Chinese forces was only to be expected.

There is no doubt those two queens of the 1st century could become outstanding role models for modern women leaders if their skills and strengths are professionally re-assessed in 21st century language. Their achievements, glory and tragedy helped shape the identity of the Vietnamese nation. Their memory lives in the hearts of millions of Vietnamese who call themselves “children and grandchildren of the two ladies” (con chau Hai Ba) and inspires all those Vietnamese heroes and heroines who have been fighting for freedom, justice and independence in the last two millennia. Joan of Arc had inspired a number of world class novelists, playwrights, painters and sculptors. Among these are outstanding names such as Schiller, George Bernard Shaw, Jean Anouilh and Mark Twain. There are not only countless statues for Joan of Arc in France but also one in New York and paintings of her in top museums.

On the one hand, it is hoped that eventually, the Trung queens will become internationally known and inspire world class authors and artists, academics and historians, something which they richly deserve. On the other hand and more importantly, it is hoped that a revival of interest in the Trung Queens will inspire not only Vietnamese women in Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora across the five continents but the whole Vietnamese people to take pride in their Vietnamese identity and fight for their national rights against stealthy land encroachment by their mighty neighbour.

Cam Nguyen, MA (Cambridge), Dip. Ed., Dip. Admin. (Melbourne) is the founder and current CEO of Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association.