Wife of General Vo Nguyen Giap dies

Born in the central province of Nghe An, Ha was the daughter of Professor Dang Thai Mai, former Minister of Education and Director of the Vietnamese Literature Institute. She formed a close bond with General Giap during her childhood when he lived in her father's house from 1931 to 1941.

In 1943, Ha evacuated to Thanh Hoa, but returned to Hanoi two years later. She recalled that as a child, Giap often took her to Hang Day Stadium, then called Septo, to play sports. The two reunited in 1945, when Giap was mourning the loss of his first wife, Nguyen Thi Quang Thai, who had died in Hoa Lo Prison in early 1944 after being arrested. Giap and Thai had married in 1934 and had one child, Vo Hong Anh (1941-2009).

In late 1946, Giap and Ha married in a simple ceremony and remained faithful to each other until his death in 2013.

Despite his demanding career, General Giap always made time for his family, especially on special occasions. Every year on their wedding anniversary, November 27, he asked his daughter to buy a bouquet of flowers for Ha. In his final years, when Giap's health was failing and he spent a lot of time in the hospital, Ha took loving care of him.

General Giap, born in 1911 in the central province of Quang Binh, was a history teacher before becoming known as a skilled military leader. As the first general and commander-in-chief of the Vietnamese People's Army, he played a decisive role in the country's liberation struggle.

During the wars against France and America, he directly commanded major military campaigns, including the historic victories at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975 – both milestones in the country's history.

After the reunification of the country, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense until 1980 and later as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1981 to 1991. In the first seven legislative periods, he was also a delegate to the National Assembly.

Giap and Ha leave behind their four children: Vo Hoa Binh, Vo Hanh Phuc, Vo Dien Bien and Vo Hong Nam.