VIETNAM
I lived in Hanoi from 1993 to 1997 having first visited in 1990. It was a great few years with many challenges but also great experiences. Most of my writing was for Agence France-Presse but before and after my time there I did write for some other publications.
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Disrupted lives, patriotic songs, torches forthe war and names signed in blood.
BAO NINH set offto war, at the age of 17, against a background of patriotic songsand poetry. Today, these are sounds he would rather forget. 'At the recruitingstation they had singers and poets, working up the spirit of those signing up.There were two types of people - those who really carried torches for the war, fullof anti- American spirit, signing their forms in their own blood. And then therewere those like me. We were told to go and we went. We weren't particularlyafraid. We knew we had to fight.'
Military commander who led Vietnamese forces to victory over the US and French
General Vo Nguyen Giap, who has died aged 102, was a self-taught soldier whobecame one of the foremost military commanders of the 20th century. He used hischarisma and tactical skills to transform a tiny band of Vietnamese guerrillas into anarmy that defeated both France and the US.