To (finally) kick off the last theme of 2022, we are going to be talking about the Hai Bà Trưng, which, literally translated, means the Two Ladies Trưng. Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị were warriors who rebelled against Chinese Han-dynasty domination of Vietnam, becoming national heroines – and are still celebrated as such today despite both dying around 2000 years ago.

From 111 BC, Han China invaded and annexed what we now know as Vietnam. Vietnamese society at the time was matriarchal and women held respected positions and freedoms; by contrast, China was male-dominated, and this was reflected in the restrictions placed on women after the invasion. Chinese officials were sent to assume all top positions in governing the region, but local rulers were installed at lower levels to act in China’s interests. Some of these local leaders used their influence to push back against Chinese domination in order to protect their own people – among them was the Trưng sisters’ father, a powerful lord of the Lac Viet people.

The sisters, both born between 1-12 AD (Trưng Trắc being the eldest), had a privileged childhood under their father’s watchful gaze. They were highly-educated, excelling in literature and martial arts, and both were set to inherit their father’s wealth and lands. Trưng Trắc, described as ‘possessing mettle and courage’ married another Lac lord named Thi Sách, whom she stirred to action against high taxes and bribes demanded by the Chinese. Thi Sách led a group of aristocrats in a protest, but he was captured and, as a warning against rebellion, beheaded without trial.

Trưng Trắc was now a widow, but she was not content to passively mourn her husband. Instead, she joined with her younger sister, Trưng Nhị, to mobilise the local Lac Viet people. They eventually raised an army of around 80,000, many of whom were women – some sources even suggest the sisters’ elderly mother joined as one of 36 women generals. They revolted in 39 AD, storming 65 Chinese-led citadels, and succeeded in driving the Chinese from the land, winning independence for Vietnam for the first time in over a century.

In 40 AD, Trưng Trắc was crowned Queen of northern Vietnam. She was the first female Vietnamese monarch and the only queen regnant in the country’s history. Trưng Nhị was her top advisor and possibly also her co-monarch. The sisters liberated sites such as the kingdom of Nanyue and were respected everywhere they went, as much for their role in the rebellion as for the deeds during their rule. One particularly famous legend says that they killed a supposedly indestructible tiger, subsequently using the tiger’s skin to write a promise to the people of Vietnam and urging them to join them in the fight against the Chinese.

Trưng Trắc’s government was based on the country’s traditions and values and was a far simpler model than that which had been enforced by the Chinese. She established a new capital at Me-Linh, and the pair ruled over a state that stretched from southern China to the modern-day location of Huế in Central Vietnam.

But it was not to last.

In 41 AD, Emperor Guang Wu Di became determined to recapture Vietnam. He sent General Ma Yuan to crush the Trưng sisters and the Chinese attacked Vietnam with more strength than before. They far outmatched the Trưngs’ forces, which didn’t have enough troops or supplies. Still, the two forces battled for over a year, the Trưng sisters personally leading their armies astride elephants. 

Nevertheless, they were defeated at Lang Bac (near modern-day Hanoi). Then, knowing the sisters were severely weakened, Ma Yuan followed up to decisively defeat them at Hat Mon (now Son Tay). China recaptured Vietnam and they would hold it until Lý Bí’s rebellion in 544 AD.

What exactly happened to Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị after their defeat is unknown. They may have been captured and executed or, according to folklore, they ‘disappeared into the clouds’. The most popular version, however, is that they refused to admit defeat and be captured; instead, they drowned themselves in the Hat-Giang River.

Whatever their fate, the Trưng sisters’ legacy has only grown over the millennia. They have been an inspiration to the Vietnamese people through their struggles for independence against the Chinese, French, and United States alike. Every year, a memorial service is held at the Hai Bà pagoda in Hanoi to celebrate their heroism.

Sources:

• ‘Vietnam: Hanoi Marks Anniversary of Trung Sisters’ Uprising’, Asia News Monitor (Bangkok: Thai News Service Group, 2016)
• https://www.history.com/news/trung-sisters-vietnam-rebellion-han-dynasty
• https://www.history101.com/trung-sisters-vietnamese-rebel-leaders/
• https://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/htrung.html