General Vo Nguyen Giap has died, but he will forever live in the heartsof millions of Vietnamese people and friends around the world.
Not only a military genius, he was also a skilful pianist who began learning in 1963 when he was 52 years old.
According to his piano instructor Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, although theGeneral just wanted to learn for leisure, he was always serious wheneverhe practised.
"Despite being extremely busy, he never missedany of my lectures. He was very smart and absorbed knowledge quickly,"recalled the teacher, who now is 78 years old.
Hanh also saidthat the General was a modest and warm-hearted person. "I called him Van[Literature, the name was given by President Ho Chi Minh] instead ofthe formal name General Giap. For me, he was a beloved brother. He wasalso one of my best students," she said.
The General alsoenjoyed listening to Vietnamese folk music quan ho (love-duet singing),and even asked Hanh to teach him to play folk melodies.
Hisstudies were interrupted in 1965 when Hanh left Vietnam to study in theSoviet Union. However, at that time, the General could smoothly playmany Vietnamese and classical pieces, including Elise by Beethoven andRoudo by Mozart.
Although a 3D animation film Quyet Dinh LichSu (Historical Decision) about General Giap has not been releasedofficially, some scenes can be seen on Youtube.
A film crewspent two years making the 20-minute movie, which features soldierspulling canons over the slopes for the historical Dien Bien campaign,the battle that turned him into one of the greatest military geniuses ofthe 20th century.
Director Nguyen Ha Bac said his crew had toreplicate the vast Muong Thanh rice field with hundreds of airplanes andtanks. The rice field was the battlefield where Viet Minh soldiersunder Giap's command encircled French troops for eight weeks, from March13 to May 7, 1954.
Eventually, French General Christian de Castries had to surrender, ending the First Indochina War.
"Every member of our film crew was proud to have a chance to make amovie about General Giap – a great man. We produced the movie with adeep love for him," Bac said.
The famous Dien Bien battle wasalso the inspiration for the play Bai Ca Dien Bien (Dien Bien Song) ofthe Vietnam Drama Theatre in 1984.
Directed by People's ArtistDoan Hoang Giang, the play featured 300 actors and actresses – thebiggest ever cast in Vietnamese stage history.
During his life,the General was also featured in many documentaries by Vietnamese andforeign directors, including The Battle between a Tiger and an Elephantby Daniel Roussel, Dai Tuong Vo Nguyen Giap (General Vo Nguyen Giap) byCao Nguyen Dung, Dai Tuong Vo Nguyen Giap: Mot The Ky – Mot Doi Nguoi(General Vo Nguyen Giap: A Century of Life), and Nua The Ky Mot Ngay(Half Century and One Day) by Dao Trong Khanh.
Most of thesedocumentaries were produced by director Khanh, who spent nearly 30 yearsfilming the General's life. The movies are being re-screened on TVsince he died on October 4.
As the news on his death spreads, many people have paid tribute to the legendary general.
A jazz concert by saxophonist Quyen Thien Dac on October 4 nightreserved a minute of silence in memory of General Giap, and so did theFavourite Songs show on October 6 night. The chorus opening the liveshow in Hanoi was dedicated to the deceased.
Many Vietnamese people have also expressed their sorrow by writing poems about the General.-VNA
Not only a military genius, he was also a skilful pianist who began learning in 1963 when he was 52 years old.
According to his piano instructor Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, although theGeneral just wanted to learn for leisure, he was always serious wheneverhe practised.
"Despite being extremely busy, he never missedany of my lectures. He was very smart and absorbed knowledge quickly,"recalled the teacher, who now is 78 years old.
Hanh also saidthat the General was a modest and warm-hearted person. "I called him Van[Literature, the name was given by President Ho Chi Minh] instead ofthe formal name General Giap. For me, he was a beloved brother. He wasalso one of my best students," she said.
The General alsoenjoyed listening to Vietnamese folk music quan ho (love-duet singing),and even asked Hanh to teach him to play folk melodies.
Hisstudies were interrupted in 1965 when Hanh left Vietnam to study in theSoviet Union. However, at that time, the General could smoothly playmany Vietnamese and classical pieces, including Elise by Beethoven andRoudo by Mozart.
Although a 3D animation film Quyet Dinh LichSu (Historical Decision) about General Giap has not been releasedofficially, some scenes can be seen on Youtube.
A film crewspent two years making the 20-minute movie, which features soldierspulling canons over the slopes for the historical Dien Bien campaign,the battle that turned him into one of the greatest military geniuses ofthe 20th century.
Director Nguyen Ha Bac said his crew had toreplicate the vast Muong Thanh rice field with hundreds of airplanes andtanks. The rice field was the battlefield where Viet Minh soldiersunder Giap's command encircled French troops for eight weeks, from March13 to May 7, 1954.
Eventually, French General Christian de Castries had to surrender, ending the First Indochina War.
"Every member of our film crew was proud to have a chance to make amovie about General Giap – a great man. We produced the movie with adeep love for him," Bac said.
The famous Dien Bien battle wasalso the inspiration for the play Bai Ca Dien Bien (Dien Bien Song) ofthe Vietnam Drama Theatre in 1984.
Directed by People's ArtistDoan Hoang Giang, the play featured 300 actors and actresses – thebiggest ever cast in Vietnamese stage history.
During his life,the General was also featured in many documentaries by Vietnamese andforeign directors, including The Battle between a Tiger and an Elephantby Daniel Roussel, Dai Tuong Vo Nguyen Giap (General Vo Nguyen Giap) byCao Nguyen Dung, Dai Tuong Vo Nguyen Giap: Mot The Ky – Mot Doi Nguoi(General Vo Nguyen Giap: A Century of Life), and Nua The Ky Mot Ngay(Half Century and One Day) by Dao Trong Khanh.
Most of thesedocumentaries were produced by director Khanh, who spent nearly 30 yearsfilming the General's life. The movies are being re-screened on TVsince he died on October 4.
As the news on his death spreads, many people have paid tribute to the legendary general.
A jazz concert by saxophonist Quyen Thien Dac on October 4 nightreserved a minute of silence in memory of General Giap, and so did theFavourite Songs show on October 6 night. The chorus opening the liveshow in Hanoi was dedicated to the deceased.
Many Vietnamese people have also expressed their sorrow by writing poems about the General.-VNA
