Died 1951, Cambodia | ||
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Nguyễn Bình born Nguyễn Phương Thảo (1906, Tien Tinh - 1951) was a Lieutenant-general in the Viet Minh. He was imprisoned by the French on the island of Poulo Condore in the early 1920s. Although not a communist, he was sent by Ho Chi Minh in 1945 to establish a resistance to French rule in Cochinchina where he established his base of operations in the Plain of Reeds near Saigon. Described as "cruel, indefatigable, pitless, authoritarian" he nevertheless became a hero to the people of South Vietnam.
Despite exceptional success in leading raids and ambushes against the French during general Võ Nguyên Giáp's retreat of 1950 defeats at Vĩnh Yên, Mạo Khê, and the River Đáy, Bình was blamed for reverses. He was executed by agents of General Vo Nguyen Giap after being slightly wounded during a skirmish with Cambodian troops.