The Hai Ba Trung uprising was the first uprising against China invaders in Vietnamese history, which was led by the two sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. The uprising started in the year 40 (Canh Ty) and then drove the Han (Chinese) rulers out of Giao Chi. It was the first time in history that the Vietnamese people stood up for their independence and pride.

Even a worm will turn

Since the Zhao Dynasty exterminated An Duong Vuong and established the right to rule over the old Au Lac territory, the ruling regime was carried out at district level. The two districts of Giao Chi and Cuu Chan were represented by 2 commanders. Until the Western Han Dynasty destroyed the Zhao Dynasty (111 BC), the ruling still remained at the district level. The regime in which the Vietnamese Lac marquis and Lac generals with power gathered in the old Au Lac territory was accepted and maintained by the Han governments, but increasingly weakened.

Since the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Emperor Guangwu of Han had not yet finished suppressing the Northern forces, but he was still interested in the South. Tich Quang, Nham Dien became the Commander of Giao Chi and Cuu Chan of the Han Dynasty, trying their best to implement the policy of assimilation: changing customs from marriage to clothing, etiquette of the Vietnamese to follow the Han people, leading to seriously offend the customs of many generations of Vietnamese people.

Since To Dinh became the Crown Prince of Giao Chi in 34, the domination of the Eastern Han Dynasty became even heavier to the Vietnamese. To Dinh was brutal and greedy. He increased servitude and taxes on the Vietnamese to pay more tribute to the Han court, and pressed the Lac generals more. The great clash of culture, religion and economy made the conflict between the Vietnamese people and the Han ruling regime increasingly harsh. Therefore, the Lac generals united to oppose it.

Among the Lac generals who opposed the domination of the Han Dynasty, there were Trung Trac in Me Linh, Phong Chau and Thi Sach in Chu Dien. Trung Trac married Thi Sach and the two families united to rally forces against Han rule and gathered the support of quite a few other local leaders. Facing the uprising spirit of the Vietnamese leaders, To Dinh killed Thi Sach in the hope of quelling their intention to uprising. The death of her husband made Trung Trac act quickly in starting an army against the Han Dynasty.

The death of her husband made Trung Trac act quickly in starting an army

However, there are historical records for other information about Thi Sach. In addition to the fact that his real name Thi (not Thi Sach), "Thuy Kinh" said that he and Trung Trac successfully rebelled and died in battle with his wife three years later. The book "Thien Nam Ngu Luc" states that Thi Sach participated in the uprising with Trung Trac and died in battle before the uprising was successful and the historian Dao Duy Anh agrees with this theory.

Historians assert that the uprising still broke out under the leadership of Hai Ba Trung even though Trung Trac's husband was not killed. Therefore, the main cause of the uprising was not the death of Thi Sach, but the iron-handed assimilation and exploitation policy of the Eastern Han Dynasty towards the Vietnamese in Giao Chi at that time. Le Van Sieu in the book "Vietnam civilized history" even said that what is Thi Sach's real name, whether he was killed or not during the Hai Ba Trung uprising event is not an important detail.

Time of female generals

The core leadership role was taken by the Lac marquis, Lac generals of Hung Vuong lineage who had prestige with the people and were more or less respected by the colonial government. In addition to three typical representatives Trung Trac, Trung Nhi and Thi Sach, historians confirm that there are many other local leaders that were Lac generals.

The typical representatives in the leadership were Trung Trac and Trung Nhi

A figure who is considered to play an important role in the pre-revolt period is Mrs. Man Thien - the mother of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. She is considered a great-granddaughter on the maternal side of Hung Vuong. As an early widower, she raised two daughters and taught them to grow mulberries, raise silkworms and learn martial arts. Ms. Man Thien had the role of organizing forces, communicating with mandarins in the surrounding areas to support the uprising.

It is worth noting that most of the generals of the uprising were women recorded by legends: Trung Trac, Trung Nhi, Man Thien, Dieu Tien, Bat Nan, Dao Ky, Le Hoa, Le Chan, Phuong Dung, Trinh Thuc, Thanh Thien, Thien Hoa, Nang Tieu, Xuan Huong, A Di, A Tac, A La, Nang Do, etc. The number of male generals is less: Do Nang Te, Hung Nguyen (Trung Nhi's husband), Mr. Dong, Mr. Cai, Mr. Na, Dong Bang, Do Chinh, Do Duong, etc.

These generals are all related by blood or are friends of each other. It all shows that the structure of blood relations, the position and role of women, mothers and wives were still very significant not only in the family but also in all aspects of Vietnamese social activities at that time. That is considered a remnant of the matriarchy that was still popular during the Hai Ba Trung time in Vietnam.

Hai Ba Trung - To the throne of the Queen

In September 39, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi gathered the generals together to swear at the Hat River estuary (Phuc Tho district, Hanoi), which was in Me Linh district at that time. "Thien Nam Ngu Luc" records Trung Trac's oath as follows: “Foremost, I will avenge my country. Second, I will restore the Hung lineage. Third, I will avenge the death of my husband. Lastly, I vow that these goals will be accomplished.”.

After a period of preparation, in February 40, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi officially launched an uprising against the Eastern Han Dynasty. The uprising was responded to by many armies and people in the former Au Lac and Nam Viet regions.

The Hai Ba Trung army first attacked the Commander of Giao Chi district in Me Linh. Having occupied this place, Hai Ba Trung attacked Tay Vu district and occupied the Co Loa citadel. On the verge of victory, from Co Loa, Hai Ba Trung brought troops across the Hoang and Duong rivers to attack the Giao Chi headquarters at Luy Lau on the banks of the Dau river (Lung Khe, Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh). The insurgents attacked so quickly that To Dinh did not have enough time to react. Facing the strength of Hai Ba Trung's army, the leading officials did not dare to resist and fled to the North.

The Crown Prince of Giao Chi, To Dinh, panicked and fled. To escape, To Dinh had to shave his hair and beard, intermingle with the rebels, throw away his seal, and run away. It is said that Vietnamese then still had a popular custom of shaving their hair, so To Dinh imitated it to avoid being detected on the way. In the end, To Dinh escaped to Nam Hai district, was charged by Ma Vien for being "greedy for money but dare not to fight''. The Han King sent To Dinh to prison for punishment.

The Hai Ba Trung uprising was responded to by people from everywhere. After Luy Lau was defeated, the other cities quickly surrendered. The uprising spread to Cuu Chan, Nhat Nam, to Uat Lam, Hop Pho, etc. Successfully uprising, Trung Trac was crowned King. Legend has it that Trung Nhi was appointed Vice King.

Raising the flag of national pride

Under the leadership of two sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, many forces against the domination of the Eastern Han Dynasty combined into one, becoming a large uprising movement of the Vietnamese people, overthrowing the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty over the entire territory of Au Lac and old Nam Viet.

This is considered by historians to be an awakening of the Vietnamese national spirit, an important re-perception of the Vietnamese people's right to live in their own way. The uprising reflected the already clear national consciousness of Lac generals and Lac people among the tribes that made up the old Au Lac country. The sense of national independence and sovereignty of the Vietnamese people was formed through more than 200 years of loss of the country - the period during which Chinese dynasties aggressively assimilated in order to make Au Lac a district of China forever. This sense still exists and grows in the hearts of Vietnamese people. 

Nowadays, Hai Ba Trung is worshipped in many temples

This was the first Vietnamese uprising against Chinese rule in 1,000 years of Chinese domination. The Lac generals and their descendants were representatives of this movement. Hai Ba Trung relied on the people to restore the old lineage of King Hung. The uprising was the proud denial of the Chinese domination power who considered the surrounding peoples as barbarians in the countries that had to serve the “royal court” (China), denying the idea "royalistic, great unification".

The Hai Ba Trung uprising, led by women, was considered a fierce confrontation in terms of culture, lifestyle, and way of thinking of the South - North, Vietnamese - Han, in the ideological "men should rule over women" of the ancient Han empire.

Tags: The Hai Ba Trung uprising, Trung Trac Trung Nhi, Thi Sach, To Dinh, Han Dynasty, Zhao Dynasty, An Duong Vuong, Vietnamese - Han