The Trưng Sisters, known in Vietnamese as Hai Bà Trưng (the two Trưng ladies) (c. 12 - 43 AD), are two 1st century women regarded as national heroines of Vietnam after they successfully repelled Chinese invasions for three years. The sisters were known as Trưng Trắc (Traditional Chinese: 徵側; pinyin: Zhēng Cè) and Trưng Nhị (Traditional Chinese: 徵貳; pinyin: Zhēng Èr) and were born during the thousand-year Chinese occupation of Vietnam. The dates of their birth are unknown, but Trưng Trắc was older than Trưng Nhị. The exact date of their death is unknown but they both died in the year AD 43. The motivation of the Trưng sisters and what happened is open to dispute. The traditional Vietnamese account has been alleged by many to be a highly fictionalized account created in the 14th century to encourage Vietnamese patriotism. The traditional Chinese account, of course, could have been simply a history written by the victors. Xem tiếp... |