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Vietnamese general credited with victories over France and US dies

Agence France Presse - October 4, 2013

The man credited with being the architect of Vietnam's military victories over France and the United States, General Vo Nguyen Giap, has died.

The revered Vietnamese military figure was 102. Giap died on Friday evening, at a military hospital he had been staying at for several years in the capital Hanoi. He was born in central Vietnam on August 25, 1911.

The founding father of the Vietnam People's Army was known for his guerilla tactics against French and American-led forces in the country. Giap is widely regarded as one of Vietnam's most revered figures, second only to the late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

"He's a mythic, heroic figure for Vietnam," said Carl Thayer, an Australia-based scholar of the country.

Giap was a commander in the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, which marked the end of the first Indochina War and French colonial rule over Vietnam.

He was also the mastermind behind the Tet Offensive against US troops in 1968, which is often cited as a major factor leading to the Americans' withdrawal from the Vietnam War.

Giap's death triggereed an outpouring of tributes from Vietnamese internet users, for a man viewed as a hero by many.

"Rest In Peace the hero of the people," one comment said. "You will always be our greatest general,"

State-run online newspaper, VNExpress, reported Giap's body was moved to the morgue at the hospital with a guard of honour to pay respect.

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