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What was the role of women in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam?

Answer:

Women played an important role in Vietnamese struggle for freedom, both in the past and present. Since early times, there had been women rebels. In 1913, a play was written by Phan Boi Chau which was based on the lives of Trung Sisters who fought against Chinese domination in 39-45 CE. These sisters were depicted as patriot s and the Trung Sisters were idolised and glorified.

It is believed that Trung Sisters gathered a force of 30,000 to resist the Chinese. When these sisters were defeated they committed suicide instead of' surrendering.

There were many other women rebels in ' the past. Trieu Au who lived in 3rd century CE too organised a large army to resist the Chinese when her army was crushed, she drowned herself. She became a sacred figure and is venerated as a martyr who died for the honour of the country. Her actions inspired the people to action.

Role of Women in Anti Imperialist Struggle.

During the anti-imperialist struggle against the US women played an important role. They were brave fighters.  They formed women militia and shot down fighter planes.

They were brave and dedicated. Thousands of stories have been written about their bravery and pictures taken to testify to their courage. They joined army took the rifle and single-handedly tackled enemies.

Nguyen Thi Xuan was reputed to have shot down a jet with just 20 bullets.

Besides fighting they managed other works also with dedication. As the casualties in war increased after 1960, women, both young and old, selflessly worked and fought to save the country.

They helped in nursing the wounded constructing underground rooms and tunnels. The women volunteers protected 2195 km long strategic Ho Chi Minh trail and guarded key points. They built six air strips, neutralized tens and thousands of bombs, transported cargo, weapons and food and shot down 15 planes. According to one historian, these were 1.5 million women in the regular army, the militia, the local forces and professional team.