(VOVworld) – General Vo Nguyen Giap, a talented general of Vietnam, is also a world renowned general and respected by his adversaries. Many foreign scholars have appreciated his outstanding military capacity and plain personality.

General Giap commanded the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954

Hisao Suzuki, Director of Japanese book company Coal Sack, said General Giap is a symbol of Vietnamese people’s indomitable will against foreign invaders. He represents the spirit of freedom and independence of oppressed nations. “General Giap is not only a hero of Vietnam but also of Asia and one of the world’s top heroes. With the Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954, General Giap had realized President Ho Chi Minh’s military and political philosophy who said nothing is more precious than independence and freedom. The General upheld Ho Chi Minh thought with an unyielding spirit. Looking back into the 20^th century, Vo Nguyen Giap is a name that must be mentioned.”

General Jean Dufourcq, Editor in Chief of French national defense magazine, said General Giap had a military talent and a sense of political responsibility. He learned it in the battle fields and from Ho Chi Minh. “Dien Bien Phu operation was a big military event and General Giap had done two important works. He rallied a small group of soldiers and built them into an organized troop with battalions and divisions who defeated the French army. Secondly, General Giap opened a war resistance zone from the Vietnam-China border to the Tonkin Gulf. He established a military belt and logistics to defeat the French troop in Vietnam’s northern region.”

General, Commander-in-chief Vo Nguyen Giap discussed tactics to encounter US B52-air-strike in Hanoi in 1972

US colonel Andre Sauvageot, who engaged in the war in Vietnam from 1964 to 1973, praised General Giap as an excellent military leader and a modest person. “I remember that in a discussion with General John Vessey, although he is a great historical figure, he doesn’t try to pump himself up. He is a modest. He shared with General Vessey that he attributed a lot of his successes to the correct policies of the Communist Party, Ho Chi Minh, and other historic figures. He just followed the correct policies.”

General Vo Nguyen Giap’s talent and personality have been imprinted on the mind of many foreigners. Professor Bua-ly Pa-pha-phan, Head of the Language and Mass Media Faculty of the Lao National University said: “I studied in Vietnam and I heard and read a lot about General Giap. He is a symbol of Vietnamese people’s morale and intelligence in the war of national resistance. He has great influence on not only Vietnamese, but also the people of three Indochinese countries. He passed away but his merits and talent will remain in our minds.”

According to Russian researcher of Vietnamese studies, Anatoly Sokolov, General Vo Nguyen Giap had many aliases and held many high positions in Vietnam, but the world knows him most as General Giap. He had a great influence on the Russian scholars. “In Russia, many historians and students have read General Giap’s books on military tactics and his memoirs on battles and life. He is a legendary and prestigious man as a soldier and a patriot. I’m proud to take an honorary work to write about the Dien Bien Phu campaign.”