Nguyễn Trung Trực: The Fisherman of Fire and Sword
#NationalHero
#ResistanceLegend
#SwordandFireNguyễn Trung Trực (1838 – 1868), born Nguyễn Văn Lịch in Tân An (today’s Long An Province), was one of the most revered resistance leaders of southern Việt Nam during the 19th century. Known for his sharp tactics, deep patriotism, and unwavering defiance against French colonial forces, he became a lasting symbol of courage and national pride. His life and legacy remain deeply honored throughout the Mekong Delta and particularly on Phú Quốc Island, where he made his final stand.
Legend
Nguyễn Trung Trực rose from humble origins of a fishermen’s family to become the leader of a peasant militia fighting under the banner of the Nguyễn dynasty. He earned his place in history through several key victories: most famously, the burning of the French warship L’Espérance (Hope) on the Vàm Nhựt Tảo River in 1861 — a feat that shook the colonial command and boosted the morale of resistance fighters across the South.
Following this, he continued to resist French advances in Kiên Giang, organizing guerrilla forces around Rạch Giá and Phú Quốc. His bold raids and local alliances kept the region unstable for years. Eventually captured on Phú Quốc in 1868, he refused to surrender or serve the French.
Before his execution, he declared his immortal vow:
“Bao giờ người Tây nhổ hết cỏ nước Nam,
Thì mới hết người Nam đánh Tây.”
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“Only when the Westerners uproot every blade of grass in Việt Nam
Will the Vietnamese cease fighting them.”
Legend holds that before his death, he recited a final poem, expressing his enduring loyalty and defiance:
“Thư kiếm tùng nhung tự thiếu niên,
Yêu gian đảm khí hữu Long Tuyền,
Anh hùng nhược ngộ vô dung địa,
Bão hận thâm cừu bất đái thiên.”
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“Enlist with sword and book since youth,
Courage in the waist flows as a dragon’s spring,
If heroes find no place on this earth,
Resentment, deep hatred, cannot live beneath one sky with enemy.”
He was executed in Rạch Giá in October 1868 at the age of 30, sealing his place among Việt Nam’s national heroes.
Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt’s Elegy
After Nguyễn Trung Trực’s death, the southern scholar Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt wrote the poem Điếu Nguyễn Trung Trực (“Elegy for Nguyễn Trung Trực”) to commemorate his valor:
“Thắng phụ nhung trường bất túc luân,
Đồi ba để trụ ức ngư dân.
Hoả hồng Nhật Tảo oanh thiên địa,
Kiếm bạch Kiên Giang khấp quỷ thần.
Nhất đán phi thường tiêu tiết nghĩa,
Lưỡng toàn vô uý báo quân thân.
Anh hùng cường hĩnh phương danh thọ,
Tu sát đê đầu vị tử nhân.”
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”Victory or defeat in warfield is not worth debating,
A stone pillar amid collapsing wave reminds of a fisherman.
Red blaze at Nhựt Tảo rumbles Heaven and Earth,
White sword in Kiên Giang weeps Evil and God.
When dire time comes, raise the banner of righteousness,
Fulfill, with no fear, both duties to Emperor and Parent.
The unyielding hero’s fragrant name will everlast,
Like shame death upon the alive who bow their heads.”
Tribute and Worship
Across Việt Nam, numerous streets, schools, and public squares bear his name, honoring his valor and patriotic spirit.
In the Mekong Delta, particularly the former Kiên Giang Province, now An Giang, where he led his final campaigns, locals built temples to worship him as both a hero and a guardian spirit. The main temple in Rạch Giá remains the most important site, alongside two others in Gành Dầu and Cửa Cạn on Phú Quốc Island.
Every year, his memory is celebrated through the Đình Nguyễn Trung Trực Festival, held in multiple temple sites across southern Việt Nam. The festival attracts millions of visitors—a profound gathering that unites historical remembrance, spiritual devotion, and communal generosity.
Nguyễn Trung Trực remains an enduring emblem of the southern spirit—resilient, loyal, and steadfast. His words, poems, and the temples built in his name remind every generation that courage and integrity never die, even when the body does.