Trưng Trắc

A famous Vietnamese heroine, sister of Trưng Nhị. The Trưng Sisters were born in a rural village where they witnessed the cruel treatment of Viets by their Chinese overlords. They studied the art of warfare and learned various fighting skills. Trưng Trắc married Thi Sách, the son of a neighboring prefect. He made a stand against the Chinese but was captured and executed as a warning to others. His death spurred his wife to take up his cause. 

After the Trưng Sisters successfully repelled a small Chinese unit from their village in 38 CE, they assembled a large army consisting mostly of women. Within a few months they had recaptured many villages and cities and had liberated Nam Việt. They became the country's queens and managed to resist Chinese attacks for over two years. The Chinese returned with a huge army, led by general Ma Yuan, and defeated the sisters. They committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Hát River in 43 CE.

After death the two sisters were deified and became national heroes.

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