Vo Tanh
Encyclopedia
Võ Tánh was an 18th century Vietnam
ese military
commander
, best known for his role as a general of Nguyễn Ánh, who unified modern-day Vietnam
and ruled as Emperor Gia Long.
(present day Biên Hòa
and Đồng Nai). Tanh’s elder brother, Võ Nhàn, was a follower and a general of Đỗ Thanh Nhơn
, an officer in the Nguyễn army.
was assassinated by his own leader, Nguyễn Ánh, Võ Tánh and his brother, Võ Nhàn, revolted and occupied Hóc Môn, a village on the northern outskirts of Saigon. Afterwards, the rebels moved to Gò Công
and built their base there. At that time, Võ Tánh’s army, called the Kiến Hòa army, grew to a force of 10,000 men.
Meanwhile, Nguyễn Ánh was badly defeated at the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút and fled to Siam which made the Kiến Hòa army the only rival of the Tây Sơn in the Gia Định
region. In 1787, Nguyễn Ánh returned to Gia Định from Siam and began attacking the Tây Sơn. When Nguyễn Ánh was preparing his march to Saigon, he offered to make an alliance with the Kiến Hòa army, but Võ Tánh refused.
In 1789, Tánh forced the Tây Sơn general Pham Van Tham, who was the general-in-chief of the Tây Sơn garrison in southern Vietnam
, to surrender to the Nguyễn army, which marked the end of Tây Sơn rule in Gia Định. Later in 1790, Võ Tánh led an army that captured the citadel of Diên Khánh.
In 1793, Nguyễn Ánh launched the first expedition to Quy Nhơn. While the Nguyễn army was fighting against the Tây Sơn army in the surrounding area, Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh Khâm Sai Quản Suất Hậu Quân Dinh, Bình Tây Tham Thắng Tướng Quân Hộ Giá (lit., “King’s Head of Back Division, Victorious West Pacification General-Advisor and Bodyguard [of the King]”). Then, in 1793, Nguyễn Ánh built a citadel in Diên Khánh and appointed Võ Tánh as the governor of the city.
Shortly thereafter, Võ Tánh returned to Gia Định, where he was elevated to the position of Đại Tướng Quân (“Grand General”) and was given the title Quận Công (lit., “Duke”). In 1797, Tánh assisted Nguyễn Ánh in launching a seaborne attack on Quảng Nam, where they quickly defeated the Tây Sơn garrison and occupied the province.
In 1799, Nguyễn Ánh launched the third expedition to Quy Nhơn. The expedition was successful, and Nguyễn Ánh captured the Citadel of Quy Nhơn and renamed the fortress town Bình Định (lit., “Pacified”). Afterwards, Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh as the new governor of the city and withdrew his main forces to Saigon
.
The Tây Sơn swiftly occupied the territory surrounding the Citadel of Quy Nhơn, including the vital Thị Nại port. Then, they set up an solid defensive system and besieged the citadel. Besides the military tactics, Tây Sơn commanders applied a psychological tactic that made the former Tây Sơn soldiers who were now serving in Nguyễn forces to defect and return to the Tây Sơn army. The tactic succeeded, forcing Võ Tánh to seal the citadel’s door and wait for reinforcements.
Although Nguyễn Ánh immediately led a force northwards to Quy Nhơn in order to relieve Võ Tánh’s besieged forces, the Nguyễn reinforcements could not break the Tây Sơn encirclement and a long battle resulted. Acknowledging the poor situation, Nguyễn Ánh ordered Võ Tánh to abandon the citadel, but Võ Tánh rejected and suggested that he would pin the main Tây Sơn force down there so that Nguyễn Ánh could attack their Citadel of Phú Xuân
. Nguyễn Ánh agreed and then he attacked and captured Phú Xuân, forcing Tây Sơn emperor Quang Toan to flee to northern Vietnam. This victory was a turning point of the war, from which the Tây Sơn became very weak and never posed any other significant threat to Nguyễn Ánh. The siege of Quy Nhơn continued for over a year to June 1801, when the citadel’s food provisions were exhausted.
Later, Nguyễn Ánh, now emperor Gia Long
, reburied his remains in Phú Nhuận
, Saigon, and posthumously gave him the title Quốc Công (lit., “Duke of the Nation”). Furthermore, he was also posthumously honored by the emperor Minh Mạng
, Gia Long’s son.
, was called Gia Định Tam Hùng (“Three Heroes of Gia Định”) in Vietnamese folk culture.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, best known for his role as a general of Nguyễn Ánh, who unified modern-day Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and ruled as Emperor Gia Long.
Early life
Võ Tánh was born in Phước Tinh Village, in what was then Bà RịaBa Ria
Bà Rịa is a town in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province in the southeast of Vietnam. Ba Ria is split from Vung Tau by a river crossed by Co May Bridge....
(present day Biên Hòa
Bien Hoa
Biên Hòa is a city in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, about east of Ho Chi Minh City , to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam Highway 1.- Demographics :In 1989 the estimated population was over 300,000. In 2005, the population wss 541,495...
and Đồng Nai). Tanh’s elder brother, Võ Nhàn, was a follower and a general of Đỗ Thanh Nhơn
Do Thanh Nhon
Đỗ Thanh Nhơn was an 18th-century Vietnamese military commander.-Early life:Details of Đỗ Thanh Nhơn’s early life are unknown except that he was a low-ranking naval officer of lord Nguyễn Phúc Thuần.-The Dong Son army:...
, an officer in the Nguyễn army.
Kiến Hòa army
In 1781, when Đỗ Thanh NhơnDo Thanh Nhon
Đỗ Thanh Nhơn was an 18th-century Vietnamese military commander.-Early life:Details of Đỗ Thanh Nhơn’s early life are unknown except that he was a low-ranking naval officer of lord Nguyễn Phúc Thuần.-The Dong Son army:...
was assassinated by his own leader, Nguyễn Ánh, Võ Tánh and his brother, Võ Nhàn, revolted and occupied Hóc Môn, a village on the northern outskirts of Saigon. Afterwards, the rebels moved to Gò Công
Gò Công
Gò Công is a town district of Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The town of Gò Công is not to be confused with East Gò Công and West Gò Công Districts which also belong to Tiền Giang Province....
and built their base there. At that time, Võ Tánh’s army, called the Kiến Hòa army, grew to a force of 10,000 men.
Meanwhile, Nguyễn Ánh was badly defeated at the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút and fled to Siam which made the Kiến Hòa army the only rival of the Tây Sơn in the Gia Định
Gia Định Province
- History :Gia Định Province was created in 1832. In December 1889 it was split to 4 smaller provinces, Gia Định, Chợ Lớn, Tân An and Tây Ninh.In 1957 it contained 6 districts, Gò Vấp, Tân Bình, Hóc Môn, Thủ Đức, Nhà Bè and Bình Chánh...
region. In 1787, Nguyễn Ánh returned to Gia Định from Siam and began attacking the Tây Sơn. When Nguyễn Ánh was preparing his march to Saigon, he offered to make an alliance with the Kiến Hòa army, but Võ Tánh refused.
General of Nguyễn Ánh
The next year, in 1788, Võ Tánh decided to join Nguyễn Ánh’s side and integrated his entire army into the Nguyễn army. Later, Nguyễn Ánh bestowed Võ Tánh the position of Khâm Sai Chưởng Cơ (“King’s General”) and gave Tánh his sister, princess Ngọc Du, as a concubine.In 1789, Tánh forced the Tây Sơn general Pham Van Tham, who was the general-in-chief of the Tây Sơn garrison in southern Vietnam
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
, to surrender to the Nguyễn army, which marked the end of Tây Sơn rule in Gia Định. Later in 1790, Võ Tánh led an army that captured the citadel of Diên Khánh.
In 1793, Nguyễn Ánh launched the first expedition to Quy Nhơn. While the Nguyễn army was fighting against the Tây Sơn army in the surrounding area, Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh Khâm Sai Quản Suất Hậu Quân Dinh, Bình Tây Tham Thắng Tướng Quân Hộ Giá (lit., “King’s Head of Back Division, Victorious West Pacification General-Advisor and Bodyguard [of the King]”). Then, in 1793, Nguyễn Ánh built a citadel in Diên Khánh and appointed Võ Tánh as the governor of the city.
Shortly thereafter, Võ Tánh returned to Gia Định, where he was elevated to the position of Đại Tướng Quân (“Grand General”) and was given the title Quận Công (lit., “Duke”). In 1797, Tánh assisted Nguyễn Ánh in launching a seaborne attack on Quảng Nam, where they quickly defeated the Tây Sơn garrison and occupied the province.
In 1799, Nguyễn Ánh launched the third expedition to Quy Nhơn. The expedition was successful, and Nguyễn Ánh captured the Citadel of Quy Nhơn and renamed the fortress town Bình Định (lit., “Pacified”). Afterwards, Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh as the new governor of the city and withdrew his main forces to Saigon
Citadel of Saigon
The Citadel of Saigon also known as the Citadel of Gia Dinh was a square Vauban stone fortress that stood in Saigon , Vietnam from its construction in 1790 until its destruction in February 1859...
.
The Siege of Quy Nhơn
In early 1800, two senior Tây Sơn generals, Tran Quang Dieu and Vu Van Dung, led a large force consisting of army and naval units toward Quy Nhơn with a view to recapturing it.The Tây Sơn swiftly occupied the territory surrounding the Citadel of Quy Nhơn, including the vital Thị Nại port. Then, they set up an solid defensive system and besieged the citadel. Besides the military tactics, Tây Sơn commanders applied a psychological tactic that made the former Tây Sơn soldiers who were now serving in Nguyễn forces to defect and return to the Tây Sơn army. The tactic succeeded, forcing Võ Tánh to seal the citadel’s door and wait for reinforcements.
Although Nguyễn Ánh immediately led a force northwards to Quy Nhơn in order to relieve Võ Tánh’s besieged forces, the Nguyễn reinforcements could not break the Tây Sơn encirclement and a long battle resulted. Acknowledging the poor situation, Nguyễn Ánh ordered Võ Tánh to abandon the citadel, but Võ Tánh rejected and suggested that he would pin the main Tây Sơn force down there so that Nguyễn Ánh could attack their Citadel of Phú Xuân
Phú Xuân
Phú Xuân is an historic place in Huế, Vietnam. It was the capital of the Nguyễn Lords, the Tây Sơn Dynasty, and later became a part of the Nguyễn Dynasty’s capital in Huế....
. Nguyễn Ánh agreed and then he attacked and captured Phú Xuân, forcing Tây Sơn emperor Quang Toan to flee to northern Vietnam. This victory was a turning point of the war, from which the Tây Sơn became very weak and never posed any other significant threat to Nguyễn Ánh. The siege of Quy Nhơn continued for over a year to June 1801, when the citadel’s food provisions were exhausted.
Death
After refusing to consider the thought of a surrender, Võ Tánh requested the Tây Sơn field commander Trần Quang Diệu to spare his men in exchange for Tanh’s own life. Inside the citadel, Võ Tánh ordered his men to pile straw around a wooden tower and fill it with gunpowder. Tánh then went in and blew himself up. Following Tánh’s death, one of his generals, Ngô Tòng Châu, drank poisoned wine and another, Nguyễn Tấn Huyên, self-immolated. Afterwards, the citadel defenders surrendered to the Tây Sơn and Trần Quang Diệu spared all the Nguyễn captives. Moreover, Dieu ordered his men to build a tomb for Võ Tánh and his generals.Later, Nguyễn Ánh, now emperor Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
, reburied his remains in Phú Nhuận
Phú Nhuận
Phú Nhuận is a commune and village in Lục Ngạn District, Bac Giang Province, in northeastern Vietnam.-References:...
, Saigon, and posthumously gave him the title Quốc Công (lit., “Duke of the Nation”). Furthermore, he was also posthumously honored by the emperor Minh Mạng
Minh Mang
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Canh, had died in 1801...
, Gia Long’s son.
In popular culture
Võ Tánh, along with Đỗ Thanh Nhơn and Châu Văn TiếpChau Van Tiep
Châu Văn Tiếp , born Châu Doãn Ngạnh , was an 18th century Vietnamese military commander, best known for his role as a general of Nguyễn Ánh.-Early life:...
, was called Gia Định Tam Hùng (“Three Heroes of Gia Định”) in Vietnamese folk culture.