The poet, army general, Huynh Van Nghe or Hoang Ho was born on April 2, 1914 to a family of resistance war tradition. He was the Deputy Commander of Army Zone No. 7, and elite commander, poet, and journalist whose name was a fear to the enemies. People and friends close to him once named him ‘Tam Nghe’. From the left: Huynh Van Nghe, Le Duan, Nguyen Binh, Duong Quoc Chinh is in a photograph taken in D warbase. (File photo) Being a talented youth, Huynh Van Nghe afforded to attend Petrus Ky Saigon – a then notable senior high school. Ever since 1932, he had joined up-risings to protect poor people and fight against invasion of French colony. By 1942, he was uncovered and had to flee to Thailand before participating into a news publication for oversea Vietnamese in Thailand. His return in 1944 was marked by up-risings in Dat Cuoc as part of the August Revolution. Being assigned as a leader in Tan Uyen, Huynh Van Nghe had built a stronghold in Southern region of Vietnam by 1946 which made the name of D Warzone consisting of 5 initial communes of Tan Hoa, Tan Tich, My Loc, Thuong Long, and Lac An (in Tan Uyen District). By May 1946, he host the Army Conference in Dat Den, Tan Hoa as a member of Bien Hoa Provincial Army Managing Board. The conference was to unify some units into one named National Defense Team of Bien Hoa. He was a talented general with great vision that prompted him to establish local army units (now districts’ and towns’ army) to expand liasion among villages. His creative tactical commanding had brought up victories notably in rail-road sabotage, road ambush and enemy outpost eradication. The victories of Saigon-Bien Hoa rail-road battle (July 1947), national highway No. 14 ambush (March 1948), and enemy’s outpost eradication (March 1950) were marked by his name and command. Through years of resistance war, he had made great achievements. By May 1953, Huynh Van Nghe was dispatched to the North of Vietnam where he stayed and worked for nearly 12 years in plenty of government positions. After liberation day, Huynh Van Nghe was assigned as Deputy Minister of Forestry which was later integrated into Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. He passed away in Ho Chi Minh City on March 05, 1977 Huynh Van Nghe was an excellent army commander with the heart of a poet who drew up the images of the homeland, families, the battles, and victories of the people. The famous poem of “Nhớ Bắc” (Missing the Northern home) has been inspiring generations after generations in the stage of nation defense and building. "Ai về Bắc, tôi theo với Thăm lại non sông giống Lạc Hồng Từ độ mang gươm đi mở cõi Trời Nam thương nhớ đất Thăng Long" (Those who are heading back to the North, please let me follow you Back to the nation origin and revisit the ancestors From the time of wars for nation making The Southern space is memorable of Thang Long land) The rhymes live on and on. Reported by Trinh Hoang – Translated by Vi Bao