The Heroic Warrior Ba Trieu: A figure of Resistance Against Patriarchy and the Enemies of Vietnam

Warfare is a field that has long been dominated by men. Yet, in the history of war, there are a number of women who have emerged as great warriors or military leaders. One of the lesser known female warriors (outside of her country of origin, at least), is a Vietnamese woman known as Bà Triệu, which means “Lady Triệu”. Bà Triệu is known also as Triệu Ẩu, Triệu Trinh Nương and Triệu Thị Trinh, although remarkably her actual given name is unknown. Some scholars have called Bà Triệu as the ‘Vietnamese Joan of Arc’.

The Political Setting During Bà Triệu’s Time

Bà Triệu is believed that have lived sometime during the first half of the 3rd century AD. During this time, Vietnam’s powerful northern neighbor, China, was going through the Three Kingdoms period (220 – 280 AD), and was divided into three states – Wei, Shu, and Wu. The southernmost of these, the Kingdom of Wu, possessed some territories in northern Vietnam, and occasionally came into conflict with the people of this region. This is the political setting for the story of Bà Triệu, who was one of the figures fighting against the Chinese.