Triệu Thị Trinh (Bà Triệu)
Triệu Thị Trinh, also called Triệu Trinh Nương, was, according to legend, born on the 2nd day of the 10th lunar month of the year Bính Ngọ, that is 8/11/226 in the Julian calendar, in the region of Quan Yên, now part of Yên Định district, Thanh Hóa province. She was a national heroine who led the uprising against the domination of the Đông Ngô.
Background and origins
Triệu Thị Trinh grew up in a context where the people lived in hardship under the brutal exploitation and oppression of the Đông Ngô. Witnessing that, she declared her great ambition: “I only want to ride the strong wind, tread the fierce waves, slay the great whales in the Biển Đông, take back the rivers and mountains, establish independence, cast off the yoke of slavery, and never bow my back to serve as a concubine to anyone.”
Activities of the uprising
Bà Triệu and her brother Triệu Quốc Đạt secretly prepared logistics and weapons, gathered heroes and trained soldiers to resist the rule of the northern feudalists. When the colonial administration discovered this, she and her soldiers withdrew to Ngàn Nưa to build a base, fight and firmly defend the base area. From there, the insurgent army captured Tư Phố citadel, destroyed the Ngô colonial administration in Cửu Chân commandery, then advanced north to join forces with three generals of the Lý family to build and consolidate the Bồ Điền base (now in Triệu Lộc commune, Hậu Lộc district, Thanh Hóa province).
The uprising she led shook the whole of Giao Châu. The Ngô sent Lục Dận to command 8,000 elite troops to attack Cửu Chân. Along the defensive line from the north of the Lèn river to the Thần Phù estuary, about 30 battles took place without a clear victory. Faced with the strength of the insurgent army, the enemy shifted to besieging Bồ Điền. In the decisive battle at the Bồ Điền base, Bà Triệu fell heroically on Tùng mountain on 22/2/248 (the year Mậu Thìn). The three generals of the Lý family fought steadfastly and fell to the last man.
Historical significance
According to the assessment of the leadership of the Thanh Hóa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Bà Triệu uprising is one of the brilliant golden pages in the history of the Vietnamese people's resistance against foreign invaders. The national heroine Triệu Thị Trinh is regarded as the outstanding successor to the cause of the Hai Bà Trưng, glorifying the patriotic tradition, awakening and nurturing the unyielding, steadfast will of generations of Vietnamese women, passing on the mettle that “when the enemy comes to the house, even women fight”. The Vietnamese people forever remember the debt of gratitude and are forever proud of this heroic heroine.
Commemoration
Every year, the Bà Triệu temple festival is held solemnly at the special national historical and architectural artistic relic site of Bà Triệu temple (Triệu Lộc commune, Hậu Lộc district, Thanh Hóa province) to commemorate and express gratitude for the merits of her, the generals and the insurgent soldiers. In 2025, the ceremony marking the 1777th anniversary of her death was held with the ritual of presenting the congratulatory text, offering incense and an art programme reenacting the uprising.