Trưng Sisters: Vietnam’s first female monarchs and national heroines

The Trưng Sisters with their elephants and soldiers (Đông Hồ folk painting)

Trưng Trắc and her sister Trưng Nhị (c. 14 – c. 43 AD) are among Vietnam's greatest national heroines. Known as Hai Bà Trưng (The Two Ladies), they led a massive rebellion against the first Chinese domination of Vietnam, ruling as monarchs for three years.

The sisters were born into a wealthy aristocratic family of Lạc Việt (an old name of Vietnam). Their father was a Lạc lord in the Mê Linh district of Giao Chỉ (a commandery of the Chinese Han dynasty in modern-day northern Vietnam). Trưng Trắc married Thi Sách, a fellow Lạc lord known for his "fierce temperament."

At the time, the Chinese governor Su Ding ruled the Giao Chỉ province with notorious cruelty. When Thi Sách resisted Su Ding’s tyranny, the governor executed him without trial. Driven by grief and a desire to liberate her people, Trưng Trắc mobilised the Lạc lords and launched a rebellion in 40 AD.

The uprising began in the Red River Delta and spread rapidly, gaining the support of 65 towns and settlements. The Chinese administration was overwhelmed, and Su Ding was forced to flee.

Following their victory, Trưng Trắc was proclaimed the first female monarch in Vietnamese history, taking the title Queen Trưng. While records vary on Trưng Nhị’s exact title, ranging from co-queen to vice-queen, the two sisters effectively led the country together.

The independence was short-lived. In 42 AD, Emperor Guangwu of Han sent the veteran general Ma Yuan with an army of 20,000 troops to crush the rebellion. After a year of hard fighting, the sisters were defeated in 43 AD. According to Han records, they were captured and executed, with their heads sent back to the Han court in Luoyang.

Despite their defeat, the Trưng sisters remain symbols of Vietnamese resistance and female empowerment. Centuries later, the Song dynasty poet and calligrapher Huang Tingjian (1045–1105) compared the Trưng sisters to Lü Jia, the prime minister of Nanyue who resisted Emperor Wu's army in 112 BCE:

Lü Jia refused treasonous bribe;
Trưng Trắc raised her shield to resist oppression

After their death, the long second Chinese domination of Vietnam (43 AD - 544AD) began.