Vietnamese military leader, born in Quang Binh Province, NC Vietnam. He studied law at Hanoi University, joined the Vietnamese Communist Party, and trained in China. He led the Viet Minh army in revolt against the French, leading to the decisive defeat of their garrison at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. As vice-premier and defence minister of North Vietnam, he masterminded the military strategy that forced the US forces to leave South Vietnam (1973) and led to the reunification of Vietnam in 1975. He was a member of the Politburo from 1976 to 1982.