In this episode of Viet History Makers, Kenneth Nguyen and co-host Kevin Pham discuss the powerful and enduring legacy of the Hai Bà Trưng sisters—Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị—two warrior queens who led a monumental uprising against Chinese Han rule in 40 CE. Revered as national heroines, their story has long stood at the crossroads of legend, resistance, and identity.
Together, we unpack the complex cultural and political landscape in which the sisters rose to power, exploring the matriarchal traditions of early Việt societies and how they clashed with—and were later overwritten by—Confucian patriarchy. We also investigate how their legacy has been remembered, reshaped, and at times mythologized across dynasties and regimes.
Was their rebellion a singular moment of feminist defiance—or part of a broader, now-obscured tradition of female leadership? What can the historical record, fragmentary as it is, tell us about the real lives behind the legend?
This episode challenges us to rethink how history is recorded, who gets to lead, and how the stories of women—especially those who wage war—are remembered or erased.
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Kevin D. Pham is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. His research introduces Vietnamese political thought to the academic field of political theory, showing how Vietnamese thinkers challenge and enhance conventional Western understandings of important political concepts.
He co-hosts Nam Phong Dialogues, a podcast in which he and Yen Vu have casual chats about Vietnamese history and being Vietnamese American. He is the author of The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024).
Kevindoanpham.com
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Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve sat with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth Nguyen
Visit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.
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