Võ Tánh ( , 1768âÂÂ1801) was an 18th-century Vietnamese military commander, best known for his role as a general of Nguyá» n ÃÂnh, who unified modern-day Vietnam and ruled as Emperor Gia Long.
Võ Tánh was born in Phðá»Âc Tinh Village, in what was then BàRá»Âa (present day Biên Hòa and ÃÂá»Âng Nai). Tanh's elder brother, Võ Nhàn, was a follower and a general of ÃÂá» Thanh Nhán, an officer in the Nguyá» n army.
In 1781, when ÃÂá» Thanh Nhán was assassinated by his own leader, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh, Võ Tánh and his brother, Võ Nhàn, revolted and occupied Hóc Môn, a village on the northern outskirts of Saigon. Afterwards, the rebels moved to Gò Công and built their base there. At that time, Võ Tánh's army, called the Kiến Hòa army, grew to a force of 10,000 men.
Meanwhile, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh was badly defeated at the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút and fled to Siam which made the Kiến Hòa army the only rival of the Tây Sán in the Gia ÃÂá»Ânh region. In 1787, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh returned to Gia ÃÂá»Ânh from Siam and began attacking the Tây Sán. When Nguyá» n ÃÂnh was preparing his march to Saigon, he offered to make an alliance with the Kiến Hòa army, but Võ Tánh refused.
The next year, in 1788, Võ Tánh decided to join Nguyá» n ÃÂnh's side and integrated his entire army into the Nguyá» n army. Later, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh bestowed Võ Tánh the position of Khâm sai Chðá»Âng Cá Tiên Phong Doanh(欽差æÂÂå¥Âå ÂéÂÂç - Imperial Commissioner, Vanguard Regiment Commander) and married off his sister, princess Ngá»Âc Du, to the commander.
In 1789, Tánh forced the Tây Sán general Pham Van Tham, who was the general-in-chief of the Tây Sán garrison in southern Vietnam, to surrender to the Nguyá» n army, which marked the end of Tây Sán rule in Gia ÃÂá»Ânh. Later in 1790, Võ Tánh led an army that captured the citadel of Diên Khánh.
In 1793, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh launched the first expedition to Quy Nhán. While the Nguyá» n army was fighting against the Tây Sán army in the surrounding area, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh appointed Võ Tánh Khâm Sai Quản Soái HáºÂu Quân Doanh, Bình Tây Tham Thắng Tðá»Âng Quân Há» Giá (欽差管帥å¾Â管çÂÂ, 平西åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå°Âè»Âè·駠- Imperial Commissioner, Managing General of the Army Logistics & Protectorate General to Victoriously Pacify the West). Then, in 1793, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh built a citadel in Diên Khánh and appointed Võ Tánh as the governor of the city.
Shortly thereafter, Võ Tánh returned to Gia ÃÂá»Ânh, where he was elevated to the position of ÃÂại Tðá»Âng Quân ("Grand General") and was given the title QuáºÂn Công (lit., "Duke"). In 1797, Tánh assisted Nguyá» n ÃÂnh in launching a seaborne attack on Quảng Nam, where they quickly defeated the Tây Sán garrison and occupied the province.
In 1799, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh launched the third expedition to Quy Nhán. The expedition was successful, and Nguyá» n ÃÂnh captured the Citadel of Quy Nhán and renamed the fortress town Bình ÃÂá»Ânh (lit., "Pacified"). Afterwards, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh appointed Võ Tánh as the new governor of the city and withdrew his main forces to Saigon.
In early 1800, two senior Tây Sán generals, Tran Quang Dieu and Vu Van Dung, led a large force consisting of army and naval units toward Quy Nhán with a view to recapturing it.
The Tây Sán swiftly occupied the territory surrounding the Citadel of Quy Nhán, including the vital Thá» Nại Port. Then, they set up a solid defensive system and besieged the citadel. Besides the military tactics, Tây Sán commanders applied a psychological tactic that made the former Tây Sán soldiers who were now serving in Nguyá» n forces to defect and return to the Tây Sán army. The tactic succeeded, forcing Võ Tánh to seal the citadel's door and wait for reinforcements.
Although Nguyá» n ÃÂnh immediately led a force northwards to Quy Nhán in order to relieve Võ Tánh's besieged forces, the Nguyá» n reinforcements could not break the Tây Sán encirclement and a long battle resulted. Acknowledging the poor situation, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh ordered Võ Tánh to abandon the citadel, but Võ Tánh rejected and suggested that he would pin the main Tây Sán force down there so that Nguyá» n ÃÂnh could attack their Citadel of Phú Xuân. Nguyá» n ÃÂnh agreed and then he attacked and captured Phú Xuân, forcing Tây Sán emperor Quang Toan to flee to northern Vietnam. This victory was a turning point of the war, from which the Tây Sán became very weak and never posed any other significant threat to Nguyá» n ÃÂnh. The siege of Quy Nhán continued for over a year to June 1801, when the citadel's food provisions were exhausted.
After refusing to consider the thought of a surrender, Võ Tánh requested the Tây Sán field commander Trần Quang Diá»Âu to spare his men in exchange for Tanh's own life. Inside the citadel, Võ Tánh ordered his men to pile straw around a wooden tower and fill it with gunpowder. Tánh then went in and blew himself up. Following Tánh's death, one of his generals, Ngô Tòng Châu, drank poisoned wine and another, Nguyá» n Tấn Huyên, self-immolated. Afterwards, the citadel defenders surrendered to the Tây Sán and Trần Quang Diá»Âu spared all the Nguyá» n captives. Moreover, Dieu ordered his men to build a tomb for Võ Tánh and his generals.
Later, Nguyá» n ÃÂnh, now emperor Gia Long, reburied his remains in Phú NhuáºÂn, Saigon, and posthumously gave him the title Quá»Âc Công (lit., "Duke of the Nation"). Furthermore, he was also posthumously honored by the emperor Minh Mạng, Gia Long's son.
Võ Tánh, along with ÃÂá» Thanh Nhán and Châu VÃÂn Tiếp, was called Gia ÃÂá»Ânh Tam Hùng ("Three Heroes of Gia ÃÂá»Ânh") in Vietnamese folk culture. The spirit of Võ Tánh is honoured in festivals and temples - including those where the general speaks through a medium. Pigs sacrificed at the ÃÂình festival honouring Võ Tánh are not offered roasted since the general died in a burning fort.