Nguyễn Văn Hinh
Nguyễn Văn Hinh | |
|---|---|
Hinh in 1954 | |
| Chief of General Staff of the Vietnamese National Army | |
| In office March 1952 – 29 November 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Lê Văn Tỵ |
| Deputy Chief of Staff of the French Air Force | |
| In office 1962–1968 | |
| Chief of Staff | André Martin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 September 1915 Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, French Indochina |
| Died | 26 June 2004 (aged 88) Suresnes, Île-de-France, France |
| Relations | Nguyễn Văn Tâm (father) Jonathan Van-Tam (nephew) |
| Awards | Legion of Honour (France) National Order of Merit (France) Military Medal (France) War Cross (1939–1945) (France) National Order (South Vietnam) Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam) Air Medal (United States) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | France State of Vietnam |
| Branch/service | French Armed Forces Vietnamese National Army |
| Years of service | FAF: 1936–1948; 1954–1975 VNA: 1949–1954 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Unit | French Air Force Colonial troops General staff |
| Battles/wars | World War II First Indochina War Algerian War |
Nguyễn Văn Hinh (20 September 1915 – 26 June 2004) was the inaugural chief of staff of the Vietnamese National Army and the first Vietnamese officer in the French Armed Forces to be promoted to the rank of general. Educated in the French style, he served in the French Air Force and the Troupes coloniales before accepting a role in the army of the new State of Vietnam within the French Union. Hinh is somewhat of an oddity in the 20th century military history of Vietnam as he attained the rank of lieutenant general in two separate countries, not unlike his North Vietnamese counterpart Nguyễn Sơn who served as a major general in both the People's Army of Vietnam and the People's Liberation Army of China.