Published:  00:00 Friday - October 22, 2010

The French newspaper Humanity has published a feature on General Vo Nguyen Giap to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The feature’s author is French director Daniel Roussel, who worked as a correspondent in Vietnam for the paper in the 1980s.

In his article, Roussel recounted the life and career of the talented Vietnamese strategist from his childhood until he became a General and led the People’s Army to win victory over the French colonialists.

Roussel also highlighted General Giap’s role in the war against the US and his contributions to Vietnam’s renewal (Doi Moi) process.

The author said the feature was the result of many previous talks between him and the general. “I met him about 40 times from 1982 to 2009 and video-taped him for nearly 8 hours. I know him wearing many hats – military leader, man of culture, or simply a man with a family.”

Daniel Roussel has written many articles and books on General Giap but he still hopes his new story will help the French public to better understand the renowned Vietnamese general, who he said is foremost a simple, humane and peace-loving person.