Which general once disobeyed his king's orders to avoid confronting his best friend on the battlefield?

Nguyen Van Thoai (a general of the Nguyen Dynasty) and Tran Quang Dieu (a general of the Tay Son Dynasty) were close friends since childhood. Later, they became famous generals of two rival dynasties.

In 1801, Nguyen Van Thoai (Thoai Ngoc Hau) led troops from Vientiane (Laos) to attack Phu Xuan when he heard that Tran Quang Dieu was leading troops from Quy Nhon to rescue him. Not wanting to confront his friend, he handed over military power to his deputy general, Luu Phuoc Tuong, and then fled to Gia Dinh.

He was arrested by Lord Nguyen for returning without the king's order and demoted to the position of Captain in charge of Thanh Chau.

Thoại Ngọc Hầu was the one who made great contributions in the exploration of the Southwest region, reclaiming land, establishing villages, digging canals and building roads, developing and protecting new lands, and laying the foundation for our country's long-term rule on this land.

In 1817, when he was the governor of Vinh Thanh, Nguyen Van Thoai proposed to King Gia Long to dig the Dong Xuyen canal, connecting the Dong Xuyen creek (Long Xuyen) with Gia Khe mountain (Rach Gia) and was accepted by the royal court. In 1818, the canal digging work began.

Nguyen Van Thoai mobilized about 1,500 people to cut trees and dredge mud. The canal digging was extremely difficult and arduous. However, with Nguyen Van Thoai's determination, the canal connecting Long Xuyen - Rach Gia was completed with a length of more than 31km.

To honor Nguyen Van Thoai's achievements, King Gia Long named this canal Thoai Ha and named the eastern mountain Thoai Son.

According to history books, in 1819, after careful research, King Gia Long issued an edict, assigning Nguyen Van Thoai to command the digging of Vinh Te canal.

The edict read: “Digging this river is a very difficult task. The state’s policies and border plans are all of great importance. Even though you are working hard today, it will be beneficial for all generations to come.”

The canal was under construction when King Gia Long died, King Minh Mang continued to work until it was completed in the 5th lunar month of 1824. The canal is 87km long, 30m wide, and was dug by hand for 5 years with more than 80,000 workers. Vinh Te Canal was considered the most strategically important canal at that time.

Historical documents about the digging of Vinh Te canal all recorded that the person with outstanding contributions to this great project was Thoai Ngoc Hau. During that process, some documents recorded that Mrs. Chau Thi Vinh Te had made many contributions to help her husband. Because of the important meaning of the project, King Minh Mang granted Nguyen Van Thoai the privilege of naming the canal after his wife.

Vinh Te Canal runs parallel to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia, in the territory of An Giang and Kien Giang provinces. In the past, this was the place that the Siamese army often had to pass through when wanting to attack the Southwest region.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Quang Dao, former Director of the Vietnam Military History Institute, the construction of a canal parallel to the border demonstrated a strategic mindset of proactive defense. Along with the border sovereignty marker, Vinh Te canal plays the role of a project to mark, establish and affirm the sovereignty of the Vietnamese people in the Southern region.