Vietnam war propaganda radio presenter, dies aged 87
Trinh Thi Ngo was one of the most prominent broadcasters on state-run Voice of Vietnam targeting American GIs with anti-US rhetoric
Trinh Thi Ngo photographed in 2015 at her Ho Chi Minh City home with a portrait of her younger self. As Hanoi Hannah on Voice of Vietnam, she urged GIs to leave Vietnam. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty ImagesAgence France-PreTuesday 4 October 2016 06.58 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 4 October 2016 17.00 EDT Silky-voiced propaganda broadcaster Hanoi Hannah, famous for urging American GIs to leave her country during the Vietnam war, has died at the age of 87.
The radio presenter, whose real name was Trinh Thi Ngo, was among dozens of Vietnamese journalists drafted in by the Communist regime to inundate the country with anti-US rhetoric during the conflict that ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon and Americas defeat.
GI, your government has abandoned you. They have ordered you to die, she said in one of her on-air appeals in English during the war. Dont trust them. They lied to you, GIs, you know you cannot win this war.
In daily broadcasts on state-run Voice of Vietnam (VOV) from the northern capital of Hanoi, Hannah would list the names of American troops killed in combat, read US newspaper articles about anti-war protests and play Joan Baez and Bob Dylan songs.
She rarely spoke of Vietnamese losses or American successes in her broadcasts, which were carefully controlled by the Communist authorities.
Hannah died on Friday at her home in Ho Chi Minh City, according to VOV.
Hanoi Hannah was clearly one of the most prominent broadcasters we had in the history of the Voice of Vietnam and the country in general, said Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, a former journalist at VOVs English service.
She will be remembered for her legendary voice in broadcasts targeting American servicemen. Her influence on Vietnams success against the US was huge, Thuy added.
Hannah joined VOV from the outset of the war, recalling in her memoir a desire to make a difference to the war effort. I thought it was time for me to do something to contribute to the revolution, according to an excerpt reported on VOV.
Hannah went on to work for Ho Chi Minh City Television after the war and was reclusive in her final years, rarely speaking to the press.
The Vietnam war, still called the American war in the country today, ended with the fall of the southern capital more than four decades ago at the hands of Communist forces. The scity was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the countrys independence hero who died before the wars end.
At least 2.5 million soldiers from Vietnams communist North and US-allied South died in the conflict, along with 3 million civilians, according to official figures.
On the American side, more than 58,000 soldiers lost their lives, while some estimates say more Vietnam veterans killed themselves after the war than died in fighting although the figures are disputed.
Relations between the former wartime enemies have warmed in recent years, with many English-speaking Vietnamese youngsters eagerly embracing American culture. The US president, Barack Obama, visited the country in May, lifting the wartime-era arms embargo and celebrating close ties with its former foe.
-- Edited by Uke on Tuesday 4th of October 2016 04:42:21 PM
Vietnam war propaganda radio presenter, dies aged 87
Trinh Thi Ngo was one of the most prominent broadcasters on state-run Voice of Vietnam targeting American GIs with anti-US rhetoric
The radio presenter, whose real name was Trinh Thi Ngo, was among dozens of Vietnamese journalists drafted in by the Communist regime to inundate the country with anti-US rhetoric during the conflict that ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon and Americas defeat.
GI, your government has abandoned you. They have ordered you to die, she said in one of her on-air appeals in English during the war. Dont trust them. They lied to you, GIs, you know you cannot win this war.
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In daily broadcasts on state-run Voice of Vietnam (VOV) from the northern capital of Hanoi, Hannah would list the names of American troops killed in combat, read US newspaper articles about anti-war protests and play Joan Baez and Bob Dylan songs.
She rarely spoke of Vietnamese losses or American successes in her broadcasts, which were carefully controlled by the Communist authorities.
Hannah died on Friday at her home in Ho Chi Minh City, according to VOV.
Hanoi Hannah was clearly one of the most prominent broadcasters we had in the history of the Voice of Vietnam and the country in general, said Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, a former journalist at VOVs English service.
She will be remembered for her legendary voice in broadcasts targeting American servicemen. Her influence on Vietnams success against the US was huge, Thuy added.
Hannah joined VOV from the outset of the war, recalling in her memoir a desire to make a difference to the war effort. I thought it was time for me to do something to contribute to the revolution, according to an excerpt reported on VOV.
Hannah went on to work for Ho Chi Minh City Television after the war and was reclusive in her final years, rarely speaking to the press.
The Vietnam war, still called the American war in the country today, ended with the fall of the southern capital more than four decades ago at the hands of Communist forces. The scity was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the countrys independence hero who died before the wars end.
At least 2.5 million soldiers from Vietnams communist North and US-allied South died in the conflict, along with 3 million civilians, according to official figures.
On the American side, more than 58,000 soldiers lost their lives, while some estimates say more Vietnam veterans killed themselves after the war than died in fighting although the figures are disputed.
Relations between the former wartime enemies have warmed in recent years, with many English-speaking Vietnamese youngsters eagerly embracing American culture. The US president, Barack Obama, visited the country in May, lifting the wartime-era arms embargo and celebrating close ties with its former foe.
-- Edited by Uke on Tuesday 4th of October 2016 04:42:21 PM
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