Born in a poor family in the suburbs of Hanoi, Văn Tiến Dũng soon had to drop out of school and worked in textile factories to earn a living. Here, under the oppression of the colonial regime, he actively participated in the workers' movement and soon gained revolutionary enlightenment.
“Simply and clearly, I know thoroughly the way to the truth: people have the right to live, Vietnamese people have the right to live in an independent, free and happy country. That way is not going to be flat or smooth”.

Photo: Comrade Văn Tiến Dũng- a member of the Executive Board of the Party Committee of Hanoi, captured by the French for the second time, September 29, 1939

After escaping from the French colonial prison, Comrade Văn Tiến Dũng disguised himself as "a monk named Hà" in Bột Xuyên pagoda (Mỹ Đức, Hà Tây province- now Hà Nội) where he waited to contact the Party between January and August, 1943.

                                        “Đầu trọc răng đen thụ sắc không
                                        Cuộc đời chiến đấu mượn nâu sòng
                                        Hồi chuông cứu nước vang sông núi
                                        …….
                                        Tình thế rồi đây sẽ chuyển vần
                                        Cao trào giải phóng dậy muôn dân,
                                        Đạp thù ngã gục, tung xiềng xích
                                        Nước Việt vươn mình đón nắng xuân”

                                     

The poem Xuân dưới bóng từ bi - The spring in Karuna was written when the General was a monk.

From February 1947 to October 1949, comrade Văn Tiến Dũng was Deputy Secretary of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee, Director of the Political Department of the Vietnam National Army.
In 1948, he was one of the first officers to be promoted to the military rank of General (Major General) by President Hồ Chí Minh.

Photo: Major General Văn Tiến Dũng, the photo was taken in 1948.

In 1953, he was assigned by the Central Committee of the Party and President Hồ Chí Minh to be the Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, and he held the position of Chief of Staff for the longest time in history: 25 years.

During the fiercest years of the resistance war against the US, Chief of Staff Văn Tiến Dũng often went to the battlefields where he personally commanded key campaigns, such as the Trail 9 - Southern Laos campaign; Trị - Thiên…

Senior Lieutenant General Văn Tiến Dũng and the General Staff discussed the plan and strategy for Trail 9 - Southern Laos campaign, February 8, 1971

At the Headquarters of the Trail 9 - Southern Laos front, Senior Lieutenant General Văn Tiến Dũng listened a report presented by an officer after he had made a field trip on the battlefield, 1971

Senior Lieutenant General Văn Tiến Dũng examined and analyzed the campaign at the Headquarters of the Quảng Trị front, April 1972

Source: General's family

Senior Lieutenant General Văn Tiến Dũng worked at the Headquarters of the Air Defense - Air Force Forces, Hà Nội, 1972

Source: Air Defense - Air Force Museum

Chief of Staff Văn Tiến Dũng was promoted to General in 1974

In particular, in the days near Lunar Tet holiday (1975), Chief of Staff Văn Tiến Dũng once again secretly left the Headquarters (House D67) for the Central Highlands, where he personally commanded the strategic attacks, opening the Spring 1975 General Offensive and Uprising. Those historic spring days were marked by the complete victory of the Hồ Chí Minh campaign in which the General participated as Commander assigned by the Politburo.

Photo: General Văn Tiến Dũng was at Gia Lâm airport; he secretly left for Central Highlands to command campaigns there, on February 5, 1975
Source: General Văn Tiến Dũng’s family

General Văn Tiến Dũng, the photo taken at the Headquarters of Central Highlands Campaign, March 1975

Source: General Văn Tiến Dũng’s family

In early April 1975, the Politburo decided to establish the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Command. General Văn Tiến Dũng was assigned as Commander-in-Chief of the campaign.

The Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Command included: General Văn Tiến Dũng - Commander in chief, Comrade Phạm Hùng - Political Commissar, Comrade Lê Đức Thọ - Representative of Central Committee of Vietnamese Communist Party

Orders made to inform units that they would continue fighting after Dương Văn Minh had declared a ceasefire.

Source: General Văn Tiến Dũng’s family

Personal happiness and public happiness met
“On May 1, 1975, the Headquarters of the Hồ Chí Minh campaign celebrated the complete victory and the International Labor Day. Candy, cakes, soft drinks were served on the table. When seeing a bottle of wine, comrade Phạm hùng was surprised to ask where the wine came from, then comrade Đinh Đức Thiện revealed that: that day was also birthday of comrade Văn Tiến Dũng, the wine was a present for him from the “rear”.

(General Văn Tiến Dũng)

At the Headquarters of the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign: Comrades of the Campaign Command celebrated the victory and liberation of Sài Gòn, May 1, 1975
Source: General Văn Tiến Dũng’s family

Excellent General of the Vietnam People's Army
“Comrade Văn Tiến Dũng is one of the most talented generals of our army, an outstandingly excellent disciple of President Hồ Chí Minh. For me, he is one of my close comrades in the resistance to liberate and protect our nation”

(Said General Võ Nguyên Giáp)

Photo: General Võ Nguyên Giáp, General Văn Tiến Dũng and their wives