Lt. Colonel Tran Ngoc “Harry” Hue - Defender of Hue City
Soldier
Born: January 4, 1942
Died: Unknown
Captain Tran Ngoc Hue was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam who bravely defended his city during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
On the morning of January 31, 1968, Captain Tran Ngoc Hue woke up to what he thought were fireworks celebrating Tet, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year. But the sharp cracks were not celebration; they were gunshots and explosions. His hometown, Hue, was under attack. Hue quickly moved his wife, daughters, and parents into the family shelter. After saying goodbye to his children, he borrowed his father’s bicycle and pedaled toward the fighting. He knew he had to defend his city.
Hue was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and part of an elite unit called the Hac Bao, or “Black Panther,” Company. Near an airfield, he gathered about 40 of his men. Although they were badly outnumbered, Hue led them in holding off a North Vietnamese battalion for hours. When the pressure became too much, he guided his soldiers through back streets and joined the ARVN First Division headquarters. Inside the base were only about 150 men, many of them not trained for combat. Against three enemy battalions, Hue helped organize a defense that became hand-to-hand fighting. They barely held on until reinforcements arrived.
The Battle of Hue, part of the larger Tet Offensive, was one of the longest and bloodiest fights of the Vietnam War. Two full North Vietnamese regiments had taken most of the city, leaving only a few strongholds under South Vietnamese control. For nearly a month, Hue and his soldiers fought from house to house, street to street. They battled almost without rest until late February, when the Hac Bao stormed the Imperial Palace. Reclaiming it for South Vietnam marked a turning point in the battle.
Hue’s leadership was not only shown in combat but also in how he treated civilians. After his soldiers secured the palace, they discovered large supplies of rice meant for the enemy. Many soldiers were hungry and wanted to take the food for themselves, but Hue refused. Instead, he ordered that the rice be shared with families who had been trapped and starving inside the city. His men were allowed only a small portion for their own households, and Hue warned that anyone who stole more would be punished. Even during war, he placed justice and care for others above personal gain.
One of the most emotional moments came when a thin, almost unrecognizable soldier emerged from hiding. The man had survived for weeks by staying underwater in a pond during the day and scavenging at night. To Hue’s surprise, the soldier was the brother of his close comrade, Pham Van Dinh. Their reunion showed that this brutal battle was not just about land, it was also about protecting loved ones and preserving families.
The ARVN paid a heavy price in Hue. While U.S. Marines fighting in the southern part of the city received much of the international attention, South Vietnamese soldiers carried out most of the fighting inside the Citadel. More than 350 ARVN soldiers were killed, but they inflicted thousands of enemy losses. Their determination proved wrong the idea that South Vietnamese troops would not fight bravely. Hue and his men showed great courage, sacrifice, and skill in defending their homeland.
For Hue, the war did not end with victory in his city. He continued leading troops until 1970, when he was badly wounded and captured in Laos. He then endured 13 years in harsh North Vietnamese prisons and “re-education” camps. After his release, he lived under government watch for eight more years before finally moving to the United States in 1991.
Even with all these hardships, Hue remained a symbol of resilience and honor. He fought from the first moments of the Tet Offensive until the end of the Battle of Hue. He cared for civilians, protected his soldiers, and showed the world that South Vietnamese forces could fight with determination and dignity. Though history books sometimes overlook him, Captain Tran Ngoc Hue stands as a true hero who defended his home when it mattered most.
SOURCES:
Opinion | The Tet Offensive Was Not about Americans, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/opinion/tet-offensive-americans-vietnam.html
“Tran, Ngoc Hue.” Omeka RSS, vietdiasporastories.omeka.net/items/show/136.
Tucker, Spencer. The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Wiest, Andrew A. “A Time for Heroes: The Tet Offensive.” Vietnam’s Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN, New York University Press, 2008, pp. 95–123.
Keywords: Justice, Wartime, Courage, Conscience, Freedom, Responsibility, Make a Difference, Stand Up for Your Beliefs