Võ Nguyên Giáp was a politician who also served in the Vietnam People's Army as an army general. Regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest military strategists, Giáp played key roles as a military commander in the First Indochina War and in the Second Indochina War. He is also credited with laying the foundation for the Annamite Range trail.
Cung Le is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired kickboxer, Sanshou fighter, and mixed martial artist. He has competed in popular promotions, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A former International Kickboxing World Champion in the Light Heavyweight division, Cung Le has an impressive record of 17–0 in kickboxing. He is also a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.
Gia Long was a Vietnamese emperor who is credited with unifying Vietnam in 1802 before founding the Nguyen dynasty. He reigned as the first emperor of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 until his death in 1820. He also ruled as the emperor of Vietnam from 1804 to 1820. Gia Long is also credited with popularizing Confucianism in Vietnam.
Alexandre Yersin was a physician and bacteriologist. He is credited with co-discovering Yersinia pestis, the bacillus that causes the bubonic plague. Also an agriculturist, Yersin pioneered the cultivation of rubber trees. He is revered by the Vietnamese people because of his association with Hanoi Medical University; a private university in Da Lat is named in his honor.
Vietnamese politician Ngo Dinh Diem served as the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam and later as the president of South Vietnam. Beginning his civil service career in the court of Emperor Bảo Đại, he later denounced the emperor and founded his own political party. Subjected to many assassination attempts, he was murdered during the 1963 military coup.