Kostas Sarantidis
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Κώστας Σαραντίδης | |
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| Kostas Sarantidis Nguyễn Văn Lập | |
Kostas Sarantidis (Greek: Κώστας Σαραντίδης; 1927 – 25 June 2021), also known in Vietnamese as Nguyễn Văn Lập, was a Greek captain of the People's Army of Vietnam who fought with the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War, seeking independence for Vietnam from the French colonial empire.[1] He received Vietnamese citizenship in 2010 and in 2013, he was awarded the Hero of the People's Armed Forces order.[2]
Early life
Kostas Sarantidis was born in 1927 in
Life in Vietnam
After the end of the war, Sarantidis went to Rome, and tried to be repatriated to Greece. This, however, proved impossible as he lacked any
After the end of the war in 1954 and the division of Vietnam into northern and southern zones, Sarantidis moved to North Vietnam and retired from the army. At that time, he was married to a nurse who was accused of reactionism and was imprisoned.[1] Sarantidis worked as a German translator and later as a miner. He also remarried to a Vietnamese woman, with whom he had four children.
Later life in Greece
From the day he was arrested in Thessaloniki until the early 1950s, Sarantidis had not communicated with his family who presumed him dead. Near the end of the war, he started to exchange letters with them and in 1965, he decided to return to Greece. With the aid of one of his brothers, who helped the Sarantidis family to be issued passports, Sarantidis moved to Thessaloniki. In the beginning, he faced severe economic difficulties as he was unemployed for several months. Eventually, he managed to find a job as a driver for Pechiney, where he worked for several years until his retirement. The Sarantidis family had a fourth child who was born in Thessaloniki. While in Greece, Sarantidis joined the Greek Communist Party and worked to help Vietnam as well as promoting Greek-Vietnamese relations. Sarantidis was also active in helping children in Vietnam who had been affected by the Agent Orange/dioxin toxicant.
Sarantidis escorted the then Greek President Karolos Papoulias on his official visit to Vietnam in October 2008. In 2010, Sarantidis was given Vietnamese citizenship and a passport. In 2013, he was named a Hero of the People's Armed Forces, becoming the only foreigner to be honored in this way.[3] Additionally, he was awarded several honorary titles by both the Vietnamese Party and State, including the Friendship Order in 2011, the Victory Medal, Third Class, and the Resistance War Medal, Second Class.[4]
Sarantidis died on 25 June 2021, aged 94.[5] His remains were brought to Vietnam and honored at a memorial service in Da Nang city in August 2022.[6]
References
- ^ a b c Ο Ελληνας μαχητής που έγινε μύθος στα βουνά του Βιετνάμ, Kathimerini online, 9/11/2014, archived
- ^ Greek hero's dedication to Việt Nam lives on
- ^ "Hero Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap laid to rest in Da Nang". SGGP English Edition. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Greek citizen receives Vietnamese honour, Vietnam+, 30/08/2013
- ^ Anh hùng lực lượng vũ trang Kostas Sarantidis Nguyễn Văn Lập qua đời (in Vietnamese)
- ^ "Hero Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap laid to rest in Da Nang". SGGP English Edition. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.