The Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington, Texas, houses a statue of General Tran Hung Dao, which was unveiled on Jan. 14, 2018, to honor the Vietnamese military hero. The monument was built through a community and private donation of $70,000, and it includes a marble pedestal and a concrete statue. It was erected to honor someone born in Vietnam in 1228, who led the Vietnamese forces to victory against the Mongol armies in the 13th century. Vietnamese communities in Vietnam and the United States have developed a cult to Gen. Tran where devotees pray in home and temple shrines for his intercession to fight off diseases and evil spirits. The monument not only honors Gen. Tran but also reflects the Vietnamese tradition of affirming their love for family, culture, and history through public exhibition.
The Unveiling of Gen. Tran Hung Dao Statue at Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington
On Jan. 14, 2018, a statue of General Tran Hung Dao was unveiled at the Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington, Texas, as a tribute to the Vietnamese military hero. The statue was erected to honor someone born in Vietnam in 1228, who led the Vietnamese forces to victory against the Mongol armies in the 13th century.
The Vietnamese American Community of Tarrant County & Vicinity organization, in 2017, raised a total of $70,000 through community and private donations to pay for a marble pedestal and concrete statue. The Vietnamese tradition called for affirming their love for family, culture, and history through public exhibition.
Dai Viet King Tran Nhan Tong advised his princes to surrender to Kublai Khan’s grandson, who had set his sights on invading China from the south through Dai Viet, to avoid widespread massacre and destruction. However, Prince Tran told him, “if such is your will, then cut my head first.” After he was made head of the military, Gen. Tran called for national unity, rallied, organized, and trained the Vietnamese forces. They defeated Mongol armies numbering hundreds of thousands in three separate invasions. A sea battle at Bach Dang River on April 9, 1288, utilizing underwater spikes that destroyed the Mongols’ junks fleet, was hailed as one of Gen. Tran’s greatest victories.
Although Vietnamese communists toppled many monuments after they took control in 1975, they allowed a giant statue of Gen. Tran to stand in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Streets in Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities bear Gen. Tran’s name. A cult to Gen. Tran developed in Vietnam and the United States Vietnamese communities where devotees prayed in home and temple shrines for his intercession to fight off diseases and evil spirits.
David D. Dang, owner of Ben Thanh Plaza, escaped Vietnam in 1978 with his wife and three child relatives. After 10 years in Malaysia and Holland, he came to the United States in 1988 through a family unification visa. He worked in Westminster, California, for seven years, where he observed the Vietnamese community erect a statue to Gen. Tran and install an honorary street name for him. Dang came to Texas in October 1997 to open a Vietnamese supermarket in Haltom City. After this initial successful business venture, he opened a second store in Irving in 2002. When his CPA and banker offered to sell him the Ben Thanh Plaza in 2010, he accepted. He upgraded and remodeled the Plaza to an Asian market, complete with a Vietnamese pagoda, facade, and decorations.
The Gen. Tran Monument at Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington
The Ben Thanh Plaza in Arlington, Texas, houses a statue of General Tran Hung Dao, which was unveiled on Jan. 14, 2018, to honor the Vietnamese military hero. The monument was built through a community and private donation of $70,000, and it includes a marble pedestal and a concrete statue. It was erected to honor someone born in Vietnam in 1228, who led the Vietnamese forces to victory against the Mongol armies in the 13th century.
David D. Dang, the owner of Ben Thanh Plaza, agreed to assist Vietnamese community leaders in building the monument on his property, and he offered to pay for the lighting and maintenance of the statue for the duration of his Plaza ownership. Former Vietnamese Marine Tran Huy Be donated the marble stand made in Vietnam valued at $10,000. Other former Vietnamese Marines from the Vietnam War prayed at the statue in remembrance of the general’s birthday.
In 2018, Vietnamese community leaders discussed adding street toppers in Gen. Tran’s honor along the International Corridor or Pioneer Parkway from Center Street to Highway 360. The Vietnamese community agreed to the installation of honorary street toppers on Browning Street and New York Avenue in close proximity to the statue.
The monument sits on a lawn directly behind it, which flies the United States, Texas, and pre-1975 Vietnam flags. Dang compared the Vietnamese esteem for Gen. Tran to Americans’ respect for George Washington. For Dang, the monument reflected that freedom wasn’t free. Costs to maintain liberty were expensive and required vigilance. Dang and other first-generation Vietnamese cherished their freedoms and opportunities the United States offered. Like Gen. Tran, they were willing to face formidable hardships for their community’s success.
The statue and toppers not only honor Gen. Tran but also reflect the Vietnamese tradition of affirming their love for family, culture, and history through public exhibition. Vietnamese communities in Vietnam and the United States have developed a cult to Gen. Tran where devotees pray in home and temple shrines for his intercession to fight off diseases and evil spirits.
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