Complex sentence: Chau's precarious situation was not very unusual, e.g., Trinh Minh Thế, "the legendary rebel guerrilla chief" who had fought both the French colonialists and the Viet Minh communists.
Split into simpler sentences: Chau's precarious situation was not very unusual, e.g., "the legendary rebel guerrilla chief" Trinh Minh Thế. He had fought both the French colonialists and the Viet Minh communists.