Châu Văn Tiếp Châu Văn Tiếp ( 朱文接 , 1738 – 1784 ) , born Châu Doãn Ngạnh ( 朱尹梗 ) , was an 18th - century Vietnamese military commander , best known for his role as a general of Nguyễn Ánh . Early life . Born in 1738 , Châu Văn Tiếp was a son of a horse merchant from Phú Yên , on the southern coast of Vietnam . When Tiep was young , he mastered the martial arts and could speak both Siamese and Khmer . Military career . In 1773 , the Tây Sơn brothers revolted , so Châu Văn Tiếp and his family went into hiding in Hà Duy , a remote mountains on Phú Yên province . In Hà Duy , Tiếp gathered an army of natives and occupied the Tra Lon mountain surrounding the area . The Tây Sơn leader Nguyễn Nhạc invited Tiep to help him under the name of the Nguyễn prince Nguyen Phuc Duong and Tiếp agreed . Shortly thereafter , Tiếp defected from the Tây Sơn army and joined the Nguyễn lords . The Nguyễn governor of Long Ho appointed him the governor of Phú Yên and Bình Thuận . In 1777 , Tiếp led an army marched north in order to reinforce the armies of the two Nguyễn Lords Nguyễn Phúc Thuần and Nguyen Phuc Duong , who were being pursued by Tây Sơn army . However , the Tây Sơn army defeated Tiếp and forced him to flee along with Nguyễn Lords . Later , Tiếp led his supporters back to their base in Tra Lon so that they stayed away from the conflict of Lý Tài and Đỗ Thanh Nhơn . Later , the two Nguyễn lords and almost all of their family members were captured and executed by Tây Sơn ; the most senior surviving member was Nguyễn Ánh , the 15 - year old nephew of Nguyễn Phúc Thuần . When Nguyễn Ánh returned from hiding in the Mekong Delta jungle , Tiep joined the Nguyễn loyalists . In 1780 , Nguyễn Ánh proclaimed himself Nguyễn vương and gave Tiep the position " Khâm Sai Đại Đô Đốc " ( King ' s Grand General ) . In 1781 , Nguyễn Ánh ordered Châu Văn Tiếp to lead an attack against the Tây Sơn in Diên Khánh . Again , Tiếp was defeated and fled to Phú Yên . After learning of the fall of Gia Dinh , he led an army whose banner was embroidered with the four words " Lương Sơn Tá Quốc " ( lit . " local heroes who want to save the country " ) and marched toward Gia Dinh to reinforce Nguyễn Ánh . Tiếp defeated the Tây Sơn garrison in Saigon and invited Nguyễn Ánh , who had been hiding on Phú Quốc island to return . Shortly thereafter , the Tây Sơn attacked again and the Nguyễn army was defeated decisively ; Chau Van Tiep himself fled to Siam and requested the aid of king Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke and the king argreed . Death and burial . In 1784 , after the meeting with Nguyễn Ánh , Siam sent an army consisting of between 20 , 000 and 30 , 000 troops and 300 ships to help . Along with the Siamese army , Châu Văn Tiếp led a small Vietnamese army and navy . While Tiếp ' s army was fighting against the Tây Sơn in Man Thit , Vĩnh Long , a Tây Sơn soldier named Bảo stabbed Tiếp in the back and killed him . Because of the ongoing war with Tây Sơn , Nguyễn Ánh temporarily buried Tiếp in Vĩnh Long . After unifying Vietnam and founding Nguyễn Dynasty , Nguyễn Ánh ( now called Gia Long ) reburied Tiếp in Vũng Tàu and posthumously bestowed upon him the title of Quận Công ( Duke ) . Afterwards , Tiếp was posthumously honored by the emperor Minh Mạng and the emperor Tự Đức , both descendants of Gia Long . In popular culture . Châu Văn Tiếp , along with Đỗ Thanh Nhơn and Võ Tánh , was called " Gia Định Tam Hùng " ( Three Heroes of Gia Định ) in Vietnamese folk culture .