Võ Tánh Võ Tánh ( 武 性 , ? — 1801 ; also known as Võ Tính ) was an 18th - century Vietnamese military commander , best known for his role as a general of Nguyễn Ánh , who unified modern - day Vietnam and ruled as Emperor Gia Long . Early life . Võ Tánh was born in Phước Tinh Village , in what was then Bà Rịa ( present day Biên Hòa and Đồng Nai ) . Tanh ' s elder brother , Võ Nhàn , was a follower and a general of Đỗ Thanh Nhơn , an officer in the Nguyễn army . Kiến Hòa army . In 1781 , when Đỗ Thanh Nhơn was assassinated by his own leader , Nguyễn Ánh , Võ Tánh and his brother , Võ Nhàn , revolted and occupied Hóc Môn , a village on the northern outskirts of Saigon . Afterwards , the rebels moved to Gò Công and built their base there . At that time , Võ Tánh ' s army , called the Kiến Hòa army , grew to a force of 10 , 000 men . Meanwhile , Nguyễn Ánh was badly defeated at the Battle of Rạch Gầm - Xoài Mút and fled to Siam which made the Kiến Hòa army the only rival of the Tây Sơn in the Gia Định region . In 1787 , Nguyễn Ánh returned to Gia Định from Siam and began attacking the Tây Sơn . When Nguyễn Ánh was preparing his march to Saigon , he offered to make an alliance with the Kiến Hòa army , but Võ Tánh refused . General for Nguyễn Ánh . The next year , in 1788 , Võ Tánh decided to join Nguyễn Ánh ' s side and integrated his entire army into the Nguyễn army . Later , Nguyễn Ánh bestowed Võ Tánh the position of " Khâm Sai Chưởng Cơ " ( " King ' s General " ) and gave Tánh his sister , princess Ngọc Du , as a concubine . In 1789 , Tánh forced the Tây Sơn general Pham Van Tham , who was the general - in - chief of the Tây Sơn garrison in southern Vietnam , to surrender to the Nguyễn army , which marked the end of Tây Sơn rule in Gia Định . Later in 1790 , Võ Tánh led an army that captured the citadel of Diên Khánh . In 1793 , Nguyễn Ánh launched the first expedition to Quy Nhơn . While the Nguyễn army was fighting against the Tây Sơn army in the surrounding area , Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh " Khâm Sai Quản Suất Hậu Quân Dinh , Bình Tây Tham Thắng Tướng Quân Hộ Giá " ( lit . , " King ' s Head of Back Division , Victorious West Pacification General - Advisor and Bodyguard [ of the King ] " ) . Then , in 1793 , Nguyễn Ánh built a citadel in Diên Khánh and appointed Võ Tánh as the governor of the city . Shortly thereafter , Võ Tánh returned to Gia Định , where he was elevated to the position of " Đại Tướng Quân " ( " Grand General " ) and was given the title " Quận Công " ( lit . , " Duke " ) . In 1797 , Tánh assisted Nguyễn Ánh in launching a seaborne attack on Quảng Nam , where they quickly defeated the Tây Sơn garrison and occupied the province . In 1799 , Nguyễn Ánh launched the third expedition to Quy Nhơn . The expedition was successful , and Nguyễn Ánh captured the Citadel of Quy Nhơn and renamed the fortress town " Bình Định " ( lit . , " Pacified " ) . Afterwards , Nguyễn Ánh appointed Võ Tánh as the new governor of the city and withdrew his main forces to Saigon . The Siege of Quy Nhơn . In early 1800 , two senior Tây Sơn generals , Tran Quang Dieu and Vu Van Dung , led a large force consisting of army and naval units toward Quy Nhơn with a view to recapturing it . The Tây Sơn swiftly occupied the territory surrounding the Citadel of Quy Nhơn , including the vital Thị Nại Port . Then , they set up a solid defensive system and besieged the citadel . Besides the military tactics , Tây Sơn commanders applied a psychological tactic that made the former Tây Sơn soldiers who were now serving in Nguyễn forces to defect and return to the Tây Sơn army . The tactic succeeded , forcing Võ Tánh to seal the citadel ' s door and wait for reinforcements . Although Nguyễn Ánh immediately led a force northwards to Quy Nhơn in order to relieve Võ Tánh ' s besieged forces , the Nguyễn reinforcements could not break the Tây Sơn encirclement and a long battle resulted . Acknowledging the poor situation , Nguyễn Ánh ordered Võ Tánh to abandon the citadel , but Võ Tánh rejected and suggested that he would pin the main Tây Sơn force down there so that Nguyễn Ánh could attack their Citadel of Phú Xuân . Nguyễn Ánh agreed and then he attacked and captured Phú Xuân , forcing Tây Sơn emperor Quang Toan to flee to northern Vietnam . This victory was a turning point of the war , from which the Tây Sơn became very weak and never posed any other significant threat to Nguyễn Ánh . The siege of Quy Nhơn continued for over a year to June 1801 , when the citadel ' s food provisions were exhausted . Death . After refusing to consider the thought of a surrender , Võ Tánh requested the Tây Sơn field commander Trần Quang Diệu to spare his men in exchange for Tanh ' s own life . Inside the citadel , Võ Tánh ordered his men to pile straw around a wooden tower and fill it with gunpowder . Tánh then went in and blew himself up . Following Tánh ' s death , one of his generals , Ngô Tòng Châu , drank poisoned wine and another , Nguyễn Tấn Huyên , self - immolated . Afterwards , the citadel defenders surrendered to the Tây Sơn and Trần Quang Diệu spared all the Nguyễn captives . Moreover , Dieu ordered his men to build a tomb for Võ Tánh and his generals . Later , Nguyễn Ánh , now emperor Gia Long , reburied his remains in Phú Nhuận , Saigon , and posthumously gave him the title " Quốc Công " ( lit . , " Duke of the Nation " ) . Furthermore , he was also posthumously honored by the emperor Minh Mạng , Gia Long ' s son . In popular culture . Võ Tánh , along with Đỗ Thanh Nhơn and Châu Văn Tiếp , was called " Gia Định Tam Hùng " ( " Three Heroes of Gia Định " ) in Vietnamese folk culture . The spirit of Võ Tánh is honoured in festivals and temples - including those where the general speaks through a medium . Pigs sacrificed at the đình festival honouring Võ Tánh are not offered roasted since the general died in a burning fort .