---
title: The Strange Story of the Famous "Late Hero" Nguyen Van Be Who Refuses to Remain Dead
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/strange-story-late-hero-nguyen-van-be-1967/
description: A portrait-format sheet says the Viet Cong's 'hero' Nguyen Van Be, reported dead in Liberation Front and Hanoi press, is alive.
section: Collection
---

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3. The Strange Story of the Famous "Late Hero" Nguyen Van Be Who Refuses

[![The Strange Story of the Famous "Late Hero" Nguyen Van Be Who Refuses to Remain Dead, 1967 US poster: A portrait-format sheet](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/strange-story-late-hero-nguyen-van-be-1967.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/strange-story-late-hero-nguyen-van-be-1967.jpg)

# The Strange Story of the Famous "Late Hero" Nguyen Van Be Who Refuses to Remain Dead

A portrait-format sheet says the Viet Cong's 'hero' Nguyen Van Be, reported dead in Liberation Front and Hanoi press, is alive, and shows him with his family on 20 March 1967, holding a copy of the paper Tien Phong, and at a radio microphone. Reproduced Communist newspaper pages sit beside the photographs. The tell is the claim that the other side manufactures heroes to lure the young, made with documentary pictures and the opponent's own clippings.

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

[Accusation in a mirror](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/accusation-in-a-mirror/) [Testimonial](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/testimonial/) [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/)

## Text on the object

Original (Vietnamese) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
ĐÂY CÂU CHUYỆN KỲ QUÁI CỦA "LIỆT SĨ" NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ,
NGƯỜI ANH HÙNG KHÔNG CHỊU NHẬN LÀ MÌNH ĐÃ CHẾT

MẶC DẦU SỰ THẬT VỀ CÂU CHUYỆN "LIỆT-SĨ" NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ ĐÃ ĐƯỢC SÁNG TỎ TRƯỚC DƯ LUẬN QUỐC-TẾ, CỘNG-SẢN VẪN NHẤT QUYẾT LÀ NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ ĐÃ CHẾT. ĐÀI PHÁT THANH HÀ-NỘI VÀ MẶT TRẬN GIẢI PHÓNG CỰC LỰC CHỐI HẲN CÂU CHUYỆN THẬT VỀ NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ. CÁC BẠN CÓ KHI NÀO TÌM HIỂU LÝ DO CỘNG-SẢN PHẢI TẠO NÊN NHỮNG "ANH HÙNG" KHÔNG ?

ĐÂY NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ ĐANG SUM-HỌP VỚI GIA-ĐÌNH NGÀY 20-3-1967. BÉ LÀ CON ÔNG NGUYỄN-VĂN-HUỆ, 44 TUỔI TỰ LÀ GẠO VÀ BÀ LÊ-THỊ-BA, 43 TUỔI

NGƯỜI "LIỆT-SĨ" ĐANG CẦM TRONG TAY TỜ TIỀN-PHONG, TỜ BÁO XUẤT-BẢN TẠI HÀ-NỘI ĐÃ ĐĂNG TẢI CÂU CHUYỆN VỀ BÉ HY SINH TÍNH-MẠNG CHO CHỦ-NGHĨA CỘNG-SẢN

ĐÂY NGƯỜI EM CỦA BÉ TÊN BA ĐANG NHÌN HÌNH BÉ ĐỌC TIN MÌNH CHẾT

BÉ ĐÃ YÊU CẦU CHO PHÉP ĐƯỢC PHÁT-THANH, TỐ BẦY SỰ THẬT ĐỂ NHÂN DÂN KHÔNG CÒN TIN TƯỞNG NƠI SỰ TUYÊN-TRUYỀN DỐI TRÁ CỦA CỘNG-SẢN

BÁO "QUÂN GIẢI-PHÓNG" CŨNG ĐÃ VẼ NÊN NHIỀU CHUYỆN VỀ NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ

MẶT TRẬN ĐÃ CHỈ THỊ CHO CÁC CẤP QUÂN SỰ HỌC TẬP VỀ GƯƠNG CỦA NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ

SỰ THẬT VỀ CÂU CHUYỆN NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ CHO TA THẤY DÃ TÂM CỦA CỘNG-SẢN DỰNG LÊN NHỮNG "ANH HÙNG" ĐỂ QUYẾN RŨ THANH THIẾU NIÊN NƯỚC NHÀ CHIẾN-ĐẤU VÀ HY SINH TÍNH-MẠNG CHO CHỦ-NGHĨA SAI LẦM CỦA CỘNG-SẢN

[Reproduced newspaper clippings: masthead "Quân giải phóng"; "CỤC CHÍNH TRỊ QUÂN GIẢI PHÓNG RA CHỈ THỊ HỌC TẬP GƯƠNG ANH HÙNG NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ"; "NGUYỄN-VĂN-BÉ ĐÃ SỐNG VÀ CHIẾN THẮNG NHƯ 'ANH'"; body text too small to transcribe]

SP-1847
```

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

```
HERE IS THE STRANGE STORY OF "LATE HERO" NGUYEN-VAN-BE,
THE HERO WHO REFUSES TO ACCEPT THAT HE IS DEAD

Although the truth about the story of the "martyr" Nguyen-Van-Be has been made clear before international opinion, the Communists still insist that Nguyen-Van-Be is dead. Radio Hanoi and the Liberation Front vigorously deny the true story about Nguyen-Van-Be. Have you ever looked into the reason why the Communists have to create "heroes"?

Here Nguyen-Van-Be is gathering with his family on 20-3-1967. Be is the son of Mr. Nguyen-Van-Hue, 44 years old, alias Lua Gao, and Mrs. Le-Thi-Ba, 43 years old.

The "martyr" is holding in his hands the paper Tien Phong, published in Hanoi, which printed the story of Be sacrificing his life for communism.

Here Be's younger sibling, named Ba, is looking at Be's picture as he reads the news of his own death.

Be asked for permission to broadcast, to expose the truth so that the people no longer believe the deceitful propaganda of the Communists.

The paper "Liberation Army" has also written up many stories about Nguyen-Van-Be.

The Front has instructed military levels to study the example of Nguyen-Van-Be.

The truth about the Nguyen-Van-Be story shows us the Communists' scheme of building up "heroes" to lure the young people of the country into fighting and sacrificing their lives for the Communists' mistaken doctrine.

[Reproduced clippings: "Liberation Army"; "The Political Department of the Liberation Army issues a directive to study the example of hero Nguyen-Van-Be"; "Nguyen-Van-Be lived and won like 'Anh' [as printed; partly legible]"]

SP-1847
```

The 'younger sibling' caption is rendered literally from 'người em' with no sex specified. 'Lua Gao' is an alias as printed (tự là Gạo; 'tự là' reads 'alias'). The clippings are partly legible only; their text is not reproduced beyond headlines. Diacritics transcribed as printed to the best of legibility.

[← Return to the Just Cause](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/return-to-the-just-cause-bien-hoa-chieu-hoi-1967/) [Sự thắng lợi đem lại an ninh và thanh bình cho đồng bào quận Ba-Tri (Victories Bring New Security to the People of Ba-Tri District) →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/su-thang-loi-dem-lai-an-ninh-ba-tri-1967/)

## More propaganda examples that use the same techniques

- ["Negro Rule" vampire cartoon with sworn affidavit](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/negro-rule-vampire-1900/) (United States · Jul 4, 1900 · Accusation in a mirror, Fear appeal, Scapegoating). Content note: Racist "Negro Rule" caricature.
- [The Savior of the Darker Races](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-owi-savior-of-the-darker-races-1942/) (United States · 1942 · Name-calling, Accusation in a mirror). Content note: A racial caricature of a Japanese soldier holding a broken chain and a bloodied dagger, as published by the Office of War Information for the Black press.
- [Kẻ mưu phá hại hòa-bình thế-giới (The plotter who destroys world peace) (Vietnamese poster distributed in Vietnam; NARA title: Viet Poster #4)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/viet-poster-4-stalin-kills-dove-vietnamese-1951/) (United States · Mar 1, 1951 · Name-calling, Accusation in a mirror)
- [和平祈祷 (Pray for Peace) / The Russian Wolf (Chinese poster distributed in Asia)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/russian-wolf-pray-for-peace-chinese-1951/) (United States · Dec 4, 1951 · Name-calling, Accusation in a mirror)
- [Strange Echo](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-berryman-strange-echo-1953/) (United States · Dec 11, 1953 · Name-calling, Accusation in a mirror)
- [Behistun (Bisotun) rock relief and trilingual inscription of Darius I: the king, two attendants and the bound rebel leaders beneath the winged figure of Ahuramazda](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/behistun-relief-darius-and-rebels-521bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Card stacking, Name-calling, Testimonial). Content note: Shows bound captives before the king, and the inscription records the mutilation and public execution of rebel leaders, as the king's own account.
- [Tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam: the king in relief beside his inscription DNa, c. 490 BCE](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/dna-inscription-darius-i-naqsh-e-rustam-490bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Testimonial, Card stacking)
- [Seated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/hatshepsut-seated-statue-limestone-met-1458bce/) (New Kingdom Egypt · 0000 · Transfer, Testimonial)