Võ Tánh (武 性, ?—1801) 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 Tiên Phong Doanh(欽差掌奇先鋒營 - Imperial Commissioner, Vanguard Regiment Commander) and married off his sister, princess Ngọc Du, to the commander. 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 Soái Hậu Quân Doanh, Bình Tây Tham Thắng Tướng Quân Hộ Giá (欽差管帥後管營, 平西參勝將軍護駕 - Imperial Commissioner, Managing General of the Army Logistics & Protectorate General to Victoriously Pacify the West). Then, in 1793,