Man who helped form Ho Chi Minh 's rebels into an army reportedly dies . Theory became reality for Giap in the 1940s when he joined Ho Chi Minh and battled French colonial forces . Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap was 102 . The general led the Viet Cong from 1954 to 1975 and later became a political prisoner in Hanoi after being captured by South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Giap also commanded North Vietnam 's communist forces against South , U.S .
Man who helped form Ho Chi Minh 's rebels into an army reportedly dies . Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap was 102 . The general led the Viet Cong from 1954 to 1975 and later became a political prisoner in Hanoi after being captured by South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Giap also commanded North Vietnam 's communist forces against South , U.S .