Nguyễn Văn Lập

Kostas Sarantidis (; 1927 – 25 June 2021), also known in Vietnamese as Nguyễn Văn Lập, was a Greek captain of the People's Army of Vietnam who fought with the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War, seeking independence for Vietnam from the French colonial empire. He received Vietnamese citizenship in 2010 and in 2013, he was awarded the Hero of the People's Armed Forces order.

Early life Kostas Sarantidis was born in 1927 in Thessaloniki, Greece to Asia Minor refugees. In the autumn of 1943 and during the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II, he was arrested selling smuggled tobacco and was sent on foot to Nazi forced labour camps in Germany. He managed to escape near Vienna and stole a military uniform which he used to disguise himself as a German until the end of the war.

Life in Vietnam After the end of the war, Sarantidis went to Rome, and tried to be repatriated to Greece. This, however, proved impossible as he lacked any identity documents. Without any means of supporting himself, Sarantidis was lured into the French Foreign Legion by the prospect of living an adventurous life and meeting beautiful women. Additionally, he was awarded several honorary titles by both the Vietnamese Party and State, including the Friendship Order in 2011, the Victory Medal, Third Class, and the Resistance War Medal, Second Class.

Sarantidis died on 25 June 2021, aged 94. His remains were brought to Vietnam and honored at a memorial service in Da Nang city in August 2022.