A woman pilot decorated by the Vietnamese Communist Party is the Tory candidate fighting for Andrew Smith's Oxford East seat at the General Election.

Engineer Virginia Morris was the first Westerner to walk the 1,300km Ho Chi Minh Trail since the end of the Vietnam War.

And the energy-sapping feat she undertook with her partner Clive earned her the Communist Star from the vice commander-in-chief of the Truong Son Army, the North Vietnamese People's Army who are charged with protecting the ancient pathway.

When hearing of their achievement the officer unpinned the decoration from his uniform and presented it to her -- unaware of her political persuasion.

Ms Morris, 35, a councillor in Richmond-upon-Thames, said: "As a child I wanted to be a fighter pilot, but the Cold War ended and as result no-one was taking them on.

"Eventually I managed to get a medal from the Cold War, but from the Communist side -- and that's the farcial thing.

"The vice commander-in-chief gave me his medal and said 'now you are a member of my army'."

Ms Morris has written a book on the expedition, during which she encountered black magic, bombs and the threat of kidnap." Earlier this year Mr Smith, 53, quit his Cabinet post as Work and Pensions Minister saying he wanted to spend more time in his constituency and with his family.

He lives with his city councillor wife Val in their ex-council house in Blackbird Leys.

This will be the first General Election Ms Morris, who lives in London, has fought.

She added: "Andrew Smith has given up Government to fight his seat because he knows a lot of unpopular policies have been put forward like the war in Iraq, hidden taxes and uncontrolled immigration and asylum.

"But there are local issues like planning and a lack of infrastructure that are important.

"One of the reasons I chose Oxford East is because I would like to live in that area one day."

Oxford East was once a Conservative seat held by the London Mayoral candidate Steve Norris who beat Mr Smith in a tight battle in 1983. Mr Smith won the seat in 1987.

Steve Goddard, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, said Mr Smith left the Government because he was "running scared" of losing his seat -- a claim he denied.

The Independent Working Class Association has declined to reveal its candidate.