Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn

Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn
Ngạn in Europe, 2008
Born
Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn

(1945-03-09) 9 March 1945
Phúc Thọ, Sơn Tây, Tonkin, French Indochina
Citizenship Canada
EducationNguyễn Bá Tòng School
Chu Văn An High School
Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City
Alma materThe University of Saigon, South Vietnam
Occupations
Spouse(s)Lê Thị Tuyết Lan (1970–1978)
Trần Ngọc Diệp (1982–present)
ChildrenTwo sons
RelativesNguyễn Ngọc Trọng (younger brother)
Writing career
Years active1979–2022
GenresShort story, novel, drama
Notable workThe Will Of Heaven
Military career
Allegiance South Vietnam
Branch
 Army of the Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnamese Regional Forces
Service years
1970–1975
Unit 9th Division
Conflicts
Vietnam War

Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn (born 9 March 1945 in Sơn Tây) is a Vietnamese-Canadian writer, essayist and television personality.

Ngạn was born in Sơn Tây (present-day Hanoi), but his family moved to South Vietnam when the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam in 1954. After university and service in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Ngạn was imprisoned by the victorious communists after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and did forced labour in a re-education camp up until 1978, an experience described in his autobiography, The Will Of Heaven.[1]

After his release, Ngạn escaped by boat to Malaysia in 1979. During the closing stages of the journey, storms hit the boat and knocked it over within sight of land. Ngạn's wife and child drowned and he was pulled unconscious from the water. He was sponsored by the Canadian government and brought to Vancouver in 1980, moving to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and in 1985 to Toronto.[2]

Ngạn was formerly known for co-hosting Thuy Nga's Paris by Night with Vietnamese personality Kỳ Duyên until his retirement in 2022. He co-authored Ballad Of Mulan and The Blind Man and the Cripple – Orchard Village.

References

  1. ↑ Huu Khoa Le, Littérature vietnamienne: la part d'exil, p. 39 (Groupe de recherche sur l'Extrême-Orient contemporain, 1995); ISBN 2-85399-361-2
  2. ↑ Yale University, Southeast Asia Studies, The Vietnam Forum (1985).

Sources

  • Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn with E.E. Richey, The Will of Heaven: A Story of One Vietnamese and the End of His World, Dutton, 1982: ISBN 0-525-03061-1
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