Bùi Viện (裴援; 1839–1878) was a Vietnamese reformer and diplomat of the late 19th century, served under the Nguyễn dynasty. He was considered the first person from Vietnam to travel to the United States.

Historical background

Bùi Viện was born into an educated, but poor, family in

Thái Bình Province Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on ...

in the

Red River Delta The Red River Delta or Hong River Delta ( vi, Châu thổ sông Hồng) is the flat low-lying plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries merging with the Thái Bình River in northern Vietnam. ''Hồng'' (紅) is a Sino-Vietnamese word ...

. As a boy, he lived among fisherman and merchants, learning whatever he could from them. The knowledge he acquired at a young age proved to be quite impactful as it eventually led to an impressive career in the fine arts. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bùi Viện 1839 births 1878 deaths Nguyen dynasty 19th-century Vietnamese people 19th-century diplomats Vietnamese diplomats