Nguyễn Xuân Oánh ( Phủ Lạng Thương, today

Bắc Giang Bắc Giang () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Bắc Giang Province. Its name, deriving from that of the Province Sino-Vietnamese, means "north of the river." The location is very convenient for transportation: it is 50 km north ...

, 14 July 1921 –

Hồ Chí Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, 29 August 2003), nicknamed Jack Owens, was a Vietnamese economist and politician who served in the governments of both South Vietnam and unified Communist Vietnam.

Early life and education

He was born on 14 July 1921 in Phủ Lạng Thương, today

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includ ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

. His father is Doctor Nguyễn Xuân Bái, from Đa Ngưu village, Văn Giang district,

Hưng Yên Hưng Yên () is a city in Vietnam. It is the provincial capital of Hưng Yên Province and is a third-graded city according to Vietnam's city classification table. Geography *Hưng Yên is a delta city. It is located in the south of Hưng Yên ...

province. He was educated in Western studies since at a young age. His family sent him to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to be educated at Lycee Albert. After graduating from secondary school, Oánh went on to attain a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

at the National College of Japan in 1944. Afterwards he would go on to earn his MA at Kyoto University in 1950. He would go on to pursue his PhD in

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1954.

Career in South Vietnam

After earning a PhD in

, Oánh worked for the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Gr ...

's IFC and the IMF and taught economics at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

. In 1963, he returned home to South Vietnam and joined the government. Shortly after, he was appointed Governor of the South Vietnamese Central Bank, then

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

of the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of t ...

. He also served as acting Prime Minister of South Vietnam in 1964 and 1965.

After the Fall of Saigon

Unlike most senior leaders of the former South Vietnamese government, Oánh and his family remained in Sài Gòn (Hồ Chí Minh City) after the Fall of South Vietnam in 1975. While senior government officials and military officers of the former Saigon government that stayed behind often endured punishment, either facing

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

or being sent to a Communist reeducation camp run by the new Communist government, Oánh was spared from either fates. Instead, he was simply monitored by the new government. He was also one of the few

intellectuals An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or as ...

of the former Republic of Vietnam who was well respected by the new Ho Chi Minh City government, led by Mr.

Võ Văn Kiệt Võ Văn Kiệt (; 23 November 1922 – 11 June 2008"E ...

. Oánh was elected to the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1987 and was appointed a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the

Vietnamese Fatherland Front The Vietnamese Fatherland Front ( vi, Mặt trận Tổ quốc Việt Nam) is an umbrella group of mass movements in Vietnam aligned with the Communist Party of Vietnam forming the Vietnamese government. It was founded in February 1977 by the ...

. He also served as an economic adviser to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Võ Văn Kiệt Võ Văn Kiệt (; 23 November 1922 – 11 June 2008"E ...

and Communist Party's General Secretary

Nguyễn Văn Linh Nguyễn Văn Linh (; 1 July 1915 – 27 April 1998) was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician. Nguyễn Văn Linh was the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 to 1991 and a political leader of the Vietcong during ...

during the Đổi Mới economic reforms.

Honor

Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Oánh was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (3rd Class Honor marked by Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon) in November 1997, becoming the first Vietnamese citizen to receive this award. He was awarded the

Harvard Centennial Medal The Harvard Centennial Medal is an honor given by the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to recipients of graduate degrees from the School for their "contributions to society." The Medal was established in 1989 on the 100th anniversary o ...

in 1999 by the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Personal life

He was married to Thẩm Thuý Hằng, a famous actress and pageant who was awarded the title of

Merited Artist of Vietnam Merited artist ('' vi, Nghệ sĩ Ưu tú'', also translated as Meritorious Artist, Deserved Artist, Distinguished Artist, Honoured Artist) is an honorary title awarded by the Vietnamese State to artists who have contributions to arts. This title ...

. They have twin sons, Nguyễn Xuân Ái Quốc and Nguyễn Xuân Quốc Việt, who owned the coffee chain The Coffee Factory in Ho Chi Minh City.

References

External links

Obituary on BBC news site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Xuan Oanh Vietnamese people of the Vietnam War Harvard University alumni Trinity College (Connecticut) faculty International Monetary Fund people Prime Ministers of South Vietnam 1921 births 2003 deaths Vietnamese economists Members of the National Assembly (Vietnam) World Bank people