Dương Văn Ngộ
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Dương Văn Ngộ (; 3 March 1930 – 1 August 2023) was a Vietnamese
postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associ ...
and
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public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
letter writer known for being the longest-serving and last public letter writer and
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in Vietnam. During his three decades of work as a letter-writer, Ngộ wrote thousands of letters. He retired in 2021 from his desk in the
Saigon Central Post Office The Saigon Central Post Office (, ), is a post office in Paris Commune Square (Saigon), Paris Commune Square, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, next to the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the city's cathedral. History The building was constructed when ...
following 70 years of work in the Vietnamese postal service.


Early life and career

Ngộ was born on 3 March 1930 in Phú Lâm, District 6, Saigon (now
Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
) as the fifth of six children in a family with Hoa (Vietnamese Chinese) ancestry. His father worked in the trades while his mother did not hold a steady job, instead mending sacks on an ''ad hoc'' basis for money. In 1942, Ngộ became one of the few impoverished students accepted to the prestigious
Petrus Ký High School Petrus may refer to: People * Petrus (given name) * Petrus (surname) * Petrus Borel, pen name of Joseph-Pierre Borel d'Hauterive (1809–1859), French Romantic writer * Petrus Brovka, pen name of Pyotr Ustinovich Brovka (1905–1980), Soviet Belar ...
(now Lê Hồng Phong High School For The Gifted). At 16 years old, he became interested in the mail and began working at the
Thị Nghè district Thi (Quốc ngữ: Thị; Hán-Nôm: ) is a Vietnamese name, usually given as a middle name to females (''see: Vietnamese name''). It may also refer to: * City of Thi, a city in ''The Wizard of Oz'' * ''thị'', Vietnamese term for persimmons, sp ...
post office. Starting in 1948, he became an official employee at the Saigon Central Post Office, sorting letters into boxes. Later, Ngộ would take on other roles, and was temporarily transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Post. When he was 36, the post office arranged for him to learn English and French, although Ngộ claims his French proficiency dates to an excellent
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education. For English education, the post office's board of directors organized special tutoring from an American pilot at the
Vietnamese-American Association Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth largest Asian Amer ...
. Although eligible to retire and collect a
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in 1990, Ngộ instead requested assignment to the public letter-writing service (also known as letters for hire), which had only six people at the time. Eventually, all of the other writers died, leaving only Ngộ. He convinced the post office to give him a desk at the end of the hall where he could offer his services. Each
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, Ngộ worked from 8 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon writing letters and providing
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. He was commonly seen with a black bag, which contained various materials including
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for his work. Ngộ was able to parse letters written in German and could read and write them in French, English, and his native Vietnamese. Since 1990, he had written letters to recipients worldwide. Ngộ saw his profession as a labor of love and a way to publicize and promote Vietnam. While the shift to
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had reduced his customer base, Ngộ remained popular with visitors and tourists, many of whom wanted to take pictures with him. In 2021, he was forced to retire due to his age and weakening senses, although he still attempted to sneak in and continue working.


Personal life

Ngộ married a woman also born in 1930. They had six children: two sons and four daughters. One daughter has an intellectual disorder, and relies on her elder sister for care. He boasted that all of his children performed well in their studies. Ngộ died on 1 August 2023, at the age of 93.


Recognition

Ngộ gained various titles and nicknames from the Vietnamese press for his work and was officially recognized by the Vietnam Records Book Center as the longest-serving public letter writer in 2009. Afterwards, many people came to the post office to see him in action, noting that he was the last writer in Saigon and then Vietnam in general. In 2016, he received a prize and 20 million VND from the Kova Priza Committee. He later became featured in international media outlets. He met with
Herman Van Rompuy Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy (; born 31 October 1947) is a Belgian politician who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2008 to 2009, and later as the first permanent President of the European Council from 2009 to 2014. Van Rompuy, a ...
, then-
President of the European Council The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council on the world stage. This Institutions of the European Union, institution comprises the college of heads of state or governme ...
, in 2012. He has been described as a hallmark of the Saigon Central Post Office.


References


External links

* Vietnamese with English subtitles. {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Ngo, Duong 1930 births 2023 deaths Communications in Vietnam Postal officials People from Ho Chi Minh City 20th-century letter writers