Empress Nam Phương (14 November 1913 – 16 September 1963), born Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan, was the last empress consort of
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. She was the wife of
Bảo Đại
Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , , 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc (Phước) Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was ''de jure'' em ...
(), the last
emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
of Vietnam (officially named as
Đại Nam before March 1945), from 1934 until her death. She was also the second and last
empress consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally ...
(''hoàng hậu'') of the
Nguyễn dynasty
The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...
.
Background
Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan was born in Gò Công, Biên Hòa province, which is sometimes misunderstood as what is now
Gò Công city.
Her birth date, according to both the book ''Souverains et notabilites d'Indochine'' compiled by the
Government-General of French Indochina and the book ''Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả'' compiled by the Board of Trustees of the
House of Nguyễn Phúc
The House of Nguyễn Phúc, also known as the House of Nguyễn Phước, is a family and a branch of the surname Nguyễn in Vietnam. Its members were the Nguyễn lords (1558–1777, 1780–1802) and emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty (180 ...
(), is 4 November 1914. On her tomb in France and in the records of Saigon City Governor's Office, her date of birth is written as 14 November 1913.
Her father, Pierre Nguyễn Hữu Hào, described as a wealthy merchant,
["Annam Ruler Proclaims His Bride-to-Be Is Worthy", ''The New York Times'', 10 March 1934] had been born into a poor
ethnic Vietnamese
The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austr ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
family in Kiến Hòa district, Định Tường province.
Through an introduction from the Bishop of Saigon, he became secretary to the billionaire
Lê Phát Đạt, Duke of Long-My, and eventually married his employer's daughter, Marie Lê Thị Bình,
and inherited his title.
File:Mlle. Jeanne Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn-hữu-thị-Lan à l'âge de deux ans.jpg, Jeanne Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn-hữu-thị-Lan at age 2.
File:M. et Mme Nguyen Huu Hao.jpg, Family of Nguyễn Hữu Hào, Nam Phuong (middle) at 3 years old.
File:O2fCjwO.jpg, Maturity of young Nam Phương from 1 to 12 years old.
File:Young Nam Phương.jpg, Young Nam Phương
File:Young empress Nam Phương.jpg, Young empress Nam Phương in Da Lat
A naturalized French citizen, Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan, who was known as Mariette, studied at the Couvent des Oiseaux, an aristocratic Catholic school located in
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...
, France, where she was sent at the age of 12.
She was a distant cousin of her future husband, the emperor.
Marriage
On 9 March 1934, the public announcement of the engagement of Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan and Bảo Đại, Emperor of
Đại Nam, was released. In it, Bảo Đại stated, "The future Queen, reared like us in France, combines in her person the graces of the West and the charms of the East. We who have had the occasion to meet her believe that she is worthy to be our companion and our equal. We are certain by her conduct and example that she fully merits the title of First Woman of the Empire."
After a formal betrothal ceremony in the imperial summer palace in
Da Lat
Da Lat, or Dalat (; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mos ...
, the emperor married Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan on 20 March 1934, in
Huế
Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
. The ceremony was Buddhist, though the ruler's Catholic fiancée caused some controversy; the country's population was not entirely in favor of the bride's religious affiliation. Others suspected that the marriage "smelled high of French chicanery."
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that "discontent was general" in the country, given that Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan had declined to renounce Catholicism and was appealing to
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
for a dispensation. Another article noted that there was much discussion over a report that the pope might allow the bride to "remain a Catholic if she gave the Church her girl children."
[Wedding and Thanks]
, ''Time'', 2 April 1934. Further complicating the wedding plans was the apparent disapproval of the young monarch's mother,
Doan Huy, and his late father's secondary wives, all of whom had other bridal candidates that Bảo Đại apparently did not consider.
File:EixoNjL.jpg, Nam Phương and Bảo Đại in dating period at Đà Lạt, 1933.
File:Wedding of empress.jpg, Wedding day of Nam Phuong
File:NamPhuong.jpg, Empress Nam Phương on wedding day
File:BpLBHdF.jpg, Empress consort in phoenix robe on her wedding day
At the state ceremony that marked the end of the four-day wedding festivities, Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan was given the title 'Empress Consort' and the name Nam Phương, which can be roughly translated as 'Fragrance of the South', in acknowledgment of her place of birth.
''Time'' on 2 April 1934 closely followed the traditional royal nuptials:
"Little Mariette Nguyen Huu Hao was beautifully married. It took four days. On her way up Annam's great mandarin road along the coast she stopped off to climb a mountain and drink of the "frozen spring." Outside Huê, a cavalcade of palace mandarins on short native Phu-Yen horses met her in the Valley of Clouds and escorted her through the three walls of the Red City into the Palace of Passengers. Next day, dressed in a great brocaded Annamite gown, she stepped into an automobile and was driven to the Emperor's Palace, followed by the Imperial princesses and the blue-turbaned wives of the mandarins. Two scrolls, on which were written a prayer to Bảo Đại's ancestors and the name and age (18) of Nguyen Huu Hao, were burnt on the altars. Finally the two young people were brought face to face and married. It took three more days of Buddhist rites behind the locked gates of the Red City to complete the ceremony. On the fourth day a battalion of mandarins led in musicians and the bearers of the royal insignia. The new Queen, her hair elaborately wound about a tiara encrusted with precious stones, received the Imperial seal and the golden book. Finally she arose and bowed her forehead to the floor three times, in the traditional Chinese kowtow (pronounced ker-toe) of thanks."
At the time of her marriage, a song was written in her honor:
"In the firmament of the Son of Heaven a brilliant new star has risen!/Supple as the neck of the swan is the charm of her graceful form./Her black and sparkling eyes, in hours of ease, envelop and thrill that happy mortal allowed to see./O, Nguyễn Hữu-Hào! Beautiful are all thy ways."
Empress
She was titled as the Empress Consort soon after her marriage to Emperor Bảo Đại in 1934. Bảo Đại bestowed upon her the title of ''Nam Phương Hoàng hậu'' which went against the convention established by
Gia Long
Gia Long (Chữ Hán, Chữ hán: 嘉隆) ( (''Hanoi, North''), (''Ho Chi Minh City, South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh (阮暎), was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynas ...
.
From Gia Long until Khải Định all empresses consort were known as ''Hoàng phi'' and would only be known as a ''Hoàng hậu'' after their deaths.
On 18 June 1945, Nam Phương was raised in rank from ''Her Majesty'' to ''Her Imperial Majesty''. Bảo Đại continued to assume the title of emperor after proclaiming the country's independence from France on March 11, 1945, as he was urged to rule his empire as a member of Japan's
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
The , also known as the GEACPS, was a Pan-Asianism, pan-Asian union that the Empire of Japan tried to establish. Initially, it covered Japan (including Korea under Japanese rule, annexed Korea), Manchukuo, and Wang Jingwei regime, China, but as ...
. At this time, Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina, which came under the control of
Imperial Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
after the
coup d'état in French Indochina, were reunited to become the
Empire of Vietnam
The Empire of Vietnam (; Literary Chinese and Japanese language, Contemporary Japanese: ; Japanese language, Modern Japanese: ) was a short-lived Japanese puppet state, puppet state of Empire of Japan, Imperial Japan between March 11 and Abdicat ...
. However, the emperor was later convinced to abdicate the throne by the revolutionary movement
Viet Minh
The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a Communist Party of Vietnam, communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1 ...
, at that time not widely known as being led by communists. He accepted
Ho Chi Minh
(born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first President of Vietnam, president of the ...
's invitation to become a supreme advisor to the Provisional Government of the
Democratic Republic of Viet Nam later in 1945.
Children
The emperor and empress had five children, most of whom were educated at the French boarding school their mother had attended, .

* Crown Prince
Bảo Long (4 January 1936 – 28 July 2007).
* Princess
Phương Mai
Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam, Duchess of Addis Abeba (1 August 1937 – 16 January 2021) was a daughter of Emperor Bảo Đại of Vietnam and his first wife, Empress Nam Phương. In 1947, Nam Phương left Vietnam with her children and l ...
(1 August 1937 – 16 January 2021; married Don
Pietro Badoglio, 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba and Marquis of Sabotino).
* Princess
Phương Liên
Princess Phương Liên of Vietnam (born 3 November 1939 in Đà Lạt) is a daughter of Bảo Đại, the last emperor of Vietnam, and his first wife, Empress Nam Phương.
Biography
Her father abdicated as emperor in 1945.
She was educated ...
born on 2 November 1938 (married Bernard Maurice Soulain).
* Princess
Phương Dung born on 5 February 1942.
* Prince
Bảo Thăng
Prince Nguyễn Phúc Bảo Thăng (30 September 1944 – 15 March 2017) was the son of Emperor Bảo Đại and Empress Nam Phương of Vietnam. He succeeded as head of the House of Nguyễn Phúc following the death of his brother, Bảo Long, ...
(30 September 1944 – 15 March 2017).
Influence on fashion
Nam Phương's first official visit to Europe, in the summer of 1939, launched a craze for what one reporter described as "trousers and embroidered tunics for evenings; pagoda silhouettes,
ndrevers or sleeve forms." To the surprise of fashion observers, when she met with
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
during that trip, "the visitor from Indochina did not wear the traditional black, long-sleeved gown and veil. Instead, she appeared in a gold, dragon-embroidered tunic, red scarf, and gold hat. She wore silver trousers."
Later life
Nam Phương served as a member of the Reconstruction Committee for Vietnam after the end of World War II and was the patron of the Vietnamese
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
. She raised funds and called for the recognition of the independence of Vietnam. After Bảo Đại left Huế for Hanoi in September 1945, he had other mistresses. The next year, the former emperor fled into exile in China. He returned to Vietnam in 1949 at the invitation of the nationalist government and was named Chief of the
State of Vietnam
The State of Vietnam (; chữ Hán: 國家越南; ) was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1949 until 1955, first as an associated state of the French Union and later as an independent state (from 20 July 1954 to 26 October 1955). The s ...
, but he went into exile again in 1954.
In 1947, after the
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
takeover of the country, the empress and her children moved to
Château Thorenc, outside of
Cannes
Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, France, which had been in the family since its purchase by her maternal grandfather in the early 20th century.
She separated from her husband in 1955. Two years later, when the Vietnamese government announced its confiscation of the imperial family's personal property, the bill specifically excluded any real estate owned by the empress prior to 1949. These properties included her father's villa at
Da Lat
Da Lat, or Dalat (; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mos ...
, which is now Lam Dong Museum.
Death
Empress Nam Phương died on 16 September 1963 from a heart attack, at ''Domaine de La Perche'', her home near the small rural village of
Chabrignac,
Corrèze
Corrèze (; ) is a département in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the bo ...
, France. She was buried in the local cemetery.
Pictures
File:Bảo Đại & Nam Phương.jpg, Bảo Đại & Nam Phương
File:Bảo-Đại-và-Nam-Phương.jpg, Bảo Đại & Nam Phương at the party
File:GDFlr6W.jpg, Nam Phương in hunting trip at Đà Lạt
File:GXNdnZd.jpg, Empress consort Nam Phương and crown prince Bảo Long visit her high school Couvent des Oiseaux in Paris.
File:Nam Phuong in Vatican.jpg, Nam Phương in the Vatican.
File:Fêtes du Nam-giao en 1942 (7). S.M. l'Impératrice Nam-phương photograhie au passage son royal époux. Elle est accompagnée de ses enfants et de ses nièces ; à sa droite la baronne Pierre Didelot, sa sœur.jpg, The Empress (holding camera) at the Nam Giao Ceremony 1942
File:Empress Nam Phuong.jpg, Nam Phuong visits Vatican City
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...
.
File:(Recueil Portraits des princes d'Annam (...) btv1b8538710d 1.jpg, Nam Phuong with Crown Prince Bảo Long (left) and princess Phương Liên (right) in 1938
File:Nam Phương hoàng hậu.jpg, Nam Phuong in traditional Ao Dai
Media
Nam Phương was portrayed by the actress Yến Chi in the 2004 Vietnamese
miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''Ngọn nến Hoàng cung'' ("The Imperial Palace's Candlelight").
The empress was also portrayed by the singer
Hòa Minzy
Nguyễn Thị Hòa (born 31 May 1995), known professionally as Hòa Minzy, is a Vietnamese singer and actress. She was the champion of the reality television competition '' Star Academy Vietnam'' in its first season. in her 2020 MV
Không thể cùng nhau suốt kiếp'.
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nam Phuong
1914 births
1963 deaths
Exiled royalty
Vietnamese Roman Catholics
People from Tiền Giang province
Nguyễn dynasty empresses
20th-century Vietnamese women
20th-century Vietnamese people