Nguyễn Văn Hinh (20 September 1915 – 26 June 2004) was the inaugural

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Vietnamese National Army and the first Vietnamese officer in the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

to be promoted to the rank of general. Educated in the French style, he served in the French Air Force and the before accepting a role in the army of the new State of Vietnam within the

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was ''de jure'' the end of the "indigenous" () status of Frenc ...

. Hinh is somewhat of an oddity in the 20th century military history of Vietnam as he attained the rank of lieutenant general in two separate countries, not unlike his

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

ese counterpart Nguyễn Sơn who served as a major general in both the

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

and the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Biography

Nguyễn Văn Hinh was born on 20 September 1915 in Vũng Tàu,

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu (abbreviated BRVT) was formerly a province of Vietnam. It was located on the coast of the country's Southeast region. It bordered Đồng Nai to the north, Bình Thuận to the northeast and Ho Chi Minh City metropolit ...

as the son of Nguyễn Văn Tâm, a schoolteacher and aspiring functionary in French Cochinchina. Their family name was originally Trương before becoming Nguyễn. After his primary education and at his father's insistence, Hinh moved to France in 1932 to advance his studies, attending the prestigious in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Early career

In 1936, he enlisted in the French Air Force and was sent to the in Salon-de-Provence for training. Hinh graduated as pilot and flight engineer in 1937 and was assigned to a bomber squadron in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, achieving the rank of second lieutenant. With the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of France in 1940, he participated in operations against invading Germans in the northeastern part of the country and Italians in the Alps. Though the French government eventually capitulated, Hinh was awarded the for his contribution to the war effort. Following the establishment of a collaborationist regime under

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

in Vichy, Hinh was transferred to West Africa, serving in French Sudan and Senegal. Upon the conclusion of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

in November 1942, he joined

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

's Free French Forces as a first lieutenant. Hinh worked as an air force instructor in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

until April 1944, when he was reassigned to the European theater in charge of a bomber squadron. At the end of the war, he was admitted to the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and awarded the American

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

for his service. For a year after the war, Hinh remained in occupied Germany. Promoted to the rank of major in 1948, he was sent to lead a transport wing in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, where he would meet his future wife, the daughter of a local .

Vietnamese National Army

Nguyễn Văn Hinh was appointed the Vietnamese National Army Chief of General Staff by Emperor Bảo Đại.

Opposition to Ngô Đình Diệm and exile

Hinh was replaced by General Lê Văn Tỵ as appointed Chief of the nascent Joint General Staff.

Later life

Hinh returned to France in November 1954, re-entering the air force with his former rank of lieutenant colonel. For his service in Vietnam, he was admitted to the National Order of Vietnam and awarded the Vietnam Gallantry Cross. As a senior colonel, Hinh was appointed to the flight test centre in Brétigny-sur-Orge in 1956, followed by an assignment to the missile test centre in Biscarrosse. In 1960, he received command of the airbase at Colomb-Béchar in support of the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

effort. Having avoided involvement in the 1961 Generals' putsch, Hinh was promoted to the rank of brigadier general the following year and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In 1965, he was promoted to divisional general and assigned to the Central Directorate of Matériel of the Air Force, overseeing the introduction of new nuclear strike capabilities. As is customary for French military personnel reaching the age of 55, Hinh was scrapped from the flight roster in 1970 and entered the reserves until his retirement in 1975. After the

1975 spring offensive The 1975 spring offensive (), officially known as the general offensive and uprising of spring 1975 (), was the final North Vietnamese campaign in the Vietnam War that led to the capitulation of the Republic of Vietnam. After the initial succ ...

and the dissolution of South Vietnam, he devoted the following years to helping his former VNA subordinates escape the country and find refuge in France. Hinh died on 26 June 2004, aged 88, a few years after his admission to the .

Awards

* : ** Commander of the

** Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit ** Medaille militaire ribbon

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

War Cross (1939–1945) * : ** VPD National Order of Vietnam - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the National Order of Vietnam ** Gallantry Cross with palm * : ** Air Medal ribbon

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Van Hinh 1915 births 2004 deaths Commanders of the Legion of Honour Foreign recipients of the Air Medal French Air Force generals French Air Force personnel of World War II French military personnel of the Algerian War Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite People from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu province People of the First Indochina War Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam Vietnamese emigrants to France Vietnamese exiles Vietnamese generals