Nguyễn Xuân Oánh (; 14 July 1921 – 29 August 2003), nicknamed Jack Owens, was a Vietnamese economist and politician who held senior positions in the governments of both

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

and the current

Socialist Republic 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 ...

Early life and education

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

Bắc Giang Bắc Giang () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Bắc Ninh 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 ...

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, including both the ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

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

Hưng Yên Hưng Yên () is a city in the Red River Delta of the Northern Vietnam. It is the old capital of Hưng Yên Province and is a third-graded city according to Vietnam's urban classification table. History Hưng Yên city was originally the expansion ...

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, 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 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

at the National College of Japan in 1944. Afterwards he would go on to earn his MA at

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

of Japan in 1950. He would go on to pursue his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

of the US in 1954.

Career in South Vietnam

After earning a

, 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 Group ...

's IFC and the

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...

and taught economics at Trinity College. In 1963, he returned home to

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 Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

of the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

. 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 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 ...

government that stayed behind often endured punishment, either facing

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

or being sent to a Communist reeducation camp run by the new

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 ...

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 Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

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 Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF, alternatively Vietnamese Fatherland Front; ) is constitutionally an integral component in the political structure of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and an umbrella group of mass movements and political coa ...

. He also served as an economic adviser to

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(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 in 1999 by the

Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) is the largest of the twelve graduate schools of Harvard University, when measured by the number of degree-seeking students. Formed in 1872, GSAS is responsible for most o ...

Personal life

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

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 People from Bắc Giang province