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Biography of Bao DaiName: Bao DaiBirth Date: October 22, 1913 Death Date: July 31, 1997 Place of Birth: Annam, French Indochina Nationality: Vietnamese Gender: Male Occupations: emperor Bao Dai Bao Dai (1913-1997) was the last emperor of Vietnam. Opportunism, absence of a nationalist outlook, and lack of concern for social reform contributed to his political eclipse as a result of the 1955 referendum.The son of Khai Dinah, who became emperor in 1916, Bao Dai was born in the protectorate of Annam, part of French-governed Indochina, on Oct. 22, 1913. At the age of 9 he was sent to school in France, where he later continued his primary education at the École des Sciences Politiques in Paris.Named thirteenth emperor of Annam in 1926 upon his father's death, Bao Dai did not then ascend the throne because of his age and instead went back to Paris to continue his studies. He returned from France in September 1932 to be enthroned at the age of 19.Bao Dai was subservient to the French during the pre-World War II years, developing in the same period a deserved reputation as …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…Rong Viet Nam, was published in California in 1990. "The dragon" here is a Vietnamese idiom referring to the emperor, Bao Dai.Meanwhile in Vietnam, the government initiated a project to rebuild the old capitol city of Hue and to restore the imperial palace of the Nguyen Dynasty to its original splendor. Bao Dai died in Paris, at the age of 83, on July 31, 1997. Further Reading Ellen J. Hammer, The Struggle for Indochina (1954; rev. ed. 1966), is a contemporary and scholarly account of the early 1950s and offers one of the best views of French policy, and Bao Dai's role in it, during these years. Robert Shaplen, The Lost Revolution (1955; rev. ed. 1966), also offers an excellent treatment of the Bao Dai-French relationship and the subsequent clash between the former emperor and Ngo Dinh Diem. A background book of outstanding quality is Bernard Fall, The Two Viet-Nams: A Political and Military Analysis (1963; 2d ed. 1967). |