Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn

Writer
teacher
MC

NationalityVietnamese
CanadianCitizenshipCanadaEducationNguyễn Bá Tòng School
Chu Văn An High School
Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh CityAlma materThe University of SaigonGenreShort story, novel, dramaYears active1979–presentNotable worksThe Will Of HeavenSpouseLê Thị Tuyết Lan (1970–1978)
Trần Ngọc Diệp (1982–present)ChildrenTwo sonsRelativesNguyễn Ngọc Trọng (younger brother)Military careerAllegianceSouth VietnamService/branch

Army of the Republic of VietnamYears of service1970–1975Battles/warsVietnam War

Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn (born 9 March 1945 in Sơn Tây in Hanoi) is a Vietnamese-Canadian writer, essayist and television personality.

Ngạn was born in Sơn Tây, Vietnam, but his family moved to South Vietnam when the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam in 1954. After university and service in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Ngạn was imprisoned by the victorious communists after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and did forced labour in a re-education camp up until 1978, an experience described in his autobiography, The Will Of Heaven.^[1]

After his release, Ngạn escaped by boat to Malaysia in 1979. During the closing stages of the journey, storms hit the boat and knocked it over within sight of land. Ngạn's wife and child drowned and he was pulled unconscious from the water. He was sponsored by the Canadian government and brought to Vancouver in 1980, moving to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and in 1985 to Toronto.^[2]

Ngạn was formally known for co-hosting Thuy Nga's Paris by Night with Vietnamese personality Kỳ Duyên. He co-authored Ballad Of Mulan and The Blind Man and the Cripple – Orchard Village.

References

^ Huu Khoa Le, Littérature vietnamienne: la part d'exil, p. 39 (Groupe de recherche sur l'Extrême-Orient contemporain, 1995); ISBN 2-85399-361-2
^ Yale University, Southeast Asia Studies, The Vietnam Forum (1985).