Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn (born 9 March 1945 in

Sơn Tây ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted else ...

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

) is a

Vietnamese-Canadian Vietnamese Canadians (; ) are Canadian citizens of Vietnamese ancestry. As of 2021, there are 275,530 Vietnamese Canadians, most of whom reside in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. History Mainstream Vietnamese ...

writer, essayist and television personality. Ngạn was born in

(present-day

), but his family moved to

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 ...

when the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam in 1954. After university and service in the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

, Ngạn was imprisoned by the victorious communists after the

fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

in 1975 and did forced labour in a re-education camp up until 1978, an experience described in his autobiography, ''The Will Of Heaven''. After his release, Ngạn escaped by boat to

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

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 Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 1980, moving to

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

, and in 1985 to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

.Yale University, Southeast Asia Studies, ''The Vietnam Forum'' (1985). Ngạn was formally known for co-hosting Thuy Nga's''

Paris by Night ''Paris by Night'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PBN'') is a direct-to-video series featuring Vietnamese-language musical variety shows produced by Thúy Nga Productions. Hosted mainly by Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên, the ...

'' with Vietnamese personality Kỳ Duyên until his retirement in 2022. He co-authored ''Ballad Of Mulan'' and ''The Blind Man and the Cripple – Orchard Village''.

References

Sources

* Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn with E.E. Richey, ''The Will of Heaven: A Story of One Vietnamese and the End of His World'', Dutton, 1982:

External links

Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn's YouTube channel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Ngoc Ngan Writers from Hanoi Vietnamese emigrants to Canada Canadian male novelists 1945 births Living people Thuy Nga Productions Canadian writers of Asian descent Writers of Vietnamese descent Nguyen dynasty Masters of ceremonies Canadian male essayists 20th-century Canadian essayists 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian essayists 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian male writers Vietnamese Roman Catholics