Lâm Quang Thi

Lâm Quang Thi (7 May 1932 – 19 January 2021) was a Lieutenant general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.^[1]

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Lam. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Quang Thi.

Lâm Quang Thi
Born	(1932-05-07)7 May 1932 Bạc Liêu, French Indochina
Died	19 January 2021(2021-01-19) (aged 88) Fremont, California, United States
Allegiance	South Vietnam
Branch	Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Years of service	1950–1975
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	9th Infantry Division Vietnamese National Military Academy I Corps
Battles / wars	Vietnam War

Early life and family

Thi was born in Bac Lieu on 7 May 1932, to a family of wealthy landowning farmers.^[2]: 93 Thi's parents met through a matchmaker and married two years before he was born. Thi's father came from a family of Cao Dai adherents while his mother was a Roman Catholic. His maternal grandfather was one of the richest Chinese landowners in Bac Lieu at the turn of the 20th century.^[3] His parents separated in 1937 after their fourth child was born, and his mother took their four children back down to her hometown in Tam Vu. After completing his primary education there, Thi was sent to Can Tho for his secondary education, where he enrolled into the Phan Thanh Gian College after passing through its tough entrance examinations.^[4]

Military service

He joined the Vietnamese National Army in 1950 and graduated from the National Military Academy, in Da Lat.^[2]: 93 He held the positions of Commander of the RVNAF Artillery Training Center, Commander of the Artillery in I Corps, Deputy Commander, RVNAF Artillery; Commander, 9th Infantry Division; and Commander of the Vietnamese National Military Academy.

On 10 March 1972, he replaced Nguyễn Văn Hiếu as deputy commander of I Corps.^[5][2]: 93

Post-war life

Lam fled with his family to the United States in May 1975, when South Vietnam fell to the invading North Vietnamese army. He lived in Fremont, California. Lam earned a French Baccalaureate Degree in Philosophy and an MBA, both from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.^{[citation needed]} His son, Andrew Lam, is a writer and a journalist.

Lam was interviewed about the war in Ken Burns's series The Vietnam War.

Death

Lâm died from COVID-19 in Fremont, California, on 19 January 2021, aged 88, during the COVID-19 pandemic in California.^[6]

Awards and decorations

National Honours

• Commander of the National Order of Vietnam
• Army Distinguished Service Order, First Class
• Navy Distinguished Service Order, First Class
• Gallantry Cross
• Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class
• Staff Service Medal, First Class
• Technical Service Medal, First Class
• Training Service Medal, First Class
• Civil Action Medal, First Class
• Chuong My Medal, First Class
• Administrative Service Medal, First Class

Foreign Honours

• South Korea :
  • Order of Military Merit, Chung Mu Medal
• USA :
  • Officer of the Legion of Merit