Nguyễn Lưu Viên

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Nguyễn, but is often simplified to Nguyen in English-language text. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Viên.

Nguyễn Lưu Viên (Vietnamese pronunciation: [ŋwiən˦ˀ˥ liw˧˧ viən˧˧]; 21 November 1919^[1] – 18 September 2017) was a South Vietnamese doctor and politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of South Vietnam under various prime ministers. He also served as Minister of Internal Affairs of South Vietnam under Prime Ministers Nguyễn Khánh and Trần Văn Hương.

Doctor Nguyễn Lưu Viên
Dr. Viên in 1967
Deputy Prime Minister of South Vietnam
In office 1 September 1969 – 14 April 1975 Serving with Phan Quang Đán (1974–1975)
Prime Minister	Trần Thiện Khiêm (until 4/4 1975) Nguyễn Bá Cẩn (4/4-14/4 1975)
Preceded by	Trần Thiện Khiêm
Succeeded by	Dương Kích Nhưỡng [vi] Trần Văn Đôn
In office 13 July 1966 – 28 October 1967 Serving with Nguyễn Hữu Có
Prime Minister	Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Preceded by	Nguyễn Văn Thiệu Trần Văn Đỗ Trần Văn Tuyên
Succeeded by	Phạm Đăng Lâm
In office 4 November 1964 – 16 February 1965 Serving with Nguyễn Xuân Oánh
Prime Minister	Trần Văn Hương Nguyễn Xuân Oánh (acting)
Preceded by	Đỗ Mậu Nguyễn Tôn Hoàn
Succeeded by	Nguyễn Văn Thiệu Trần Văn Đỗ Trần Văn Tuyên
Minister of Internal Affairs of South Vietnam
In office 4 September 1964 – 14 February 1965
Prime Minister	Nguyễn Khánh (1964) Trần Văn Hương (1964–1965) Nguyễn Xuân Oánh (acting; 1965)
Preceded by	Lâm Văn Phát
Succeeded by	Nguyễn Hòa Hiệp
Personal details
Born	(1919-11-21)21 November 1919 Trà Vinh province, Cochinchina, French Indochina
Died	18 September 2017(2017-09-18) (aged 97) Springfield, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	National Social Democratic Front
Other political affiliations	Bloc for Liberty and Progress (1960–1963)
Spouse	Nguyễn Thị Trinh
Children	3 sons
Parents	Nguyễn Thành Phương (father) Trần Thị Ngọc (mother)
Relatives	Nguyễn Khánh (nephew)
Alma mater	Hanoi Medical University (M.D.)

Biography

He was born on 21 November 1919 to a wealthy family in Trà Vinh province. In 1945, while he was studying medicine at the Hanoi Medical University to obtain his M.D., he joined the Viet Minh in their resistance to the French. However, after realizing more of the group's communist nature he left the group and continued focusing on his studies.^[1]and worked as a doctor before entering politics.^[2][3]

First Republic

Under the regime of President Ngô Đình Diệm, in 1954, he held the position of Head of the General Commission for Refugees, which he helped with the influx of refugees from the North after Vietnam was partitioned into two separate countries.^[3] In April 1960, he was one of the signatories of the Caravelle Manifesto, a document critiquing the government of President Ngô Đình Diệm and demanding reforms be made within the government.^[3][4]

Fall of Saigon and life in exile

As South Vietnam was on the verge of collapsing to the advancing forces of North Vietnam Viên left for Guam on 29 April, a day before the government of General Dương Văn Minh announced South Vietnam's surrender on 30 April 1975 to the Communist regime.^[5] After arriving in Guam, Viên was then relocated to Camp Pendleton along with other Vietnamese refugees.^[6][7] Afterward, Viên decided to further his studies in Oklahoma before deciding to relocate to Union City, Tennessee where he worked as a doctor at Baptist Memorial Hospital for 11 years.^[6][2] In 1988, he retired and then relocated to Virginia where he would live out the remainder of his life.

He died at his home at the age of 97 in Springfield, Virginia on 18 September 2017.^[2]