Bao Dai

Bao Dai (1913-1997), last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam. He succeeded to the throne in 1926 after being educated in France and ruled under French and—during the last days of World War II—Japanese protection until forced out by the Vietminh in 1945. He returned in 1949 to head the new state of Vietnam, set up by France to rival the Communist government of Ho Chi Minh. After Vietnam’s partition in 1954, Bao Dai remained head of state in South Vietnam until deposed by Premier Ngo Dinh Diem the following year in the wake of a referendum favouring a republic. Thereafter he lived in exile. He lived in considerable comfort in France, with a period spent in Hong Kong, until his death in August 1997.