Foreword: Vietnam A Century Past, Nguyễn Tường Bách and I are the titles of two memoirs authored by Dr. Nguyễn Tường Bách and teacher Hứa Bảo Liên, his lifelong companion respectively. These two outstanding works record the romantic love between a young Vietnamese gentleman and a Chinese lady in Hanoi. The eventful politics of the country drew them apart until the day their paths again met in Kunming, Yunnan and united them in lasting matrimonial bliss that entailed much devotion and sacrifice – but more importantly, their lives reflect the history full of upheavals and vicissitudes of the Revolutions that engulfed both Vietnam and the Chinese mainland.
Picture 1: left, Dr. Nguyễn Tường Bách; right, teacher Hứa Bảo Liên during an interview with Lawyer Lâm Lễ Trinh, on 09.24.2005. [source: Little Saigon TV, Picture by Đinh Xuân Thái] [6]
BIOGRAPHY
Nguyễn Tường Bách saw life on March 26, 1916, at Cẩm Giàng a small district in Hải Dương Province. However, two generations prior, his ancestral family moved from Cẩm Phô Village, Điện Bàn district, Quảng Nam Province to the North. The Nguyễn Tường family had seven siblings: Nguyễn Tường Thuỵ, Nguyễn Tường Cẩm, Nguyễn Tường Tam – Nhất Linh, Nguyễn Tường Long – Hoàng Đạo, Nguyễn Thị Thế, Nguyễn Tường Lân – Thạch Lam, and Nguyễn Tường Bách – Viễn Sơn.