Charles Tran Van Lam

Charles Trần Văn Lắm, also known as Trần Văn Lắm, was Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War.

He was one of signers of the Paris Peace Accord in 1973. He was the first Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia in the late 1950s and became the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Vietnam in 1969. In 1973 he became the president of the Senate of South Vietnam. When Saigon fell in 1975, Trần Van Lam was required to sign an undertaking not to take part in any political activities as a condition for his entry into Australia. He moved to Canberra where he and his wife opened a coffee shop. On 6 February 2001, Charles Tran Van Lam died in his Canberra home, aged 88.

Early life

The son of a well-to-do ethnic Chinese real estate owner, Tran Van Lam was born in Cholon. He was educated at Hanoi University and trained as a pharmacist. He was the founding Secretary General of the Vietnam Pharmacists Association before his election to the Saigon City Council in 1952, near the end of French colonial rule.

Văn Lâm District

Văn Lâm is a rural district (huyện) of Hưng Yên Province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 97,238. The district covers an area of 74 km². The district capital lies at Nhu Quynh.

References