Information needed for op-ed piece on Le Mai
From: Sidel, Mark <mark-sidel@uiowa.edu>
Date: May 31, 2006 8:24 PM
Subject: [Vsg] Information needed for op-ed piece on Le Mai
Dear colleagues,
For an op-ed piece on the tenth anniversary of the death of Vietnamese diplomat Le Mai, whom a number of people on this list knew, I urgently need two details about his life: (1) the university he attended (Hue?); and (2) the name of his wife, an ophthalmologist in Hanoi, whom I have met but whose name I cannot locate.
Do any VSG members happen to have either of these pieces of admittedly somewhat esoteric information? I would greatly appreciate it, offlist or onlist. The newspaper is asking for this information to complete the op-ed edit in the next couple of days.
Many thanks....
Mark Sidel
From: Tai VanTa <taivanta@yahoo.com>
Date: Jun 1, 2006 6:52 AM
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Information needed for op-ed piece on Le Mai
Dear Mark Sidel,
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Mai was born in 1940 in
Hue, married with two children (I don't have his wife
name, but I remember he joked with me in Hawaii Aspen
Institute Conference, 1993, that like me who married a
Hue woman,, when he married a Hue woman, it means to
marry the whole extended family and when a big shot
from Hanoi like him visited the inlaws in Hue City, if
he did not sweep the floor of the house, the next
morning, there is no breakfast--I think he inspired
from the Vietnamese proveb:"lam trai rua bat quet nha,
vo goi thi 'da', bam ba toi day").
He graduated from Hanoi University in 1962, was
journalist before 1965, member of Delegation to Paris
Peace talks (1969-73), expert and then Deputy Director
of North American Department of Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (1965-80), deputy director and Director of
Press and Info. Department of MOFA (1979-83),
Assistant Minister (1983-85), Ambassador to Thailand
(1986-89) and Vice Minister (1990-).
Cordially,
Tai Van Ta
From: Sidel, Mark <mark-sidel@uiowa.edu>
Date: Jun 1, 2006 1:28 PM
Subject: RE: [Vsg] Information needed for op-ed piece on Le Mai
Many thanks to Ta Van Tai and several others who have sent me information I needed on Le Mai. I'm also delighted to note that the Personnel Department of the Foreign Ministry came through with information in record time - overnight - and I very much appreciate their assistance as well.