Early life He was born on 15 November 1903 in
Phủ Lý,
Tonkin,
French Indochina. He studied in France, obtained a medical doctor degree from the
University of Paris.
Political career He decided not to sign the
Geneva Agreement because he did not accept the division of Vietnam and on behalf of the Vietnamese National Delegation issued a separate statement: "...the Vietnamese government requests the Conference to officially acknowledge that Vietnam solemnly opposes the signing of the Agreement and its provisions that do not respect the deep aspirations of the Vietnamese people. Request the Conference to acknowledge that the Government grants itself the right to complete freedom of action to protect the sacred rights of the Vietnamese people in the process of realizing Unification, Independence, and Freedom for the country." He was then appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, but after only one year, withdrew in 1955. During the First Republic, he opposed President
Ngô Đình Diệm's policies. He was one of 18 members of the Caravelle group to sign the petition, also known as the Caravelle Declaration to Ngô Đình Diệm, demanding government reform in April 1960. In 1965, he served as Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister
Phan Huy Quát and Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the premiership of Phan Huy Quát ended, he stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister, but continue on to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1965–1968) under the premiership of Prime Ministers
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and
Nguyễn Văn Lộc.
Life in exile After the
Fall of Saigon, he took asylum in France as a
political refugee where lived quietly for the remainder of his life. He died on 20 December 1990, in Paris. == Honour ==