BAO DAI – The last king of the Nguyen Dynasty and the feudal dynasties of Vietnam
Bao Dai (1925-1945), born Nguyen Phuc Vinh Thuy, was the 13th emperor and the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty, also the last emperor of the monarchy in Vietnamese history.
Bao Dai was his reign name. During the August Revolution in the same year, Bao Dai issued an abdication edict, ending the Nguyen Dynasty since 1802 as well as the rule of the Nguyen (Phuc) family since 1558. He accepted the position of Supreme Advisor to the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by President Ho Chi Minh.
Establishment of the Vietnamese Empire: After Japan’s coup against France in Indochina, the administrative apparatus of the French colonialists collapsed, so the establishment of a new government was set by Japan as an urgent requirement and the Vietnamese Empire was born in that context.
Death: Bao Dai lived his last years quietly in a small apartment at 29, rue Fresnel, 16th arrondissement, Paris. He passed away in 1997 – at the age of 83.
