Life in Exile
Minh was allowed to emigrate to France in 1983 and settled near Paris, and it was again assumed that the communists had permitted him to leave on the basis that he remain aloof from politics and history. In the late 1980s, there was speculation he would be allowed to return to Vietnam to live out his last years, but this did not happen. In the last few years of his life, he lived in Pasadena, California with his daughter, Mai Duong. He later needed a wheelchair for mobility. In exile, Minh kept his silence, did not talk about the events in Vietnam and did not produce a memoir. As well, Minh's death wasn't mourned by many among overseas Vietnamese, who are still angry at him for ordering South Vietnamese soldiers to put their weapons down.
Read more about this topic: Duong Van Minh
Famous quotes containing the words life and/or exile:
“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life well ever see on this earth!”
—Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)
“the bird in the poplar tree
dreaming, his head
tucked into
far-and-near exile under his wing ...”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)