The First President of Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem was not born to lead. Ngo Dinh Diem was born and raised to learn the scriptures and
possibly teach them to others, preferably, the select few. So, when it came to pass that he was to be the first
president of IndoChina, also known as Vietnam, he couldnt help but secretly admit how absurdly unqualified
he was. Ngo Dinh Diem was a big brother. He was a brother-in-law. He was quiet.
Son Due on the other hand was born to lead his people away from false leaders. Son Due was nobodys
brother. He would never be a brother-in-law, unless he married and thus adopted siblings this way. But
marriage and the like, with all its permanence and now-ness, did not interest Son Due.
He was a singer. He wasnt a singer of songs, but then again, he sang some of those as well. Son Due was
a singer of dissent, and this, with all its uncertainties, made it difficult for him to find a woman to marry;
instead, he committed himself to the Cause. Son Due had gone to a lyce in Hue with Ngo Dinh Diem and many
other prominent members of the Mandarin-serving class, and this is where he learned of the Cause.
Son Due didnt care for most of his colleagues. In fact, when he was still in school, and all others were
praying, as he was supposed to be, he was counting those peers in whom he found even a remote respect. It
had never been a long list, but still, he made it all the same. It was something he did. List. He would start with
the divine love and include everyone he trained with on this list of deference. Then, eventually, as the years
went by at the lyce, and as he unshapely, then shapely, molded out of adolescence, into a man with a Cause,
which he knew not yet about, though assumed, he narrowed, and slimmed, and narrowed again, until the list
was just two people: Lan Due, who was of no relation, and Giang Duong.

Their names shone. Despite the transitory gray color they gleamed across Son Dues contraband leaf of
pasty paper. Lan Due and Giang Duong were cousins and this explained how they both made it on Son Dues
list; that is, their likelihood to have list-worthiness. They came from a very proud, but very humble family. They
came from the Xiongs.
The Xiongs were the avowed rivals of the Ngos, who were about to have one of their own elected as the
first president of Vietnam.
Since before mangrove trees grew along the rivers and coasts of Vietnam,
Since before the name Vietnam existed,
Since before Emperor Minh Mang called it Dai Nam,
Since before King Gia Long considered calling it Nam Viet, and, this may be somewhat of a surprise, even
Since before Ho Quy Lys dynasty called it Dai Ngu, that is to say,
Since before many dynasties over many centuries, the Ngo and Xiong have tasted each others blood.
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding from birth, one pregnant mother bumping into another pregnant
mother and through their skin, through that thick, filmy fluid which engulfed the fetal child, the two families
identified one another as obstacles to greatness.
Families were not supposed to cross paths according to these two peoples; they were to stay clear away.
Son Due, with his list, struck a line through the name Ngo Dinh Diem because he knew the Xiong boys,
Giang and Lan, would want it this way. But, Due was a critical student, and would have come to the same
conclusion soon enough. The critical and astute Due committed his scriptures (which, for many gnostics were
like twigs to a nest, stability, the reliance on something on which to return, something which may never return,
but believed to be aloft nonetheless) to memory within his first week at the lyce. Granted this was aided by
the fact that he was inundated with them as a child, by parents who knew the politics of Christianity, but it was
also because he had perspective. Son Due did not consider himself a Christian like many of the boys at Le Lyce
Hue. Rather, he thought himself a scientist, and each religion offered new datum to be observed, tested and
proved.
Son Due, using his scientific reasoning, measured his colleagues:

A) appeal to the masses,

B) creation/ancestry,
C) validity in narratives/truthfulness, and
D) passion for testimony.
Ngo Dinh Diem, that is the atomic essence of Ngo Dinh Diem, time and time again, refused to forge a
reaction suitable for Son Due. He continually lacked in some basic property to make him trustworthy, the
buoyancy necessary of fascinating his colleagues. Ngo Dinh Diem did not know about Son Dues list when he
became the first president of the land Son Due called home, the land that in this century roughly means People
of the South. But, all the same, Ngo Dinh Diem assumed there were such plots against him, especially from the
Xiongs and their counterparts.
On the morning of being sworn in as the first president of Vietnam, in the company of his solemn
brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, who, by all accounts was not born to lead either, but to oppress, Diem studied his
scriptures (although many years had passed since his days at the lyce in Hue, he still had not memorized each
one because he lacked the perspective needed, that said, he had proudly memorized the majority). On this
morning, Ngo Dinh Diem looked over Psalm 91:11-12, which said For he will command his angels concerning
you to guard you in all your ways they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.
This psalm fetched great calm. To be sure, Diem was not nervous to be sworn in, he was, however,
nervous for what would follow. When his brother, who was an unnerving regeneration of their fathers
unattainable expectations, would walk away from the ceremony, across the bronze and topaz marble floor, an
almost unrecognizable stutter in his left foot from when they fought the French, a battle, no, a war, which Ngo
Dinh Diem had averted, with their fathers blessings, because their father had himself averted almost the
entirety of the incursions, and chosen to side with the French, their countrys captors, though Diems younger
brother, Nhu, had not been so fortunate, rather, had thirsted for combat, but it was not in the dewy jungle or
the bosomed hills that Ngo Dinh Diems brother was injured, and it was not by the invading colonialists that
Ngo Dinh Diems brother was injured, and it was not a measure of great heroism that Ngo Dinh Diems brother

was injured, it was one of shame, for, the stutter in brother Nhus walk came from a communist, and it is this
shame that Ngo Dinh Diem fears, the shame of his name and the shame of his country, because he loves his
country (and his name more), and does not want to invite a stain, blip, or line drawn through, on either one, he
does not want his brother, his indefatigable brother, a man born to lead, born to move the unmovable, teach
the unteachable, to escape this marble floor, which was made by their grandfathers sacrifices, the grandfather
who hated the Xiongs and their smug lives, Ngo Dinh Diem does not want to tarnish this floor, country, nor
name because he, unlike the Ngos before him, and unlike his brother beside him, was born to follow.
Son Due, who was an altogether stringy boy at the lyce, is now a lean man, waiting with pains in his
stomach and pangs down his legs for the portly Diems pronouncement. When he first heard, several weeks
ago, that his former schoolmate was to be sworn in, despite everyones assumptions that Diems brother Nhu
would assume the position, seeing as he was a feared organizer of clandestine musclemen and intelligence
gathering, Son Due prepared a verse from the bible. The slight Son Due thought he was simply readying the
verses of one devotee for another, sending them to a fellow Christian by means of prayer and distance, he had
no idea that, a few weeks later, this morning, he would be reading them to Diem personally. Son Due had no
idea he would be part of a larger plan, for the Cause.
The verse Son Due chose was Proverbs 15:33, but, as he was a doctrinal scientist, he had included a passage
from the Quran as well, which read: Call on your Lord with humility and in private, for Allah loves not those who
transgress beyond bounds. Do not mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, but call on Him with fear and
longing in your hearts, for the Mercy of Allah is always near to those who do good.
If he wasnt prepared physiologically, Son Due was prepared logistically for this morning of political
transgression, and how he might be received, how he probably would be received, for exactly how he would be
received. And because of this he had sent letters to his companions Giang Duong and Lan Due, the friends from his
youth. This is what each said, more or less,

Positive River,
On the day our country receives the wicked and maleficent Ngo family into the office of presidency, I will
stay silent no more.

I have learned much from the resolution of the divine, and as you most assuredly agree, there is more than
one divine interpretation and thus, its will, and I am becoming more fearful of what Diems interpretation will
provide for our country.
And it is for this reason I no longer commit myself to a life of repression in our land.
I must speak or I must die. I shall intervene or I shall die.
Your Comrade Brother,
~Virtuous Mountain.

This was his letter to his former schoolmates and most trusted compatriots, the Xiongs, Positive River
(Giang Duong) and Virtuous Unicorn (Lan Due).
It is no coincidence his friends were bestowed with these premeditated names.
Lan Due, like himself, was given the blessing-name of virtue. Lan Due was a most dedicated scholar, a
confident orator, and, most appropriately, a righteous believer. Lan Dues family had been Buddhist many
generations ago, but the need to adopt Western Catholicism became akin to the need to eat rice. It is not too
different from the story of a man who was cutting down a tree; when, without paying close attention, he sliced
through his wrist with the saws sharp teeth. The man screamed only once, then, considering his mortality and
how few resources he had to save himself, gathered his thoughts and ran quickly to a local healer. At the
healers door, with smoke encircling his white hair, the injured man says, I need something to stop from
bleeding to death. You should go to a hospital for that, responds the healer. The man with one hand, and
nearing delirium, screams: I cant afford a doctor OR a new hand! I need a drug that will harden my blood and
stop this pain now! The healer, who had stayed as long as he could from the sight of blood, hurriedly found the
drug being referred to and gave it to the dripping man in order to hasten him to leave. The one-handed man
knew this solution was not ideal, yet it was all that was afforded to him, being in such an impoverished, and
desperate position. And so, Lan Due, who was not the sort of man to settle for living with only one hand, and
because his name meant virtue, could not go on continuing their familys mistake, strived to return to
Buddhism.

He did, after completing his studies at the lyce in Hue, come back to what some call a religion and
others call: The practice of refuge in The Three Jewels. Virtuous Unicorn took his blessing-name to heart.
Positive River, Son Dues other friend, had also proven himself worthy of his parents name-choice. As the
story of his birth has been told, when he was a baby he had, without accompaniment, fought off evil spirits who tried
to steal him. According to native tradition, malevolent beings, acting greedily as they do, attempted the lives of
vulnerable newborns. Positive River, as was attested by neighbors and family members, was an attractive baby, and
had one night cried an incurable cry. When, after many efforts of his parents painstaking consolation, and to prevent
the spirits from arriving, Positive River grew a stunned look on his face. His parents moaned deeply and hunched over
each another in fear. But, just before they closed the lids of his brown and green-flecked eyes, Positive River yowled
an idyllic refusal. His cheeks rose toward his glistening almond eyes, already wet from his parents tears, and he drew
a clever smile. The demonic spirits tried, but his prevailed.
That is the life Positive River walked, one where he was reminded again and again that he could control
his own fate. And this is why Positive River had also abandoned Christianity after the lyce in Hue. He was to
make his own choices, face his own consequences and fully enjoy his own accolades. He did not believe they
belonged to God.
Son Due hoped he would see these two men soon. However, he must first act, then find out. That is what
the Cause commands. His turn has come, his nation is calling, no Xiong could inch this close to Diem, and there
must be some effort to stop him, if not for the sake of these two comrades, whom would surely be among those
to feel Diems wrath, then for the sake of the millions who knew not the tyranny they awaited.
Son Due, though, was no longer that young man Diem remembered from the lyce. Sure he still had his
list, not in hand, but rather, committed to memory, alongside Exodus and the Tevaram, but that eliminative list
was written more than thirty years ago. Son Due is far from that French school and the uncultivated feelings he
fostered then. Acting now, this morning, meant acting along something greater than inventory.
Son Due found the Cause after leaving the lyce. It was a part of him during school despite his ignorance
to it, it was that greater something he knew existed but could not properly study or analyze. It has now
manifested itself in every branch of his life: religion, politics, love, acquaintances, personal liberties, and even

the dinner table. Son Due does not go to another table now unless he knows it endorses his Cause, their Cause.
Son Due has accustomed himself not to bother talking with strangers unless it has something to do with the
Cause. However, he is not a monster, unable to appreciate friendships, he merely has become more discerning.
It could be argued, though, this trait has always been in his blood.
It was a few weeks ago around a dinner table, at the house of one of Positive Rivers most revered aunts
that this proposal came to him.
Virtuous Mountain, she had said to him through bushels of wiry gray hairs atop a rounded face. You
must be the one to meet with him personally. I understand it has been many years and he may not remember
you, but you must try, the Cause demands it.
The dense rain shimmered the hamlets that night, echoing the verses of this wise woman in refrain. And,
at first, receiving this tune was all Son Due was capable of, until a lyric grew inside him.
But Intelligent Turtle, for that was her name, you must understand my delicate position. I will be
endangering myself to arrest for even saying the kindest words to such a fanatic and fascist. And then I will be
no good to the Cause.
Wise and cautious friend, you must find a way into his offices, we will find you a way out. These words
came from Positive River.
After a moment of consideration Son Due had this to say.
Intelligent Turtle, Positive River, Virtuous Unicorn, and all others, I will do the Cause justice, I swear to
you by that. I will make my way to his offices through my passion for God. At this some of the Xiongs sitting
around the table turned to roll their eyes, others merely continued listening because they knew that Son Due,
as was his name and nature, was devoted to this certain higher power.
Good, said Positive River, who has grown into quite the handsome warrior. The shines in his
raven-black hair curved toward his eyes, causing him to continuously toss his neck to the side to catch the
floating hair. Where at one time he had an awkward nose, large enough for two men, it now sat as a testament
of patience, that those who wait may be blessed with sculpted features. This sketched face has helped him both

in luring women in, and in shaking them off, for his lack of commitment to a deity slithered its way to his sexual
life as well.
That is how we shall do it then. Through the Bible.
Though I understand your reasons to do so, Positive River, I would prefer not to use the Bible for such
means.
And what do you suggest? his handsome friend asked.
PerhapsI can give to him a gift box? Virtuous Mountain says this while wishing he could be doing
more of the telling than asking at this meeting.
I am sorry Virtuous Mountain, replied Intelligent Turtle. And I understand it is not easy for you, but I
want you to appreciate the wisdom of the Bible.
And so Son Due spent several weeks appreciating the wisdom of the plan. It is quite ingenious. He
occupied many mornings within those pages, and the case he had carefully carved into them, and the M1911
(that had been traded by some eager GI for a few packs of Vietnamese Cigarettes) that fit all too comfortably
into that case, and he continued to see the plans great efficacy.
Though this morning, the morning when he would actually use the Bible, he was sickened. He prayed to god,
whom he considered to be the great oceans, manifesting waves upon waves of murmured wisdom. Son Due knew
those who actually heard the waves were those who were patient along the sand, not those running into the tide, where
all senses are muddled. Son Due waited in a silent meditation atop his stiff, floral-spread bed for the Oceans counsel.
And when it came, as raucously as if he were sitting along the endless white sands near Da Nang, Son Due found
concord.
He stood from his inflexible bed, took the thin, green booklet off the nightstand and, because it was still
early morning and the sun not yet arisen, held it to the dim light atop the stand. He had made sure everything
about the picture inside the booklet was pristine:
His hair was slicked to one side and trim.
He was freshly shaven.
His smile went with the same slow slope as his wide chin.

And his aged eyes were already beaming to the officers who would soon be inspecting the image. And
with that Son Due had no worries either. He had the whole document professionally and confidently
manicured. If anyone stopped him they would surely not delay him long.
He packed the international passport into a small satchel and did the same with the Bible, though doing
the latter as a mother slides her baby into its sling. And, being relieved the morning had finally come, and god
given him his decision on how to act, he skimmed a cigarette from the breast pocket of his navy blue blazer, the
best jacket he owned. He stood before the door contemplating the stimulant between his fingers. Because he
did not smoke very often, he reminded himself of the awful taste and gentle buzz that it would offer in a few
seconds. Then, while imagining the reaction of the Cause when they heard of his mornings actions, Son Due lit
the cigarette between his lips, and prayed.