Your life has ended on this Earth after 99 years; you lived your life so that your legacy would reflect in all that you hold dear. Your integrity and courage will go on forever.
He was The Man of The Century, a Vietnamese businessman, investor, and remarkable Vietnamese men’s fashion designer in the 20th & 21st centuries prior to 1975. He may have seemed ordinary since he left Viet Nam in 1975, but he was truly one of the greatest designers who carried on the great tradition of the Âu Phục Đàn Ông (Westernized men’s fashion). His garments were so accurate in his technical splendor that he raised Âu Phục Đàn Ông to a higher concept of its own. His style was impeccable. He seemed to have been part of every stage of the rise of the modern fashion industry.
He lived through many wars and saw a lot during his lifetime: The French, The Japanese, The Viet Nam Cold War and many others in the world, all understandably influenced his life. He saw and understood the world as it really was and made his way through it with kindness and grace.
He taught himself to speak many languages – Japanese, French, and English were his way to understand people and interact with what is NOW.
Born in 1921, he was the youngest son of a family of eight. He grew up in a small town named HòaVang. He had a passion for learning new things and had to walk many miles to get to school but never gave up.
At age 23, obsessed with fashion and the desire to travel the world, he left his hometown and headed south. Ultimately, he ended up settling down in PhanRang and called it home. He learned to sew and make alterations from an old tailor and taught himself to design clothes.
He opened his first shop at the age of 25. He met the love of his life, married and remained happily together for over half a century. He named his first four girls, Nga, My, Anh, Lan representing the places in the world that had captured his imagination. He said, “Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn.” Put your foot forward and step out of the house, go beyond your comfort zone to see the world. Your world will be bigger than the circle of your arms and you will learn to live life fully.
At the age of 30, his shop was one of the largest in town and was named HòaVang after his hometown. He designed clothes for people from the average to the rich and famous, anyone that came across his town. He found products from handwoven textiles to foreign fabrics to make his own one of kind pieces. He always said that a man is at the peak of his success from thirty to early fifties. He worked hard to build an empire to have a family instead of following his dream to see the world.
At the age of 45, he was at the culmination of his life’s work. Ten years before he left Viet Nam, his latest investments were garlic fields, tobacco and grape plantations. He wanted us to see that it took hard work and good soil to produce a good harvest. He lost everything when he left home.
In 1975 at the age of 54, he and the family immigrated to AMERICA. He told us it is the “Land of the free.” He started over with nothing to support the family, learned to speak English all over again, and desperately tried to fit into a foreign culture. He was poor in America, but he was rich in love from his children.
In his 80’s, he enjoyed growing bonsai, taking morning walks in the sand at the beach, and he continued to exercise and lived a healthy life. He said, “Take care of yourself before taking care of others.”
He was an honest, wise, life-embracing man with a great sense of humor. He was the kindest and most gentle soul. He never raised his voice, yelled at anyone, or swore.
He believed small things could make a difference and these were the simple things that he kept as tradition on every Christmas Eve and Lunar New Year Eve. He invited guests for Le Réveillon dinner. He said, our table will always have extra chopsticks for those that have nowhere to go for the holidays. At the end of every year, he had many pieces of clothing from soldiers that didn’t make it and would then give it away to those who are less fortunate so that they would have new clothes to wear on New Year day. All he ever wanted was to see great smiles on people’s faces. He was a very generous man.
We will keep you in our hearts so that you are with us in every way. We will miss your wonderful smile, kisses, winking eye and warm heart. You have passed what you have learned in life on to us. Thank you Ba!
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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