Nguyen Ngoc Ngan

Who is Nguyen Ngoc Ngan?

Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn is a Vietnamese-Canadian writer and essayist.

He was born in Sơn Tây, Vietnam, but his family moved to South Vietnam when the Geneva Accords divided the country in 1954. After university and service in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Ngạn was imprisoned by the victorious communists after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and did forced labour in a re-education camp until 1978, an experience described in his autobiography, The Will Of Heaven.

After his release, Ngạn escaped by boat to Malaysia in 1979; during the closing stages of the journey, storms hit the boat and knocked it over within sight of land. Ngạn's wife and child drowned and he was pulled unconscious from the water. He was sponsored by the Canadian government and brought to Vancouver, in 1980 moving to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and in 1985 to Toronto.

Ngạn is known for co-hosting Paris By Night. He co-authored Ballad Of Mulan and The Blind Man and the Cripple - Orchard Village.