Bao Dai (Chinese: 保大; October 22, 1913 – July 31, 1997) was the 13th and last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in particular and of the monarchy in Vietnamese history in general.
Bao Dai is only his era name. The custom of Nguyen Dynasty’s emperors is keeping only one era name, so people often used the era name to refer to that Emperor. He was also the Emperor of the Empire of Vietnam (1945) and the Head of State of Vietnam (1949-1955).

The former Emperor - Bao Dai

In fact, Bao Dai is the only child of the previous emperor - Khai Dinh. Bao Dai was brought to France to train at the age of 10. When Khai Dinh died, the governor of Indochina brought Vinh Thuy to the throne under the reign of Bao Dai but still studied in France. The court made an executive sub-council.
After 10 years of studying in the "mother nation", on August 16, 1932, Bao Dai got off the ship to return home and on September 10, 1932, he made an announcement of his official reign. 
Due to the arrangement of the French colonialists, on March 20, 1934, Bao Dai married the daughter of a Cochinchinese landowner, French nationality, and a Catholic, named Mariette Jeanne Nguyen Thi Hao, a.k.a. Nguyen Huu Thi Lan, and crowned her as Queen Nam Phuong (Southern Queen). 

The beauty of Queen Nam Phuong

Bao Dai is the only king in Vietnamese history who has declared that he will marry only one wife. However, he had a rather liberal love life and had many mistresses. He had 8 mistresses, some of them are known by many Vietnamese people, such as Bui Mong Diep, who is called by the title “Northern Royal Concubine” or Ly Le Ha - a cabaret dancer who stayed with Bao Dai when he was in Hong Kong. 

“The Northern Royal Concubine” - Bui Mong Diep

By the end of his life, Bao Dai had a total of eight wives. Nam Phuong is the most virtuous, gentle and virtuous wife, worthy of being a queen. The next seven women, including Mong Diep, Phi Anh, Ly Le Ha, Jenny Woong, Vicky, Clément and Monique Baudot, are only considered concubines. However, only Monique Baudot is married to the former emperor. As for Monique Baudot, she did not identify herself as a "concubine" but called herself Princesse (Princess), sometimes calling herself Impératrice (Empress) when she went to banquets in famous places.

Bao Dai with Monique Baudot

Under the leadership of the Indochinese Communist Party and leader Ho Chi Minh, the August 19, 1945 general uprising was successful, bringing the organization out of the domination of the French people and Japanese fascists. On August 30, 1945, in front of 50,000 people of the ancient capital of Hue gathered in front of the Ngo Mon Gate, Bao Dai proclaimed his power, handed sword and seal of Nguyen’s Emperor to the representative of the revolutionary government and declared that "being a citizen of a free country is better than being a king of a slavery country".

After that, emperor Bao Dai, now French citizen Vinh Thuy, was invited by President Ho Chi Minh to advise the provisional government. 

In 1946, Vinh Thuy joined the delegation of the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to China. After that, he stayed in this country. Until April 1949, Vinh Thuy was appointed by the French as “puppet” leader, after Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown. In October 1956, Vinh Thuy went to France to live in exile.
Bao Dai lived the last years of his life quietly in a small apartment at number 29, Fresnel Street, District 16, Paris. All his wealth and power once disappeared, he lived on a subsidy of 20,000 Francs/month from the French government. He died at 5 a.m. on July 31, 1997, at the Val-de-Grâce Military Hospital at the age of 85. Former emperor Bao Dai is the oldest king of the Nguyen Dynasty. He is also one of the oldest living emperors in the modern world.

Tags: Vietnam’s history, Last emperor of Vietnam, Emperor Bao Dai, Vietnamese culture, Queen Nam Phuong, Ly Le Ha, Bui Mong Diep, Monique Baudot