Nguyen Van Troi

Born Jan. 2, 1940, in the hamlet of Than Quit, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam; died Oct. 15, 1964, in Saigon. Vietnamese patriot.

The son of a poor peasant, Nguyen Van Troi worked from the age of 14 as an electrician’s apprentice and then as an electrician in Saigon, where he joined an underground workers’ organization. From 1962 he was active in the struggle waged by the revolutionary youth of South Vietnam against the pro-American puppet regime. In 1964 he was arrested and executed. He conducted himself with exemplary courage at his execution. Nguyen Van Troi’s name has come to symbolize the heroism of Vietnamese youth. Streets and schools have been named after him, and he is eulogized in numerous poems and songs.