Sinh Dat Nguyen

Phêrô Nguyễn Đạt Sinh was born on December 29, 1929 at 70 Phố Hàng Đồng, Hà Nội, Việt Nam, to Mr. Nguyễn Đạt Thông and Mrs. Vũ Thị Bạn. He was the eldest of eight siblings (Sinh, Thịnh, Vượng, Phong, Hải, Hồng, Huệ and Sơn.) His parents originated from Hưng Yên, Việt Nam, but he was born and grew up in Hà Nội.

With his first wife, Phạm Thị Lê, he had seven children: Vũ, Hưng, Trâm, Cúc, Cường, Vinh and Bạch Hổ. His adopted daughter was Trúc Linh. With his second wife, Hoàng Ngọc Thúy, he had four children: Ngọc, Dũng, Oanh and Mai (Maggie).

Nguyễn Đạt Sinh was a man of principle, passing down his legacy of honor, duty, and integrity to his children. He chose to stay to defend Sài Gòn and the Presidential Palace in the final days of the Republic of Vietnam, organizing the remaining South Vietnamese Artillery battalions to defend the city. He was imprisoned for nine years under the Vietnamese communist government after the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

He was a beloved caregiver. Upon his father’s passing at his young age, Sinh took on the responsibility of nurturing his younger siblings and helped his mother sell merchandise to make a living for the family. He made many trips with his mother to Nha Mân, Sa đéc and nearby villages to sell used items to the villagers. He used to tell a story of him building his own cart to sell drinks in front of theaters, which required him to get up at 5 AM daily to prepare. He was a beloved and well-respected brother to his brothers and sisters. When he came back from the prison, he became the main breadwinner of the family. He opened a shop to fix shoes and bags to make a living. He said he wanted to do this so that he could stay with his family instead of going on the road for work. Although he missed the nine years with his family, he had made up the time and bonded with his children well.

He was a champion for higher education. Throughout his life, he never stopped learning and encouraged his children to do the same. At the age of four, he was able to read and write. When he took the metro with his dad, he could read all the advertisement ads for his father, and thus, his dad nicknamed him Tài, meaning Talented. When the Japanese army invaded Việt Nam in WWII and took control from the French government, his school, Trường Lycée Pétrus Trương Vĩnh Ký, was closed down, but it didn’t stop him from self learning. While helping his mother make a living, he passed the Baccalaureate I and II exams (Tú Tài 1 and 2), for the secondary education curriculum of the Republic of Vietnam education. From his early experience with accounting, he worked in various accounting and office jobs for French companies, such as a zinc mine company in Phontiou Thakhek and Garage Charner Company. Then he was enlisted to attend Trường Võ Bị Liên Quân Đà Lạt Khóa 10 then Trường Sĩ Quan Trừ Bị Thủ Đức Khóa 4. He also obtained two university degrees from Vietnam in the same year 1973: Cử Nhân Văn Khoa (Bachelor of Arts) and Cử Nhân Luật Khoa (Bachelor of Laws). When the family migrated to America in 1990, he encouraged his children to continue with their education. To set an example, he went to San Jose City College and eventually got his Bachelor of Accounting at San Jose State University and became the oldest student to graduate there up until that time. Beside being fluent in French, he also self taught Chinese and Korean and was at the beginning level. Knowledge is power, and that was his life long teaching.

His love for travel and being with nature started at a young age. At the age of ten, he was able to travel by himself to Hà Đông by bus, which was 11 km from Hà Nội, to regularly visit his maternal grandmother on behalf of his parents. He loved those trips where he could be in the countryside, close to nature, and helped out his grandmother. He recalled and told his children stories of when he had no school, usually on a Thursday, he would walk on foot from home to Chợ Đồng Xuân, over Cầu Sông Cái (also known as Sông Hồng, Fleuve Rouge, Red River) to Gia Lâm District and then back home in time before his father got home from work. At the age of fifteen, he was stranded in Nha Mân by himself, separated from his parents for more than a year due to the war that broke out between the French and Việt Minh. He asked a relative to rent a piece of land so that he could plow and plant a rice field. He recalled that was one of his happiest and most peaceful times. He also had many chances to join the villagers to hunt snakes, field rats and fish. Before he enlisted in the army, he traveled to Campuchia and then Savannakhet, Vientiane, Thakhek, Ban Mê Thuột, and many different places in Vietnam for his various jobs. When he migrated to America, he put his love to travel on hold and devoted his life for the family, working as an accountant for US Tours and supporting his children through school.

He was kind, compassionate and understanding. He was the backbone of the family that linked his children together. His teachings and correspondences with his children always included his belief of being kind to one another just as how he had lived his life.

He is forever loved by his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Go with God, Daddy!

Please join us in commemorating Phêrô Nguyễn Đạt Sinh on February 24-25, 2023 at Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park and Chapel of the Vietnamese Martyrs.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.oakhillfuneral.com for the Nguyen family.