Luong van Nguyen

Luong Van Nguyen, 98, passed peacefully on Sunday, February 25, 2024, surrounded by his family, in Lynnwood, WA. Luong is survived by his son Ai Nhan Nguyen (Hoa), daughter Xuan Mai Nguyen, son Quoc Hoi Nguyen (Trinh), son Duc Tuan Nguyen (Thanh Huong), son Viet Hai Nguyen (Xuan), son Thanh Khiet Nguyen (Nhu Uyen), daughter Thanh Thuy Nguyen (Van); eight grandchildren Simon Belzile (Emilie), Andrew, Christina, Andreana, William, Hannah, Amanda and Angela Dan-Vy; and one great-grandson Paul Belsize.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Do Van Nguyen and Lan Thi Ha; his wife, Hien Thi Tran; his two oldest sons, Anh Dung Nguyen and Minh Duc Nguyen; and his four younger brothers, Lieu Van Nguyen, Thanh Kiem Nguyen, Quang Dieu Dang, and Quang Minh Dang.

Luong was born June 28, 1925, in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. Luong lost his father at a very young age, and his father's younger brother, Le Van Nguyen, became his father figure. Luong spent his youth with another uncle, Principal Tho Nguyen, in Thanh Hoa province. Luong remembered Uncle Tho with great respect as "Ông Giáo Tho", who dedicated his love and teaching skills to shaping Luong's future education. Luong attended College Thanh Hoa (1942) and Lycee Khai-Dinh, Hue, Vietnam (1945). When he returned to Dong Hoi, he taught at a French college, Chon Phuoc Phuong. He married Hien Thi Tran in 1948. They had seven sons and two daughters. In 1954, the Geneva Accord divided Vietnam into two parts: North and South Vietnam. Luong and his family were refugees from the north to the south of Vietnam, and his family settled in Da Nang. He taught at Phan Chu Trinh High School and Phan Thanh Gian High School from 1954 to 1956.

In his political career and community service, Luong was elected to the First Constitutional Assembly of the South of Vietnam in 1956. After the collapse of South Vietnam in the spring of 1975, Luong fled the country with hundreds of thousands of "boat people" and landed in Indonesia in 1979. He settled in Washington State, USA, and attended the North Seattle Community College (NSCC). While taking classes at NSCC, Luong worked as a teaching assistant for a French class and later on served as a Curriculum Adviser and Financial Aid Program assistant until his retirement in 1997.

Luong was a writer and poet with the pen name Vân Trình. He and other poets in Washington State created a group of poets named "Tiếng Gọi Đàn." Several of his Vietnamese, French, and English poems were published in the United States and abroad. His worldwide articles for the Vietnamese community were published in several Vietnamese magazines. Among those publications are Van Nghe Tien Phong, Nhan Quyen, Dat Me, Co Thom, etc. He received the American Poetry Award in 1995, and his poem Carmine Ode was selected and published in The Best Poems of 1995 by the National Library of Poetry. On February 10, 1997, Luong was elected into The International Poetry Hall of Fame.

Other poems he wrote were "More Beautiful In Fall" (A Break in the Clouds, a compilation 1993) and "Goodbye, England's Rose" (An Eternal Flame, a compilation 1998) were published by The National Library of Poetry. Two of his books, Thi Van Binh Thoai and Tieng Thi Phi, were published in California in 2000.

Luong loved reading, writing, and listening to music. One of his many hobbies was playing mandolin. He enjoyed sharing his passion for literature, travel, and nature. He made many friends through his writing. He loved traveling the world, especially the Pacific Northwest region, where he often introduced and drove family members and friends to visit and explore the areas together, even in his late 70s and early 80s.

Luong will be remembered as an optimist eager to learn and a compassionate person who shared and spread love, joy, and generosity to everyone throughout his exceptional and memorable life.

Life, a gift from God, is a many-splendored thing. One must show that one deserves it. This theme has been deeply reflected in my writing. (Luong Van Nguyen, Seattle, WA)

Visitation to be held Friday, March 15, 11:00 AM-8:00 PM; Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home, 11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133, with Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, March 16; 11:00 AM; St. Matthew Roman Catholic Parish, 1240 NE 127th St, Seattle, WA 98125. Luong will be laid to rest beside his late, loving wife at Evergreen Memorial Park.