Vi Văn Định

Vi Văn Định was an official of the Nguyen Dynasty.

He was the last and arguably the most powerful of the Vi mandarins who served under the Nguễn Emperors and later under the French administration. He took the mandarin's exam before the French administration cancelled these exams in 1915. Due to his perceived power, the French transferred him to Thái Bình in 1928 and designated him as a Tổng đốc (governor of a province).

Despite this, he continued to wield influence, even being invited by Hồ Chí Minh to join the National Front. During the Resistance War in Hà Nội in 1946, he donated his house at 59 Nguyễn Du to the cause and later fled with his family. After the victory in 1954, he retired to live at 22 Nguyễn Gia Thiều Street, one block away from his former mansion.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Vi Văn Định
• Mazur: Hidden Houses of Hà Nội and the Stories They Tell, 2016