Editing Bảo Đại

{{Short description|Last emperor of Vietnam, 1926–1945}}
{{hatnote|In the Vietnamese name below, ''Nguyễn Phúc'' is the surname.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Emperor Bảo Đại<br/>保大帝
| image        = Emperor Bảo Đại on his throne (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Bảo Đại on throne in [[Imperial City of Huế#Thái Hòa Điện (太和殿, Hall of Thái Hòa, Throne hall)|Thái Hòa Điện (太和殿)]].
| succession   = [[List of monarchs of Vietnam|Emperor of Đại Nam and Empire of Vietnam]]
| reign        = 8 January 1926 –<br />25 August 1945
| predecessor  = [[Khải Định]]
| successor    = ''Monarchy abolished''<br />[[Hồ Chí Minh]] <br />{{small|(as president of the [[North Vietnam|Democratic Republic of Vietnam]])}}
| succession2  = 1st [[Leaders of South Vietnam|Chief of State]] of [[State of Vietnam|Vietnam]] 
| reign2       = 14 June 1949 –<br />26 October 1955
| predecessor2 = ''Position established''<br />[[Nguyễn Văn Xuân]] <br />{{small|(as Chief of the [[Provisional Central Government of Vietnam|Provisional Central Government]])}}
| successor2   = [[Ngô Đình Diệm]] 
| succession3  = 1st [[Leaders of South Vietnam#Prime Ministers|Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam]]
| reign3       = 14 July 1949 –<br />21 January 1950
| predecessor3 = ''Position established''
| successor3   = [[Nguyễn Phan Long]]
| succession4  = Supreme Advisor to the Government of the [[Democratic Republic of Vietnam]]
| reign4       = 10 September 1945 –<br />16 March 1946
| predecessor4 = ''Position established''
| successor4   = ''Position abolished''
| birth_name   = Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy ({{linktext|阮|福|永|瑞}})
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1913|10|22|df=y}}
| birth_place  = Doan-Trang-Vien Palace, [[Imperial City of Huế]], [[Annam (French protectorate)|Annam]], [[French Indochina]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1997|7|31|1913|10|22|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Val-de-Grâce]], [[Paris]], [[France]]
| burial_place = [[Passy Cemetery]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Nam Phương]]|1934|1963}}<br />Bùi Mộng Điệp<br />Lê Thị Phi Ánh<br />Christiane Bloch-Carcenac<br />{{marriage|[[Monique Vinh Thuy|Monique Baudot]]|1972|1997}}
| issue        = {{collapsible list|title=See List
|'''Legitimate'''<ref name="nyugenphuc">Bao Dai had two sons and three daughters, according to the genealogy of the Nyugen Phuc clan. Only his children by Nam Phuong are listed. His obituary in ''[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bao-dai-1243873.html The Independent]'' says he had two sons and two daughters while the ''[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/02/world/bao-dai-83-of-vietnam-emperor-and-bon-vivant.html New York Times]'' says two sons and four daughters. (''''[http://giapha.nguyenphuoctoc.info/download/NGUYEN-PHUC-TOC-THE-PHA.pdf Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả]'', 1995, p. 330).</ref>
|[[Bảo Long]] (1936–2007)
|[[Phương Mai]] (1937–2021)
|[[Phương Liên]] (1938–)
|Phương Dung (1942–)
|[[Bảo Thăng]] (1943–2017)
|'''Unrecognized'''
|Phương Thảo (1946–)
|Phương Minh (1949–2012)
|[[Bảo Ân]] (1951–)
|Bảo Hoàng (1954–1955)
|Bảo Sơn (1957–1987)
|Phương Từ (1955)
|Patrick-Édouard Bloch-Carcenac (1958–)}}
| era dates    = Bảo Đại ({{linktext|保|大}}) (1926–1945)
| house        = [[House of Nguyễn Phúc|Nguyễn Phúc]]
| father       = [[Khải Định]]
| mother       = [[Hoàng Thị Cúc]]
| religion     = [[Confucianism]]<br />[[Mahayana Buddhism]]<br />[[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]
| signature    = BaoDaiSignature.svg
}}

'''Bảo Đại''' ({{IPA|vi|ɓa᷉ːw ɗâːjˀ|lang}}, {{lang-vi-hantu|{{linktext|保|大}}}}, lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 1913{{spnd}}31 July 1997),<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |author1=Philip Shenon |author-link1= |title=Bao Dai, 83, of Vietnam; Emperor and Bon Vivant |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/02/world/bao-dai-83-of-vietnam-emperor-and-bon-vivant.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2 August 1997 |page=1 10}}</ref> born '''Nguyễn Phúc (Phước) Vĩnh Thụy''' ({{Lang-vi-hantu|阮福永瑞}}), was the 13th and final [[List of monarchs of Vietnam|emperor]] of the [[Nguyễn dynasty]], the last [[List of Vietnamese dynasties|ruling dynasty of Vietnam]].<ref>Nghia M. Vo  ''Saigon: A History'' 2011 – Page 277 "Bảo Đại was born in 1913, the 13th and last monarch of the Nguyễn dynasty. He ruled from 1926 to 1944 as emperor of Annam and emperor"</ref> From 1926 to 1945, he was ''de jure'' emperor of [[Annam (French protectorate)|Annam]] and [[Tonkin (French protectorate)|Tonkin]], which were then protectorates in [[French Indochina]], covering the present-day [[Central Vietnam|central]] and [[northern Vietnam]]. Bảo Đại ascended the throne in 1932.

The [[Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina|Japanese ousted]] the [[Vichy French]] administration in March 1945 and ruled through Bảo Đại, who proclaimed the [[Empire of Vietnam]]. Following the [[surrender of Japan]] and the subsequent [[August Revolution]], he [[Abdication of Bảo Đại|abdicated]] in August 1945 in favor of [[Ho Chi Minh|Hồ Chí Minh]]-led [[North Vietnam|Democratic Republic of Vietnam]] and briefly served as an advisor in its government. 

Between 1946 and 1949, Bảo Đại left Vietnam to travel across [[China]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Europe]]. During this time, he switched his support from Hồ's [[Viet Minh|Việt Minh]] to other anti-communist nationalist groups before signing a [[Élysée Accords|series of accords]] with the [[French Fourth Republic]] that established the [[State of Vietnam]] (as part of the [[French Union (1946–1958)|French Union]]) in opposition to Hồ's Democratic Republic. He served as its [[List of leaders of South Vietnam#Chief of State|Chief of State]] (國長, ''Quốc trưởng'') between 1949 and 1955. Towards the end of his term in office, Bảo Đại lost power to his Prime Minister [[Ngô Đình Diệm]], who was supported by the [[United States]], and was eventually ousted in a [[1955 State of Vietnam referendum|referendum in 1955]]. He later lived in exile in [[Paris|Paris, France]], until his death in 1997. 

Viewed as a [[puppet ruler]], Bảo Đại was criticized for being too closely [[Francophile|associated with France]] and for his lavish lifestyle, including months-long pleasure tour in Europe that earned him the [[sobriquet]] "night-club emperor".<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://nara-media-001.s3.amazonaws.com/arcmedia/research/pentagon-papers/Pentagon-Papers-Part-II.pdf |title=The Pentagon Papers |publisher=Beacon Press |year=1972 |editor-last=Gravel |editor-first=Mike |volume=2 |chapter=U.S. Involvement in the Franco-Viet Minh War, 1950-1954 |quote=Bao Dai, in what might have been a political withdrawal, removed himself from the developing intrigue, and fled to European pleasure centers for a four month jaunt which earned him the sobriquet "night club emperor."}}</ref> He is perceived negatively by both the current [[Government of Vietnam|Vietnamese government]] and the anti-communist [[Overseas Vietnamese|diaspora]]. 

==Early life==

Bảo Đại was born on 22 October 1913 and given the name of Prince '''Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy''' in the Palace of Doan-Trang-Vien, part of the compound of the [[Imperial City of Huế|Purple Forbidden City]] in [[Huế]], the former capital of Vietnam. He was later given the name Nguyễn Vĩnh Thụy. His father was Emperor [[Khải Định]] of Annam. His mother was the emperor's second wife, Tu Cung, who was renamed 'Doan Huy' upon her marriage. She held various titles over the years that indicated her advancing rank as a favored consort until she eventually became Empress Dowager in 1933. Vietnam had been ruled from Huế by the Nguyễn dynasty since 1802. The French government, which took control of the region in the late 19th century, split Vietnam into three areas: the protectorates of [[Annam (French protectorate)|Annam]] and [[Tonkin (French protectorate)|Tonkin]] and the colony of [[French Cochinchina|Cochinchina]]. The [[Nguyễn dynasty]] was given nominal rule of Annam.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}

At the age of nine, Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy was sent to France to study at the [[Lycée Condorcet]] and, later, the [[Paris Institute of Political Studies]]. He became emperor on 8 January 1926, after his father's death, and took the [[Vietnamese era name|era name]] ''Bảo Đại'' ("Protector of Grandeur" or "Keeper of Greatness").<ref name="Chapman2006">{{cite journal |last1=Chapman |first1=Jessica M. |title=Staging democracy: South Vietnam's 1955 referendum to depose Bao Dai |journal=Diplomatic History |date=September 2006 |volume=30 |issue=4 |page=687|doi=10.1111/j.1467-7709.2006.00573.x |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/629724zz }}</ref><ref name="Currey2011">{{cite book |author1=Currey, Cecil B. |author-link1=Bao Dai |editor1-last=Tucker |editor1-first=Spencer C. |title=The encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a political, social, and military history |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaviet00tuck |url-access=limited |date=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, CA |isbn=9781851099610 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaviet00tuck/page/n141 94]-95 |edition=2nd}}</ref> He did not yet ascend to the throne and returned to France to continue his studies.<ref name="Currey2011" />
<gallery>
File:Bao Dai nho.jpg|Young crown prince Vĩnh Thụy.
File:Young emperor.jpg|Young emperor.
File:Baodai.jpg|Emperor Bảo Đại.
File:Coronation of Bao Dai.jpg|Bao Dai in coronation date, 8/1/1926.
</gallery>

==Marriages and children==
On 20 March 1934, age 20, at the imperial city of Huế, Bảo Đại married Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan (died 15 September 1963, [[Chabrignac]], France), a commoner from a wealthy [[Vietnamese Catholic]] family. After the wedding, she was given the title Empress [[Nam Phương]].

The couple had five children, two sons and three daughters:

* Crown Prince [[Bảo Long]] (4 January 1936 – 28 July 2007)
* Princess [[Phương Mai]] (1 August 1937 – 16 January 2021)
* Princess [[Phương Liên]] (born 3 November 1938)
* Princess [[:vi:Nguyễn Phúc Phương Dung|Phương Dung]] (born 5 February 1942)
* Prince [[Bảo Thăng]] (9 December 1943 – 15 March 2017).

Although Bảo Đại later had additional children with other women, these are the only ones listed in the clan genealogy.<ref name="nyugenphuc"/>

===Wives and mistresses===
<gallery>

File:Thứ-phi-Mộng-Điệp.jpg|Lady Mộng Điệp
File:Cuoc-doi-va-tinh-su-vua-bao-dai-12.jpg|Bao Dai and Lady Mộng Điệp
</gallery>
Nam Phương was granted the title of empress in 1945. By one count, Bảo Đại had relationships with eight women and fathered 13 children. Those named "Phương" are daughters, while those named "Bảo" are sons.<ref name="viet">Viet, Dan, "[https://nghethuatxua.com/vua-ba%CC%89o-da%CC%A3i-co-bao-nhieu-vo%CC%A3-con/ vua Bảo Dại co bao nhieu vọ con?]," ''Nghệ Thuật Xưa''</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name
!Title
!Issue
!Note
|-
|Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan
|Empress <br>[[Nam Phương]]
|Crown Prince [[Bảo Long]] (1936–2007)

Princess [[Phương Mai]] (1937–2021)

Princess [[Phương Liên]] (b. 1938)

Princess Phương Dung (b. 1942)

Prince [[Bảo Thăng]] (1943–2017)
|The emperor's first wife. "Nam Phương" translates as "Southern virtue".
|-
|Bùi Mộng Điệp
|Thứ phi 
|Phương Thảo (b. 1946)

Bảo Hoàng (1954–1955)

Bảo Sơn (1957–1987)
|Called ''thứ phi phương Bắc'' ("Northern secondary consort").
|-
|Lý Lệ Hà
|Mistress
|
|Won Vietnam's first beauty contest in 1938 in Hà Đông. She publicly dated Bảo Đại in Hanoi in 1946. The couple later lived together in Hong Kong, according to her account.<ref>"[http://m.nguoiduatin.vn/tu-gai-que-thanh-vu-nu-da-tinh-nuc-tieng-a65473.html 'Gái quê' thành vũ nữ đa tình nức tiếng]", ''Người đưa tin,'' 17 January 2013.</ref>
|-
|Variously called Huang Xiaolan, Hoàng Tiểu Lan, Jenny Woong, and Trần Nỷ
|Mistress
|Phương An
|Mixed Chinese-Vietnamese Hong Kong actress who had an affair with Bảo Đại 1946 when he was in Hong Kong.<ref name="viet"/>
|-
|Lê Thị Phi Ánh
|Thứ phi
|Phương Minh (1949–2012)

[[Bảo Ân]] (b. 1953)
|Sister-in-law of Prime Minister Phan Văn Giáo
|-
|Vicky
|Mistress
|Phương Từ (1955)
|This daughter by a French woman has "a half European Asian beauty."<ref name="viet"/>
|-
|Christiane Bloch-Carcenac
|Mistress
|Patrick-Édouard Bloch-Carcenac (b. 1958)
|Affair occurred in 1957–1970
|-
|[[Monique Vinh Thuy|Monique Baudot]]
|Imperial princess
<small>''Self-styled Empress Thái Phương''</small>
|
|Second wife. She was a French citizen whom Bảo Đại married in 1972.
|}

== Independence and abdication ==
{{main|Empire of Vietnam|Abdication of Bảo Đại}}

In 1940, during the second World War, coinciding with their ally [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[Battle of France|invasion]] of France, [[Imperial Japan]] took over French Indochina. While they did not eject the French colonial administration, the [[Japanese occupation of Vietnam|occupation]] authorities directed policy from behind the scenes in a parallel of [[Vichy France]].
The Japanese promised not to interfere with the court at Huế, but in 1945, after [[Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina|ousting the French]], coerced Bảo Đại into declaring Vietnamese independence from France as a member of Japan's "[[Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere]]"; the country then became the Empire of Vietnam.

Bảo Đại, however, appeared to believe that independence was an irreversible course. In 1944, he wrote to [[Charles de Gaulle|General de Gaulle]], leader of the [[Free France|Free French]]:

{{blockquote|You have suffered too much during four deadly years, not to understand that the Vietnamese people, who have a history of twenty centuries and an often glorious past, no longer wish, no longer can support any foreign domination or foreign administration...You could understand even better if you were able to see what is happening here, if you were able to sense the desire for independence that has been smoldering in the bottom of all hearts and which no human force can any longer hold back. Even if you were to arrive to re-establish a French administration here, it would no longer be obeyed; each village would be a nest of resistance. every former friend an enemy, and your officials and colonials themselves would ask to depart from this unbreathable atmosphere.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McAlister |first=John T. |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0680211.pdf |title=Vietnam, the Origins of the Revolution (1885-1946) |publisher=American University, Center for Research in Social Systems |year=1968 |location=Washington, DC |pages=88}}</ref>}}

The Japanese had a [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] pretender, Prince [[Cường Để]], waiting to take power in case the new emperor's "elimination" was required. [[Surrender of Japan|Japan surrendered]] to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in August 1945, and the [[Viet Minh]] (under the leadership of communist [[Ho Chi Minh|Hồ Chí Minh]]) aimed to take power in a free Vietnam. Due to his popular political stand against the French and the [[Vietnamese famine of 1945|1945 famine]], Hồ was able to persuade Bảo Đại to abdicate on 25 August 1945, handing power over to the Việt Minh – an event which greatly enhanced Hồ's legitimacy in the eyes of the Vietnamese people.<ref>[[Stanley Karnow]], ''Vietnam: A History'' p162 "Nothing has reinforced the Vietminh cause more than the mercurial Bao Dai's decision to [[abdicate]]. For his gesture conferred the '[[mandate of heaven]]' on Ho, giving him the legitimacy that, in Vietnamese eyes, had traditionally resided in the emperor."</ref> Bảo Đại was appointed the "supreme advisor" to Hồ's [[North Vietnam|Democratic Republic of Vietnam]] (DRV) in [[Hanoi]], which [[Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam|declared its independence]] on 2 September 1945. The DRV was then ousted by the newly formed [[French Fourth Republic]] in November 1946.<ref>[[David G. Marr]] ''Vietnam: State, War, Revolution, 1945–1946'' p20 "The royal mandarinal hierarchies for education, administration, and justice were abolished, while Mr. Vĩnh Thụy (formerly Emperor Bảo Đại) was appointed advisor to the DRV provisional government."</ref>
<gallery>

File:Đế-quốc Việt-Nam tuyên-bố độc-lập, 1945.jpg|Declaration of Empire of Vietnam in 1945
File:Lâm-thời Liên-hiệp Chính-phủ Việt-nam Dân-chủ Cộng-hòa ra mắt Quốc-hội ngày 02 tháng 03 năm 1946.jpg|The National assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 2 March 1946, supreme advisor Vĩnh Thụy (Bảo Đại), sixth from right to left, next to President [[Hồ Chí Minh]] (middle).
File:Bao Dai and Ho Chi Minh.jpg|Bảo Đại (right) as the "supreme advisor" to the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by president Hồ Chí Minh (left), September 1945
File:Members of Vietnamese Government at the Independent Holliday Celebration in Hanoi 1946.jpg|Members of national assembly of Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Bảo Đại (far right).
</gallery>
[[File:Flag of Bao Dai (1948-1955).svg|thumb|Flag of Bảo Đại (保大)|alt=Flag of Bảo Đại]]

==Return to power and Indochina War==

{{main|State of Vietnam|First Indochina War}}

Bảo Đại spent nearly a year as "supreme advisor" to the DRV, during which period Vietnam descended into [[First Indochina War|armed conflict]] between rival Vietnamese factions and the French. He left this post in 1946 after communists abandoned him in China. He moved to [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], where the [[Provisional Government of the French Republic|French]] and Việt Minh both attempted unsuccessfully to solicit him for political support.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=United States. Department of Defense|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/643945604|title=The Pentagon papers : the Defense Department history of United States decisionmaking on Vietnam / 1.|date=1971|publisher=Beacon Pr|others=Mike Gravel|isbn=0-8070-0527-4|volume=1|location=Boston|oclc=643945604}}</ref>

[[File:Bảo Đại returns to Vietnam postcard - French Indo-China (1949).jpg|right|200px|thumb|Postcard depicts the return of Bao Dai from Hong Kong]]

Eventually a coalition of Vietnamese anti-communist nationalists (including future [[South Vietnam]]ese leader [[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Đình Diệm]] and members of political/religious groups such as the [[Caodaism|Cao Dai]], [[Hòa Hảo]], and [[Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng|VNQDĐ]]) formed a National Union on 17 February 1947 in [[Nanjing]] and declared to support Bảo Đại on the condition he would seek independence and unity for Vietnam.<ref>Guillemot, François. ''Dai Viêt: Indépendance et révolution au Viêt-Nam, léchec de la troisième voie (1938-1955)''. Paris: Les Indes Savantes, 2012.</ref> This persuaded him to reject Việt Minh overtures and enter into negotiations with the French. On 7 December 1947, Bảo Đại officially signed the first of the [[Ha Long Bay Accords]] with France. Despite ostensibly committing France to Vietnamese independence, it was considered minimally binding and transferred no actual authority to Vietnam. The agreement was promptly criticized by National Union members, including Diệm. In a possible attempt to escape the resulting political tension, Bảo Đại travelled to Europe and commenced on a four-month pleasure tour which earned him the sobriquet "night club emperor". After persistent efforts by the French, Bảo Đại was persuaded to return from Europe and sign a second Ha Long Bay Agreement on 5 June 1948. This contained similarly weak promises for Vietnamese independence and had as little success as the first agreement. Bảo Đại once again travelled to Europe whilst warfare in Vietnam continued to escalate.<ref name=":0" />

After months of negotiations with [[French Fourth Republic|French]] President [[Vincent Auriol]], he finally signed the [[Élysée Accords]] on 8 March 1949, which took effect on 14 June and led to the establishment of the [[State of Vietnam]] with Bảo Đại becoming the Chief of State (國長, ''Quốc trưởng'') on 14 June 1949; the French also oversaw the creation of the [[Domain of the Crown]] where he was still officially considered to be the Emperor, this territory existed until 1955.<ref name=":0" />

However, the country was still only partially autonomous and the handover of power was gradual, with France initially retaining effective control of the army and foreign relations. Bảo Đại himself stated in 1950: "What they call a Bảo Đại solution turned out to be just a French solution... the situation in Indochina is getting worse every day".<ref name=":0" />

As Diệm and other hardcore nationalists were disappointed in the lack of autonomy and refused high government posts, Bảo Đại mainly filled his government with wealthy figures strongly connected to France. He then spent his own time in the resort towns of [[Da Lat]], [[Nha Trang]], and [[Buôn Ma Thuột]], largely avoiding the process of governing. All this contributed to his reputation as a French puppet and a rise in popular support for the Việt Minh, whose armed insurgency against the French-backed regime was developing into a full-fledged civil war. Nonetheless, in 1950 he attended a series of conferences in [[Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Pau, France]] where he pressed the French for further independence. The French granted some minor concessions to the Vietnamese, which caused a mixed reaction on both sides.<ref name=":0" />

In addition to the increasing unpopularity of the Bảo Đại government, the [[Chinese Communist Revolution|communist victory in China in 1949]] also led to a further revival of the fortunes of the Việt Minh. When [[China]] and the [[Soviet Union]] recognized the DRV government, the United States reacted by extending diplomatic recognition to Bảo Đại's government in March 1950. This and the outbreak of the [[Korean War]] in June led to U.S. military aid and active support of the French war effort in Indochina, now seen as anti-communist rather than colonialist. Despite this, the war between the French colonial forces and the Việt Minh started to go badly for the French, culminating in a major victory for the Việt Minh at [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Điện Biên Phủ]]. This led to the negotiating of a peace deal between the French and the Việt Minh on 21 July 1954, known as the [[Geneva Conference (1954)|Geneva Accords]], which [[Partition of Vietnam|partitioned]] Vietnam at the [[17th parallel north|17th parallel]]. The north side was given to the DRV, with the State of Vietnam receiving the south. Before that, the State of Vietnam gained complete independence from France on June 4. Bảo Đại remained "Head of State" of South Vietnam, but moved to [[Paris]] and appointed Ngô Đình Diệm as his [[Prime Minister of Vietnam|prime minister]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{cite video | title = Interview with Ngô Đình Luyến | url = http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/vietnam-0c7985-interview-with-ngo-dinh-luyen | date = 31 January 1979 | publisher = WGBH Media Library and Archives }}</ref>

==Second removal from power==
{{main|1955 State of Vietnam referendum}}
At first, Ngô Đình Diệm exercised no influence over South Vietnam: the Việt Minh still had de facto control of somewhere between sixty and ninety percent of the countryside (by French estimates), whilst the rest was dominated by the various religious sects. Meanwhile, the new capital of [[Saigon]] was under the total control of criminal group [[Bình Xuyên]]. According to [[Edward Lansdale|Colonel Lansdale]], it had paid Bảo Đại a "staggering sum" for control of local prostitution and gambling and of Saigon's police force.<ref name=":0" />

Regardless, Diệm's forces embarked on a campaign against the Bình Xuyên, with [[Battle of Saigon (1955)|fighting breaking out]] in the streets on 29 March 1955. In an attempt to protect his clients, Bảo Đại ordered Diệm to travel to France, but he was disobeyed and Diệm eventually succeeded in pushing his opponents out of the city. Using a divide and conquer strategy, Diệm then employed a mixture of force and bribery to sway the remaining religious sects to his side.<ref name=":0" /> 
<gallery>
File:903aafd6079a3ed1 landing.jpg|Bao Dai deposed as Chief of State in Vietnam's national assembly, Saigon, 1955
</gallery>
Now with a broad range of support, a new Popular Revolutionary Committee (formed by Diệm's brother [[Ngô Đình Nhu]]) was able to call for a referendum to remove Bảo Đại and establish a republic with Diệm as president.<ref name=":0" /> The campaign leading up to the referendum was punctuated by personal attacks against the former emperor, whose supporters had no way to refute them since campaigning for Bảo Đại was forbidden.<ref name=":2" />

The referendum was criticized as being fraudulent. The official results showed a tally of 98.9% in favor of a republic, with the number of votes for a republic exceeding the total number of registered voters by 155,025 in Saigon, while the total number of votes exceeded the total number of registered voters by 449,084, and the number of votes for a republic exceeded the total number of registered voters by 386,067.<ref name=":2">[http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=vn011955 Direct Democracy]</ref>

Bảo Đại was removed from power, with Diệm declaring himself president of the new [[South Vietnam|Republic of Vietnam]] on 26 October 1955.

==Life in exile==

In 1957, during his visit to [[Alsace]] region, he met Christiane Bloch-Carcenac with whom he had an affair for several years. The relationship with Bloch-Carcenac resulted in the birth of his last child, Patrick-Édouard Bloch-Carcenac, who still lives in Alsace in France.<ref>oral communication (Patrick-Edward Bloch-Carcenac) and sections of the "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace" (D.N.A), n°. 264 of 10 November 1992 and from 7 August 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maguytran-pinterville.com/vietnam/renaissance-de-hue/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320190704/https://www.maguytran-pinterville.com/vietnam/renaissance-de-hue/|archive-date=20 March 2015|title=RENAISSANCE DE HUE – Site de maguy tran – pinterville|language=fr}}</ref>{{when|date=June 2024}}

In 1972, Bảo Đại issued a public statement from exile, appealing to the Vietnamese people for national [[wiktionary:reconciliation|reconciliation]], stating, "The time has come to put an end to the [[Fratricide|fratricidal]] [[Vietnam War|war]] and to recover at last peace and accord".<ref name=NYT /> At times, Bảo Đại maintained residence in southern France, and in particular, in [[Monaco]], where he sailed often on his private yacht, one of the largest in Monte Carlo harbor. He still reportedly held great influence among local political figures in the [[Quảng Trị province|Quảng Trị]] and [[Thừa Thiên Huế province|Thừa Thiên]] provinces of [[Huế]]. The Communist government of [[North Vietnam]] sent representatives to France hoping that Bảo Đại would become a member of a coalition government which might reunite Vietnam under communism, in the hope of attracting his supporters in the regions wherein he still held influence. {{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}

As a result of these meetings, Bảo Đại publicly spoke out against the [[United States in the Vietnam War|presence of American troops]] in [[South Vietnam]], and he criticized President [[Nguyễn Văn Thiệu]]'s regime in South Vietnam. He called for all political factions to create a free, [[Neutral country|neutral]], peace-loving government which would resolve the tense situation that had taken form in the country.
 
In 1982, Bảo Đại, his wife Monique, and other members of the former imperial family of Vietnam visited the United States. His agenda was to oversee and bless Buddhist and [[Caodaism|Caodaist]] religious ceremonies, in the California and [[Texas]] [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese American]] communities. In this visit, he became an honorary citizen of the city of [[Westminster, California|Westminster]] in the United States.<ref>https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-trong-nuoc/cuu-hoang-bao-dai-va-nguoi-vo-cuoi-cung-107118.htm</ref>

In 1988, Bảo Đại was baptised in France as Roman Catholic.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pearson |first=Richard |date=1997-08-02 |title=BAO DAI, FORMER EMPEROR OF VIETNAM, DIES |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/08/02/bao-dai-former-emperor-of-vietnam-dies/1c39734a-4125-47ee-bc87-bbf501c4c31b/ |access-date=2024-01-08 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |quote=During his years in French exile, Bao Dai converted from Buddhism to Roman Catholicism and lost the greater part of his fortune.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=de Rochebouët |first=Béatrice |date=2022-10-28 |title=Enchères: sous le sceau du dernier empereur du Vietnam |trans-title=Auction: under the seal of the last emperor of Vietnam |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/encheres/encheres-sous-le-sceau-du-dernier-empereur-du-vietnam-20221028 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230825034622/https://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/encheres/encheres-sous-le-sceau-du-dernier-empereur-du-vietnam-20221028 |archive-date=2023-08-25 |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr |quote=Et, sur son initiative, reçut en 1988 le baptême catholique. |trans-quote=And, on his initiative, he received Catholic baptism in 1988.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BẢO ĐẠI (NGUYỄN PHÚC VĨNH THỤY, JEAN-ROBERT, 1913–1997) |url=https://indochine.uqam.ca/fr/le-dictionnaire/106-bo-i-nguyn-phuc-vnh-thy-jean-robert-19131997.html |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=indochine.uqam.ca |publisher=University of Quebec in Montreal |quote=The former emperor died there, after having remarried a French woman in 1972 and converted to Catholicism in 1988.}}</ref>

Throughout Bảo Đại's life in both Vietnam and in France, he remained unpopular among the Vietnamese populace as he was considered a political puppet for the French colonialist regime, for lacking any form of political power, and for his cooperation with the French and for his pro-French ideals. The former emperor clarified, however, that his reign was always a constant battle and a balance between preserving the monarchy and the integrity of the nation versus fealty to the French authorities. Ultimately, power devolved away from his person and into ideological camps and in the face of Diem's underestimated influences on factions within the empire.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ALp3JfHefG8C&pg=PA111 | title = A Special Relationship: The United States and Military Government in Thailand, 1947–1958 | author = D. Fineman | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | year = 1997 | isbn = 9780824818180 | page = 111 }}</ref>
[[File:Mo cuu hoang Bao Dai.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Bảo Đại's burial place in the [[Cimetière de Passy]], Paris]]
Bảo Đại died at [[Val-de-Grâce]], a military hospital in Paris, on 30 July 1997. He was interred in the [[Cimetière de Passy]].

== Perception of Bảo Đại ==

=== In Vietnam ===
The [[Communist Party of Vietnam]] (CPV) considered him to be a traitor. After he was once again helped by France as the Head of State of Vietnam, [[Ho Chi Minh]] said in an interview with Chinese media: "Vĩnh Thụy brought the French invading army back to Vietnam and killed more compatriots. Vĩnh Thụy is a true traitor. The French colonists conspired to restore slavery in Vietnam. Vĩnh Thụy is the confidant of the colonists. Although Vietnamese law is very tolerant to those who have lost their way, they will severely punish the traitorous orphans. The Vietnamese people are determined to defeat all colonial conspiracies and fight for true independence and reunification."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trang |first=Tâm |date=2013-07-04 |title=Những cuộc trả lời phỏng vấn báo chí của Bác Hồ (Phần 4) |url=https://bqllang.gov.vn/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=1388:nh-ng-cu-c-tr-l-i-ph-ng-v-n-bao-chi-c-a-bac-h-ph-n-4&amp;catid=99&amp;Itemid=743&amp;lang=vi |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Trang tin điện tử Ban quản lý lăng Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh |language=vi-vn}}</ref><ref>[http://www.cpv.org.vn/cpv/Modules/News/NewsDetail.aspx?co_id=0&cn_id=29641 Trả lời điện phỏng vấn của Dân quốc nhật báo (1949)(1), Hồ Chí Minh toàn tập, Tập 5 (1947–1949)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208113318/http://www.cpv.org.vn/cpv/Modules/News/NewsDetail.aspx?co_id=0&cn_id=29641 |date=8 December 2015 }}, Nhà Xuất bản Sự thật, Hà Nội, 1985, trang 211, 212.</ref>

On one hand, Bảo Đại remains a highly discussed figure. The CPV labels him a traitor, but does not treat him as harshly as subsequent leaders of the later [[South Vietnam]]; his role continues to be studied, ranging from a somewhat sympathetic figure to the Việt Minh to a moderate figure who tried to avoid war, given Bảo Đại himself agreed to abdicate in 1945 to give power for the Việt Minh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chính phủ cách mạng lâm thời tiếp nhận sự thoái vị của Bảo Đại |url=https://dangcongsan.vn/tu-lieu-tham-khao-cuoc-thi-trac-nghiem-tim-hieu-90-nam-lich-su-ve-vang-cua-dang-cong-san-viet-nam/tu-lieu-cuoc-thi/chinh-phu-cach-mang-lam-thoi-tiep-nhan-su-thoai-vi-cua-bao-dai-535104.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |website= |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Vietnamese diaspora ===
Most [[Overseas Vietnamese]], who are ardently anti-communist, didn't consider Bảo Đại positively, partly due to his weak-willed reputation and inability to confront with the communist threat, as well as his reclusive life and his perceived cowardice.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-10-28 |title=Kiến nghị đòi lại ấn "Kim Bảo Tỷ" và kiếm "Khải Định Niên Chế" cho Nhà nước Việt Nam {{!}} Tiếng Dân |url=https://baotiengdan.com/2022/10/28/kien-nghi-doi-lai-an-kim-bao-ty-va-kiem-khai-dinh-nien-che-cho-nha-nuoc-viet-nam/ |access-date=2024-05-29 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-23 |title=Tạp chí Việt Nam - Bảo Đại : Từ hoàng đế Việt "lực bất tòng tâm" đến "thường dân" Pháp |url=https://www.rfi.fr/vi/viet-nam/20171023-bao-dai-tu-hoang-de-viet-luc-bat-tong-tam-den-thuong-dan-phap |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=RFI |language=vi}}</ref> His role is also studied by the diaspora, although recent studies had questioned the perception due to perceived bias by both the Vietnamese diaspora and the CPV.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Vua Bảo Đại và kết cục buồn cho Việt Nam |url=https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/forum-56405194 |access-date=2024-05-29 |work=BBC News Tiếng Việt |language=vi}}</ref>

==Pictures==
<gallery>
File:Vinh-thuy-bao-dai-1-.jpg|Crown Prince Vĩnh Thụy in 1920
File:Bao Dai & mom.jpg|Bao Dai & his mother
File:PV0040892 Fêtes du quarantenaire de S.M. Khai-Dinh.jpg|Young prince Vinh Thuy (2nd right to left) in 40th birthday anniversary of emperor Khai Định
File:Young prince Vinh Thuy.jpg|Young crown prince Vĩnh Thụy (right) boarding the Azay-le-Rideau steamer bound for Marseille, to study in France,1922.
File:Le jeune Empereur d'Annam Bao (...)Agence de btv1b9025201h 1.jpg|Crown prince Vĩnh Thụy (right) and his cousin Vĩnh Cẩn in Paris (1926) during studying abroad in [[France]]
File:Bao Dai 1926.jpg|Bảo Đại in Paris, 1926
File:Enthronement of Emperor Bảo Đại 010.jpg|Enthronement ceremony of the emperor at the [[Imperial City, Huế]].
File:Marseille 21 6 22 Sarraut l'empereur d'Annam (...)Agence Rol btv1b530824645 1.jpg|Emperor Khải Định, Prince Vĩnh Thụy (middle) and [[Albert Sarrault]] in [[Marseille]], 1922.
File:Sa Majesté l'empereur d'Annam Bao-Daï (...)Agence de btv1b9052997q.jpg|Abd Al Rahman Barjach Pasha, governor of [[Rabat]], meeting with Bảo Đại and prince Vĩnh Cẩn during their Morocco trip in 1932.
File:Empereur Bao Dai.jpg|Emperor in Vietnam after finishing his study in France.
File:Baodai2.jpg|
File:Emperor in cyclo.jpg|Emperor in cyclo.
File:Bao Dai in Hanoi.jpg|Bảo Đại visits a Catholic church in Hanoi.
File:Colorized Bao Dai.jpg|Emperor at [[Esplanade of Sacrifice to the Heaven and Earth|Nam Giao]] ceremony.
</gallery>

==In popular culture==

*Bảo Đại was portrayed by actor {{ill|Huỳnh Anh Tuấn|vi}} in the 2004 Vietnamese miniseries ''Ngọn nến Hoàng cung'' (''A Candle in the Imperial Palace'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=VnExpress |title='Ngọn nến hoàng cung' - chất nhân văn nhẹ nhàng |url=https://vnexpress.net/ngon-nen-hoang-cung-chat-nhan-van-nhe-nhang-1880398.html |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=vnexpress.net |language=vi}}</ref>
*On 13 May 2017, a watch owned by Bảo Đại, a unique Rolex ref. 6062 triple calendar moonphase watch made for him while he was working in Geneva, became one of the most expensive watches ever sold, selling for a then record price of US$5,060,427 at a [[Phillips (auctioneers)|Phillips]] auction in Geneva.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phillips.com/detail/ROLEX/CH080117/93|title=ROLEX Ref. 6062|website=Philipps}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertanaas/2017/05/13/rolex-bao-dai-watch-sells-for-more-than-5-million-at-phillips-auction-new-world-record/#21598da734a2|title=Bao Dai Rolex Sells For More Than $5 Million At Phillips Auction, Setting A New World Record|last=Naas|first=Roberta|work=Forbes|access-date=23 November 2018|language=en}}</ref>

== Bảo Đại coins ==

{{Main|Bảo Đại Thông Bảo}}

The last [[Vietnamese cash|''cash'' coin]] ever produced in the world bears the name of Bảo Đại in [[Chữ Hán]]. There are three types of this coin. Large cast piece with 10 văn inscription on the reverse, medium cast piece with no reverse inscription, and small struck piece. All were issued in 1933.
<gallery class="center">

File:Bao-Dai-Thong-Bao.gif|Bảo Đại Thông Bảo 10 văn
File:保大通宝小平銭.gif|Bảo Đại Thông Bảo plain reverse
File:BaoDaiThongBao.gif|Struck Bảo Đại Thông Bảo
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==Quotes==

* In 1945 when the Japanese colonel in charge of the Hue garrison told Bảo Đại that he had (in line with the orders of the Allied commander) taken measures ensuring the security of the Imperial Palace and those within it against a possible Việt Minh coup, Bảo Đại dismissed the protection declaring "We do not wish a foreign army to spill the blood of our people."<ref name="V45">{{ cite book | title = Vietnam 1945: The Quest for Power | author = D. G. Marr | publisher = University of California Press | location = London, England | year = 1997 | isbn = 9780520212282 }}</ref>
* He explained his abdication in 1945 saying "We would prefer to be a citizen of an independent country rather than Emperor of an enslaved one."<ref name="V45"/>
*When, after World War II, France attempted to counter [[Ho Chi Minh|Hồ Chí Minh]]'s popularity and gain the support of the U.S. by creating an [[associated state]] with him, he said "What they call a Bảo Đại solution turns out to be just a French solution."<ref>{{ cite book | title = Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam | url = https://archive.org/details/derelictionofdut00mcma | url-access = registration | author = H. R. McMaster | year = 1998 | location = New York, NY | publisher = HarperCollins | isbn = 9780060929084 }}</ref>
* In a rare public statement from France in 1972, Bảo Đại appealed to the people of Vietnam for national reconciliation, saying "The time has come to put an end to the fratricidal war and to recover at last peace and accord."<ref>{{ cite news | date = 2 August 1997 | title = Bao Dai, 83, of Vietnam; Emperor and Bon Vivant | author = P. Shenon | newspaper =The New York Times| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/02/world/bao-dai-83-of-vietnam-emperor-and-bon-vivant.html }}</ref>

== Honours ==

=== National honours ===

* Sovereign and Grand Master of the [[Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam]].
* Sovereign and Grand Master of the [[Imperial Order of Merit of Annam]] (revived and expanded as the [[National Order of Vietnam]] on 10 June 1955).

=== Foreign honours ===

* {{flag|Thailand|1917}}: Knight of the [[Order of the Royal House of Chakri|Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri]] (Kingdom of Thailand, 1939).
* {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour|Order of the Legion of Honour]] (10 September 1932).
* {{flagcountry|Cambodia}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of Cambodia]].
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Laos}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol]].
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Belgium}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Crown (Belgium)|Order of the Crown]] (1935).
* {{flagcountry|Morocco}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Ouissam Alaouite|Sharifian Order of Al-Alaoui]] (Kingdom of Morocco).
* {{flagcountry|Johor}}: Member First Class of the [[Royal Family Order of Johor]] [DKI] (21 March 1933).

== Reign symbols ==

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%"
!colspan=3| Symbols created and / or used during the reign of Bảo Đại
|- 
! Symbol !! Image !! Description 
|- 
!colspan=3| Emperor of the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] 
|- 
| 8 imperial [[Seal (East Asia)|seals]] created for Emperor Bảo Đại.<ref name="VNBN-Seals">{{cite web|url= https://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2016/02/no-royal-seal-left-in-hue-today/|title= No royal seal left in Hue today. VietNamNet Bridge – It is a great regret that none of more than 100 seals of the Nguyen emperors are in Hue City today.|date= 10 February 2016|accessdate= 8 March 2021|author= VietNamNet Bridge|publisher= VietNam Breaking News|language= en|archive-date= 16 July 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220716131720/https://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2016/02/no-royal-seal-left-in-hue-today/|url-status= dead}}</ref> || [[File:Imperial seal of Emperor Bảo Đại of the Nguyễn Dynasty on a document (保大拾肆年 - 1939).png|100px]] || See [[Seals of the Nguyễn dynasty]]. 
|- 
| Personal standard of emperors [[Khải Định]] and Bảo Đại || [[File:Imperial Standard of Nguyen Dynasty1.svg|100px]] || Flag ratio: 2:3. 
|- 
| Personal coat of arms of Bảo Đại. || [[File:Coat of arms of Annam - S.M. Bao Daï, Le Dragon d'Annam (1980) Bảo Đại (保大).svg|100px]] || A sword per fess charged with the ramparts of the Purple Forbidden City in Huế, inscribed with two Traditional Chinese (Hán) characters (保大) and supported by a single [[Vietnamese dragon|dragon]].<br />'''Influences:''' [[File:Coat of arms of Annam - S.M. Bao Daï, Le Dragon d'Annam (1980) colour scheme - Đại Nam (大南).svg|30px]] 
|- 
| [[Bảo Đại Thông Bảo]]<br>(保大通寶) || [[File:Three different types of Bảo Đại Thông Bảo (保大通寳) cash coins - Donald Trung Quoc Don (徵國單) 01.png|100px]] || The last [[Vietnamese cash|cash coins]] issued by a government in both Vietnam and the world. 
|- 
| Bảo Đại Bảo Giám<br>(保大寳鑑) || [[File:Bảo Đại Bảo Giám (保大寳鑑) - Nhị Nghi (二儀) 02.png|100px]] || A series of silver coins bearing his reign era. 
|- 
!colspan=3| Chief of [[State of Vietnam]] 
|- 
| Seal as the chief of state of Vietnam. || [[File:Seal of Bảo Đại as Chief of State of Vietnam (1949–1954).svg|100px]] || A seal with the inscriptions "Quốc-gia Việt-Nam", "Đức Bảo Đại Quốc-trưởng" written in [[Vietnamese alphabet|Latin script]] and "保大國長" in seal script. 
|- 
| Personal standard || [[File:Personal Standard of State-Chief Bao Dai.svg|100px]] || Flag ratio: 2:3. '''Influences:''' [[File:Nguyen Imperial Pennon (m3).png|30px|link=Nguyen Imperial Pennon]]
|}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Anh, Nguyên Thê. "The Vietnamese Monarchy under French Colonial Rule 1884–1945." ''Modern Asian Studies'' 19.1 (1985): 147–162 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/312324 online].
* Chapuis, Oscar. ''The Last Emperors of Vietnam: From Tu Duc to Bao Dai'' (Greenwood, 2000).
* Chapman, Jessica M. "Staging democracy: South Vietnam's 1955 referendum to depose Bao Dai." ''Diplomatic History'' 30.4 (2006): 671–703. [https://escholarship.org/content/qt629724zz/qt629724zz.pdf online]
* Hammer, Ellen J. "The Bao Dai Experiment." ''Pacific Affairs'' 23.1 (1950): 46–58. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2753754 online]
* Hess, Gary R. "The first American commitment in Indochina: The acceptance of the 'Bao Dai solution', 1950." ''Diplomatic History'' 2.4 (1978): 331–350. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24910123 online]
* {{ cite book | author = Lockhart. Bruce McFarland | title = The End of the Vietnamese Monarchy | series = Lac Viet Series | volume = 15 | location = New Haven, CT | publisher = Yale Center for International and Area Studies | year = 1993 | isbn = 9780938692508 }}
* Szalontai, Balázs. "The 'Sole Legal Government of Vietnam': The Bao Dai Factor and Soviet Attitudes toward Vietnam, 1947–1950." ''Journal of Cold War Studies'' (2018) 20#3 pp 3–56. [https://www.academia.edu/download/62870201/JCWS_Bao_Dai20200408-53381-uhbp55.pdf online]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

===Other languages===
* Bảo Đại's memoirs have been published in French and in Vietnamese; the Vietnamese version appears considerably longer.
* {{ cite book | author = Bảo Đại | title = Le dragon d'Annam | language = fr | location = Paris | publisher = Plon | year = 1980 | isbn = 9782259005210 }}
* {{ cite book | author = Bảo Đại | title = Con rong Viet Nam: hoi ky chanh tri 1913–1987 | language = vi | location = Los Alamitos, CA | publisher = Nguyen Phuoc Toc (distributed by Xuan Thu Publishing) | year = 1990 | oclc = 22628825 }}

== External links ==

{{Commons category|Emperor Bảo Đại}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/000989}}

=== Photos of Bảo Đại's summer palaces ===

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070705175415/http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/7645/kinghse.jpg Web citation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070705175416/http://image.pegs.com/images/VS/1744/1744_b1.jpg Images]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Nguyễn dynasty|House of Nguyễn Phúc]]|22 October|1913|31 July|1997}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Khải Định]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Vietnamese monarchs|Emperor of Vietnam]]|years=8 January 1926 – 25 August 1945}}
{{s-non|reason=Last Emperor ([[Abdication of Bảo Đại|abdicated]])}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Nguyễn Văn Xuân]]|as=president}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Leaders of South Vietnam#State of Vietnam|Head of state of Vietnam]]|years=13 June 1949 – 30 April 1955}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ngô Đình Diệm]]|as=president}}
{{s-bef|before=Khải Định}}
{{s-ttl|title=Head of the House of Nguyen Phuc |years=8 January 1926 – 31 July 1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Bảo Long]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty}} 
{{Nguyễn dynasty topics}}
{{Monarchs of Vietnam}}
{{Pretenders to the Vietnamese throne}}
{{Heads of state of Vietnam}}
{{Prime ministers of Vietnam}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bao, Dai}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
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[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia]]
[[Category:Lycée Condorcet alumni]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]
[[Category:Nguyen dynasty emperors]]
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