Hoang Van Chi
Hoàng Văn Chí (1 October 1913 in Thanh Hóa, Vietnam, French Indochina – 6 July 1988 in Bowie, Maryland, United States) was one of the first Vietnamese political writers, a prominent intellectual who was an opponent of colonialism and later of communism in Vietnam. He used the pen name Mạc Định. His book, "From Colonialism to Communism", was translated into more than 15 languages. Life. Early life and education. Hoàng Văn Chí was educated according to the French system, attending the Lycée Albert Sarraut in Hanoi from 1928-35. Then he went on to the University of Indochina , where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Science in 1940. Already in 1926, at the age of 13, the young Hoàng had joined a protest demanding the end of French occupation which took place at Phan Chu Trinh's funeral. In 1940 he married Lê Hằng Phấn, daughter of the Vietnamese scholar, Sở Cuồng Lê Dư. He was at this time preparing to enter medical school and had acquired enough knowledge to treat his wife's tuberculosis with an advanced technique: letting the affected side of the lung rest by a controlled pneumothorax while treating it with antibiotics . The treatment was successful. Fighting French colonialism. In 1936, Hoàng Văn Chí joined the Le Travail Movement. From 1937-39, he actively joined and worked for the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO, a socialist party). It was falsely claimed by CIA official George Carver that he joined the Việt Minh to fight against the French colonists in Vietnam. In reality, Chí never joined the Viet Minh, instead working as a teacher in Thanh Hoá province from 1950-1955. Rejection of communism. Hoang originated from a wealthy, landowning background which found itself at odds with the Viet Minh’s  ideals, leading him to be antagonistic towards communism.