Vietnam: Trinh Thi Ngo (1931 – 30 September 2016), also known as 'Thu Huong' (Autumn Fragrance) and 'Hanoi Hannah', was a Vietnamese radio personality who made English-language broadcasts for North Vietnam directed at United States troops

Ngo was born in Hanoi in 1931. Her father was a successful businessman who owned the largest glass factory in French Indochina. She later stated that she grew eager to learn English because of her desire to watch her favorite films such as Gone with the Wind without subtitles. Her family provided her with private lessons in English. In 1955, when she was 25 years old, she joined the Voice of Vietnam radio station and was chosen to read the English language newscast aimed at listeners in Asia’s English-speaking countries.

During the Vietnam War, Ngo became notorious among US soldiers for her propaganda broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. Her scripts were written by the North Vietnamese Army and were intended to frighten and shame the soldiers into leaving their posts. She made three broadcasts a day, reading a list of newly killed or imprisoned Americans, and playing popular US anti-war songs in an effort to incite feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, attempting to persuade US GIs that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust and immoral.

In 1975, after the war, Ngo moved to Saigon with her husband. She was offered a position on HCMC Television, but she chose to stay at home and take care of her husband, who had suffered a stroke. She died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 September 2016 at the age of 87.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Credit:

Pictures From History