- Tran Bich San
Infobox Writer
name = Thai Gia Tran
caption = Tran Bich San speaking in Paris, France.
pseudonym = Tran Bich San
birthdate = birth date|1940|10|10
birthplace = Sung Van,Nam Dinh ,Vietnam
occupation =Writer |Tran Bich San (born
October 10 ,1940 inNam Dinh ,Vietnam ) is a famous Vietnamese writer, philosopher, and intellectual.Biography
Early life
Tran Bich San was born Thai Gia Tran in the village of Sung Van in the
Nam Dinh region ofVietnam . His mother owned a bookstore, and his father was chief of the district and later became an administrator. In 1966, Tran married Nguyen Yen Mai, a student of the Marie Curie School in Saigon. They had a son, Tran Quoc Quan, and later divorced in 1971.After his graduation from the Thu Duc Academy (1969), Tran joined the South Vietnamese army and became the Chief of Press in the 5th Infantry Division. He quickly moved up in the ranks, becoming the Chief of Administrative Security, Press, and Information Ministry.
Post-Vietnam
Tran emigrated to the U.S. territory of Guam following the
Fall of Saigon . He was temporarily moved toFort Chaffee ,Arkansas for six months and soon found sponsorship with a Lutheran Church inArlington County, Virginia . He worked for six months as a dishwasher forEpiscopal High School (Alexandria) . On July 4, 1974, Tran entered his second marriage with a fellow refugee, Loan Kim Ta. They met at a party in Washington, D.C. for Vietnamese refugees. Ta was a law student at Bovie Community College and the former Miss Saigon (1972).The couple had three daughters and divorced in 2005, following
Hurricane Katrina .Professional career
Tran decided to go back to school and in 1979, he received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from
George Washington University . He later received a Master's in Healthcare Administration fromTulane University (1995) and his Ph.D. from Weybridge University (2006).Tran and his wife moved to
New Orleans ,Louisiana in June 1979 after he was offered an entry level job atTouro Infirmary , a private Jewish hospital. He was promoted to Senior Engineer (1982), and eventually headed up the department as the Director of Biomedial Engineering (1990).In 1995, Tran Bich San became the editor of the Little Saigon News of New Orleans, a bilingual newspaper for Vietnamese Americans. While in New Orleans, he also authored hundreds of articles on Vietnamese culture and literature. His work has been featured in Vietnamese magazines such as Có Thóm (
Washington, D.C. ) [ [http://cothommagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164&Itemid=40 Có Thóm writer's bio for Tran Bich San] ] , Tan Van, (California ), and Ngày Mði, (Paris, France ).He is considered a strong political force, representing the voice of the Little Saigon region of New Orleans. Louisiana Senator
Mary Landrieu and former New Orleans' mayorMarc Morial both utilized Tran during their elections to secure support in the Asian community.Tran adopted the pen name "Tran Bich San" after his great, great grandfather who was the top honor graduate of the national exam in 1865 and a famous 19th century poet [ [http://www.namdinh.gov.vn/Quangba/tienganh/029.html Nam Dinh Government Online] . "Supernatural Land of Celebrities."] in Vietnamese literature. He chose the name to continue his ancestor's unfinished work in literature and honor the last official Vietnamese scholar of the 19th century.
Books
*"Văn Khåo" (2000) ISSN 1089-027
*"Giai Thoąi Vǎn Chuong" (2006)
*"Náo Nuc Hôi Trăng Răm" (2007)References
External links
* [http://cothommagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164&Itemid=40 Có Thóm Magazine Online]
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