
Trần Bạch Đằng
Writing
Biography
Trần Bạch Đằng (July 15, 1926 – April 16, 2007) was a Vietnamese researcher, writer, and journalist. He was also a veteran politician, serving as former Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization and former Secretary of the Saigon Municipal Committee. Under the pen name Nguyễn Trương Thiên Lý, Trần Bạch Đằng is the author of the novel "Ván bài lật ngửa" about an agent working in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, based on the real life figure of Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo. The novel is adapted into a famous film series, considered a classic in Vietnamese cinema, by director Lê Hoàng Hoa (also known as Khôi Nguyên).
Known For

After the Geneva Convention, Viet Minh cadres are gathered to the North. There are also many who secretly stayed. Among them is Robert Nguyen Thanh Luan. He returns to Vinh Long, part of the diocese of Bishop Peter Ngo Dinh Thuc, who has known his Catholic family for long. The bishop adopts him into the Ngo family, where he begins associating with Ngo Dinh Nhu, the Vice President and Presidential Consultant of the Republic of Vietnam.
Cards on the Table: The Foster Son of the Archbishop

In 1960s South Vietnam, an undercover agent slowly works his way up through the ranks of Ngô Đình Diệm's administration to become one of its most prominent advisors
The Advisor

In 1959, Luan is appointed Commander of the Great Flood Operations and of Binh Duong's Security Corps, with full authority to stabilize this province. The Liaison Department of the Republic of Vietnam, under the support of the United States, send commandos to North Vietnam for reconnaissance. If the commandos successfully infiltrate, they will respond to South Vietnam with a tango. Tango No. 1 and Tango No. 2 have failed. What will become of the third tango?
Cards on the Table: The Great Flood and the Tango no. 3

After a tumultuous arrival and subsequent stay in Da Lat for military training, Luan returns to Saigon a Major in the Presidential Special Forces. He and Thuy Dung continue their relationship. News that Ngo Dinh Diem is opening the Ban Me Thuot's Highland Economic Fair attracts many intelligence and security organizations, whose political purposes vary.
Cards on the Table: The Gunshot on the Highland

The Government of the Republic of Vietnam is subjected to military attacks and protests everywhere. Law 10-59 is enacted. Luan is sent to the United States for further military course training. Upon his return in early 1961, Ngo Dinh Diem decides to make him the governor of Kien Hoa province (Ben Tre today) to conduct the Pacification Program, with special privileges at his disposal.
Cards on the Table: Blue Sky in the Split of Leaf

Luan continues to serve as the governor of Kien Hoa province and receives classified information sent by Y5, an agent installed by Kien Hoa Security in the Communist Party of Vietnam. He tries to identify Y5. The coup in 1960 ends with victory for the Republic's government, but unrest soon proves this result impermanent.
Cards on the Table: The Last Warning

Student Ba Duy sinks deep into heartbreak and a nihilistic street life when his sweetheart, Diem Huong, suddenly leaves him to marry an American diplomat.
First Love

In 1963, amidst tense relations with Buddhism that may face international backlash, the Ngo family try to find a way around the situation, calling on Luan for missions worth his life. Saigon is heated. A coup may be under preparations. Tran Le Xuan goes on a diplomatic tour of Western nations, determined to clear names.
Cards on the Table: High Pressure and the Freshet
Hai Cũ, a notorious outlaw robbing from the rich to give to the poor, writes to Hồ Chí Minh hoping to secure pardon for his subordinates and is then sent to work as a foreman for a military company. The company's officer turns out to be the student who has accidentally helped him to escape the police many years ago.
Portrait of a Foreman

In 1955 Tay Ninh, the National United Front is established and gives Ngo Dinh Diem's government an ultimatum: reform or attack. Luan continues to handle his new rise of popularity within sociopolitical circles in South Vietnam. He goes to Da Lat for a vacation, where a meeting between him and a young woman has been arranged.
Cards on the Table: The Roving Chessman

The year 1963 drags on heavily. Rumors about the US-backed coup are spreading. Ngo Dinh Diem's government continues to suffer from a severe loss of popularity that is still worsening. Two lots of trafficked drugs from the Golden Triangle to South Vietnam have vanished into thin air. Luan sets out on what may be his final collaboration with Ngo Dinh Nhu.
Cards on the Table: Wreath on the Grave

In early 1920s, while studying at the Huế royal citadel, young scholar Nguyễn Tất Thành bears witness to the brutal suppression of Cần Vương insurgents by the Colonial French settlers and the complicity of his royal gentries. He plans himself for a transformative journey that will forge him to be one of the most distinguished revolutionaries - Hồ Chí Minh.