Ngo Ba Thanh

Mrs. Ngo Ba Thanh, born Phạm Thị Thanh Vân, was a prominent Vietnamese lawyer, politician, and activist. She was born on September 25, 1931, in Tùng Ảnh commune, Đức Thọ district, Hà Tĩnh province, French Indochina. She completed her legal studies at the University of Paris, Columbia University, and the University of Barcelona. Returning to South Vietnam in 1963, she worked as the chief legal advisor to Ngo Dinh Diem's administration. After his assassination, she became a professor of law at Saigon University and was active in the feminist and peace movements. Her opposition to the policies of President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu led to surveillance and arrests. In 1970, she founded the Vietnamese Women's Movement for the Right to Live. She was elected to the unified National Assembly of Vietnam after the war and served four terms, contributing to the creation of the 1980 and 1992 Constitutions. She passed away on February 3, 2004, in Hanoi, Vietnam.