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If you search the net using Google in "Do Huu Vi", you will find about 11 links. One of the most informative is on the list of the: University of Washington Via email from Tobias Rettig, 11-12-01 Before the Great War (I write this from memory, so some details might be incorrect), a naturalised French aviator and fighter pilot from a wealthy and pro-French Cochinchinese family, Do Huu Vi, tested his aircraft in North Africa (Morocoo, I believe). He served in the French Foreign Legion after having gone to Saint Cyr officer school. Vi flew fighting and bombing missions during World War One. He was shot down, severely wounded, but wanted to fight again. His injuries preventing him from flying again, he was killed on one of France^Ňs many battlefields. In the late 1930s Vi, who could not have served in Indochina due to his Vietnamese origins, was discovered by the colonial state as a symbol for boosting Vietnamese loyalty in the face of an increasingly hostile international environment by dedicating a post stamp to his memory. Editor's Note: Among the several email messages which are found on this page, this one from Tobias Rettig, which he kindly allowed me to reproduce on this page, gives these important details of his career. To access the complete entry, click on this: Just recently, (2-8-03), I received the following email from Mr. Rettig: Dear Ralph, Sincere apologies for getting back to you so late, but since starting a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) here in London, I often have to focus on the basics (rather than my other interests). Of course I would be extremely pleased if you put my few lines on your website! I could provide more information on Do Huu Vi. The main problem is, however, that the relevant material is back in Munich/Germany rather than here in London. The material I refer to is an article by Colonel (retd.) Maurice Rives. I have used some of his article in a draft chapter of my Ph.D. thesis - I will try to retrieve it from my laptop this weekend. Next time I communicate with Colonel Rives, I will suggest to him to make his article available to your website. I am looking forward to be hearing from you again, Best wishes from early-spring London, Tobias |
