One of the most fascinating life stories in the late history of Imperial Vietnam is that of the Vietnamese "Queen Mother", the Empress Dowager Tu Cung. Like most of the ladies at court, little notice was taken of Tu Cung, wife of the Emperor Khai Dinh, until she gave birth to Prince Vinh Thuy, the future Bao Dai, last Emperor of Vietnam. Due to the French control over the court at Hue, Tu Cung was not much involved in how her son was raised, much of his early life was spent in France. However, she was raised to the first place among all the ladies inside the Forbidden City by virtue of being the mother of the future Emperor. Upon the death of Khai Dinh and the succession of Bao Dai Tu Cung formally became Empress-Dowager.
Over the following years she remained a prominant personality in the city of Hue and a very prestigious person in the upper echelons of Vietnamese society. Throughout all of the troubles and turmoils of the 40's and 50's her position remained relatively unchanged and when the conflict with the United States broke out against the Communists she was still living in the An Dinh Palace of the Forbidden City just as she always had. However, the massive Tet Offensive of 1968 changed everything. Throughout the years Hue had remained mostly untouched by the north-south turmoil, as an area considered sacred by many on both sides. However, during the Tet Offensive the Communist forces determined to seize this historic citadel and quickly overran the Imperial Enclosure.
Still, the Empress-Dowager remained in her palace and did not recognize the change in 'ownership'. It was not until word came that the United States would begin heavy bombing of the Forbidden City (which had long been off-limits) that it was determined Her Majesty would have to evacuate quickly. A relative came and secured the Empress-Dowager on his back and ran her out of the Great Interior on foot. As the Imperial lady moved from house to house she kept both armies informed of her whereabouts to help ensure her safety. The Nguyen Dynasty was still highly respected and no one wished any harm to come to the grand lady and preferred to avoid the party.
Miraculously, Tu Cung survived and after the Forbidden City was virtually destroyed by the heavy fighting in the battle of Hue she moved into a mansion in Saigon. She reestablished herself here and continued to carry on the traditions of the Vietnamese monarchy and honor the past Emperors. It was not until the withdrawl of U.S. forces that the Empress-Dowager was again up-rooted. When the Communists marched down and conquered the south Tu Cung moved into the palacial tomb of her father-in-law Emperor Dong Khanh, where she lived until 1980 when she died at the age of 91. |
