Lâm Quang Thi


Lâm Quang Thi was a senior military officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Early life and family

Lam was born in Bac Lieu in 1932 to a family of wealthy landowning farmers. Lam's parents met through a matchmaker and married two years before he was born. Lam's father came from a family of Cao Dai adherents while his mother was a Roman Catholic. His maternal grandfather was one of the richest Chinese landowners in Bac Lieu at the turn of the 20th century. Lam's parents separated in 1937 after their fourth child was born, and his mother took their four children down back to her hometown in Tam Vu. After completing his primary education there, Lam was sent Can Tho for his secondary education, where he enrolled into the Phan Thanh Gian College after passing through its tough entrance examinations.

Military service

Lam graduated from the National Military Academy, in Da Lat, South Vietnam. He held the positions of Commander of the RVNAF Artillery Training Center, Commander of the Artillery in I Corps, Deputy Commander, RVNAF Artillery; Commander, 9th Infantry Division; and Commander of the Vietnamese National Military Academy. Last position until 4 1975: Commander in Chief of Army Corp I Forward Command.

Post-war life

Lam fled with his family to the United States in May 1975, when South Vietnam fell to the invading North Vietnamese army. He now lives in Fremont, California. Lam earned a French Baccalaureate Degree in Philosophy and an MBA, both from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. His son, Andrew Lam, is a writer and a journalist.
Lam was interviewed about the war in Ken Burns's series The Vietnam War.

Awards and decorations