PHAT NGOC MAI (1960-2020)

Mr Phat Ngoc Mai (name in American sequence) is left, my wife (Phung Thi Daniel) and I (Howard A. Daniel III) in the center, and his banker right who would translate for him because he could not say everything he wanted to say in English so he would tell the banker and he would translate to English. This photo was taken in the lobby of the Hilton Hanoi Hotel in Hanoi just before Christmas of 2015. I first met him in 1995 when he spoke hardly any English but it got better every year I knew him.

Past owner of the Viet-Laos Civil Engineering Construction Company which built roads, bridges and other infrastructure in remote areas of Laos. When I did not know my way around Hanoi, he would give me one of his firm's Land Rovers with a driver to drive me around the city and its suburbs. He became “the” numismatist of Viet Nam and Lao numismatics in Viet Nam. He was always available to me and many other numismatists to discuss numismatics. He was a very generous man and when you departed, he would often gift you with a nice numismatic piece.

His home was in the Hanoi suburbs but he bought a condo in the Platinum Residences in Hanoi which he converted into his office and meeting room so numismatists could more easily visit him. Once you entered the foyer, he had a long table installed in what was the living and dining room which could easily sit 20+ people. He held meetings there of numismatists where they could share their knowledge with others. I was often amazed at the collections of the attendees. Because smoking bothered me, he would not smoke and had everyone else not smoke when I was at a meeting.

It was very difficult several years ago to officially do anything in numismatics in Viet Nam. In the old communist ideology, philately was the hobby for the people and numismatics was for capitalists. He was instrumental in making numismatics officially acceptable for the Vietnamese people. He created the first numismatic club and then other clubs were created all over the country. He also was approved to publish a quarterly magazine, Vietnam Numismatics, which is distributed worldwide. I am hoping that someone in Viet Nam will keep the magazine publishing in the future.

He was born on June 8, 1960 and passed on June 15, 2020 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. A few days before he passed away, he had a stroke and went into a coma. The news was quickly passed around in Viet Nam and to the world. I am very, very sad to know that he is gone and his friends can no longer visit him.

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