People with the surname Nguyễn

Nguyễn is the most common Vietnamese surname, held by an estimated 40 percent of Vietnamese people. The following is an incomplete list of notable individuals with this surname.

Heads of state or government

*Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, former prime minister of South Vietnam (b. 1930)
*Nguyễn Dynasty, ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945
**Gia Long (born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, 1762-1820)
**Đồng Khánh (born Nguyễn Cảnh Tông, 1864-1889)
**Khai Dinh (born Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đảo, d. 1925)
**Duy Tân (born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San, 1899-1945)
**Bảo Đại (born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy, 1913-1997)
*Nguyễn Hữu Thọ (1910-1996)
*Nguyễn Khánh, prime minister of South Vietnam (b. 1927)
*Empress Nam Phương, consort of Bảo Đại, born Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan.
*Nguyễn Lords, the precursors to the Nguyễn Dynasty, who ruled southern Vietnam from 1558 to 1775
**Nguyễn Kim (1476-1545)
**Nguyễn Hoàng (1525-1613)
**Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên (1563-1635)
**Nguyễn Phúc Lan (1601-1648)
**Nguyễn Phúc Tần (1620-1687)
**Nguyễn Phúc Trăn (1650-1691)
**Nguyễn Phúc Chu (1675-1725)
**Nguyễn Phúc Tru (name also spelled Nguyễn Phúc Chú, 1696-1738)
**Nguyễn Phúc Khoát (1714-1765)
*Nguyễn Minh Triết, president of Vietnam (b. 1942)
*Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, prime minister of South Vietnam (b. 1908)
*Nguyễn Phan Long, prime minister (1889-1960)
*Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Phúc, prime minister
*Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese Communist statesman and revolutionary; founded independent Vietnam (born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, 1890–1969)
*Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, prime minister of Vietnam (b. 1949)
*Nguyễn Thị Anh, queen of Vietnam (1422?–1459)
*Nguyễn Văn Tâm, prime minister
*Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, general and president of South Vietnam (1923–2001)
*Tay Son Dynasty, founded by the Tay Son brothers (Nguyễn Nhạc, Nguyễn Lữ, and Nguyễn Huệ), ruled from 1778 to 1802
**Nguyễn Huệ, ruled as Emperor Quang Trung (1753-1792)

Actors

*Dustin Nguyen, Vietnamese American television and film actor (b. 1962)
*Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese American actor and martial artist (b. 1974)
*Navia Nguyen, model and actress

Artists

*Dustin Nguyen, comic book artist
*Mike Nguyen, artist
*Nguyen Tan Hoang, Vietnamese American video artist and academic
*Nguyen Thanh Binh, painter (b. 1954)

Athletes

*Dat Nguyen, former Dallas Cowboys linebacker (b. 1975)
*Jessica Nguyen, American tennis player (b. 1987)
*Lee Nguyen, midfielder for the Randers FC (b. 1986)
*Nguyễn Lộc, martial artist (1912-1960)
*Nguyễn Minh Phương, football player
*Rob Nguyen, Australian racing car driver (b. 1980)
*Nguyen Van Hung, martial artist

Chess players

*Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn (b. 1990)

Journalists

*Betty Nguyen, CNN news anchor
*Chau Nguyen, Houston-area news anchor (b. 1973)
*Leyna Nguyen, Los Angeles-area news anchor (b. 1969)
*Nguyen Qui Duc, Vietnamese American writer
*Vicky Nguyen, San Jose-area news reporter
* Mary Nguyen, Orlando area news reporter

Military

*Nguyễn Chánh Thi, ARVN general (1923-2007)
*Nguyen Chi Thanh, Vietnam People's Army (PAVN) general
*Nguyen Hong Nhi, North Vietnamese fighter pilot
*Nguyễn Hữu Có, ARVN general
*Nguyen Khoa Nam, ARVN general (1927-1975)
*Nguyễn Ngọc Lê, ARVN general
*Nguyen Quy An, air force major (b. 1943)
*Nguyễn Văn Cốc, North Vietnamese fighter pilot (b. 1943)
*Nguyen Van Cu, pilot and lieutenant in the Vietnam Air Force (b. 1934)
*Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, ARVN general (1929-1975)
*Nguyễn Văn Hinh, military chief of state
*Nguyễn Văn Nhung, organizer of the coup against Ngo Dinh Diem (d. 1964)
*Nguyen Van Minh, ARVN general
*Nguyễn Văn Toàn, ARVN general (b. 1932)
*Nguyen Van Bay, North Vietnamese fighter ace(b.1937)

Models

*Navia Nguyen (b. 1973)
*Tila Tequila, model, singer, Internet personality (born Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen in 1981)

Musicians

*Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, Vietnamese American singer (b. 1969)
*Hoàng Hải, singer (born Nguyễn Hoàng Hải in 1982)
*Khánh Ly, singer (born Nguyễn Lệ Mai in 1945)
*Phương Vy, singer; winner of 2007 "Vietnam Idol" competition (born Nguyễn Ngọc Phương Vy in 1987)
*Quynh Nguyen, classical pianist (b. 1976)
*Thao Nguyen, indie-rock/alternative-folk singer and songwriter from Virginia
*Nguyễn-Thiên Đạo, composer (b. 1940)
*Trish Thuy Trang (born Nguyễn Thùy Trang), Vietnamese-American singer and songwriter
*Văn Cao, popular songwriter who wrote the national anthem of Vietnam, "Tiến Quân Ca" (born Nguyễn Văn Cao, 1923-1995)

Physicians

*Nguyen Van Nghi, practitioner of traditional medicine (1909-1999)

Poets

*Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, considered a saint by the Cao Dai religion (1492-1587)
*Nguyễn Chí Thiện, dissident poet (b. 1939)
*Nguyễn Du, wrote "The Tale of Kieu" (1765–1820)
*Hoa Nguyen, American poet (b. 1967)
*Nguyễn Khuyến (1835-1909)
*Tố Hữu (born Nguyễn Kim Thành, 1920-2002)
*Nguyễn Trãi, poet and national and cultural hero of Vietnam (1380–1442)

Poker players

*Danny Nguyen
*Men Nguyen (b. 1954)
*Minh Nguyen
*Scotty Nguyen (b. 1962)

Politicians

*Nguyễn Bá Thanh (b. 1959)
*Nguyen Dinh Thuan, politician
*Nguyen Hop Doan, mayor of Saigon (1928-2002)
*Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, Vietnamese lawyer and politician; founder of the NLF (1910-1996)
*Nguyễn Phú Trọng (b. 1944)
*Nguyễn Sinh Hùng, First Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam
*Nguyễn Thị Bình, former NLF fighter and vice president of Vietnam
*Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, Vietnamese Minister of Education (b. 1953)
* Nguyễn Tiến Hưng, former Minister of Economic Development and Planning of Republic of Vietnam, writer.
*Nguyễn Văn An (b. 1937)
*Nguyễn Văn Linh, NLF fighter in the Vietnam War, 1986-1991 General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1915-1998)
*Nguyễn Văn Tường, Nguyen Dynasty regent (1824-1886)
*Nguyen Van Vy, military deputy

Religious leaders

* Bửu Đồng (born Nguyễn Phước Bửu Đồng), prestiguous Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest
*Nhat Hanh (born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo in 1926), Buddhist monk and author
* Nguyen Van Ly, Roman Catholic priest and prominent Vietnamese dissident
*Antoine Nguyễn Văn Thiện, oldest living bishop of the Roman Catholic church (b. 1906)
*François-Xavier Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận, Roman Catholic cardinal (1928-2002)

Revolutionaries

*Nguyễn Hải Thần (c.1878–1959)
*Cường Để (born Nguyễn Phúc Đan, 1882-1951)
*Nguyễn Quyền, anti-colonial activist (1869–1941)
*Nguyễn Thái Học, Vietnamese revolutionary; founded the Nationalist Party of Vietnam (1901-1930)
*Nguyễn Thần Hiến, anti-colonial activist (1856–1914)
*Nguyễn Thượng Hiền, anti-colonial activist (1865–1925)
*Nguyễn Thị Định (1920-1992)
*Nguyễn Trung Trực, anti-French resistance leader (1837-1868)

cientists

* Prince Buu Hoi, organic/biochemistry/medical researcher, published more than 1000 papers (born Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Hội in 1915)
*Nguyễn Tử Quảng, computer scientist (b. 1975)
*Nguyen Xuan Vinh (b. 1930)

Writers

*Nguyễn Đình Thi (1924-2003)
*Kien Nguyen (b. 1967)
*Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, popular children's author (b. 1955)
*Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn, Vietnamese Canadian writer (b. 1946)
*Qui Nguyen, playwright
*Huong Keenleyside (born Nguyen Thi Huong in 1971)
*Nguyễn Thuyên, 13th century official and writer

Other

*Nguyễn Diệu Hoa, Miss Vietnam (b. 1969)
*Nguyen Huu Bai, minister to the royal court at Hue
*Nguyen Huu Chanh, anti-communist activist (b. 1952)
*Nguyễn Huy Đẩu, anti-communist activist (b. 1914)
*Nguyễn Khác Chính, anti-communist activist (b. 1924)
*Nguyen Lac Hoa, Catholic priest and anti-communist fighter (1908-c. 1989)
*Nguyễn Mạnh Tường, lawyer and intellectual (1909–1997)
*Peter Nguyen, Catholic activist
*Nguyen Si Binh, anti-communist activist
*Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, drug smuggler (b. 1983)
*Nguyễn Trường Tộ, 19th-century social reformer (1830-1871)
*Nguyễn Tường Vân, Vietnamese Australian drug trafficker (1980-2005)
*Nguyen Van Ly, Catholic activist (b. 1946)
*Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, would-be assassin of Robert McNamara (1947-1964)

Fictional people

*Nguyen Charlie, cartoon character
*Nguyen Toon, mythical North Vietnamese fighter pilot