Which Vietnamese refused to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, causing international shock?

Le Duc Tho's birth name was Phan Dinh Khai, born in 1911, into a Confucian family, in Dich Le village, Dong Phu commune, My Loc district, Nam Dinh province (now Nam Van commune, Nam Dinh city, Nam Dinh province).

In 1929, Le Duc Tho joined the Indochinese Communist Party, was assigned to be in charge of youth and student work, and became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam, when the Party was just founded in 1930.

During his revolutionary career, Le Duc Tho experienced many hardships and challenges (he was arrested twice and imprisoned in the harshest prisons) and was always present at the forefront of the revolution, but he always maintained his faith and optimism in the revolutionary cause for the country and the people.

Diplomat Le Duc Tho. (Photo: Archive)

According to Vietnam News Agency, in May 1968, Uncle Ho called Le Duc Tho and appointed him as a special advisor to the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Conference to discuss ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

He had a historic battle of wits at the negotiating table with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (then US Special Advisor on National Security) in 1973 in Paris, aiming to bring peace and national unification to Vietnam.

At that time, the Vietnamese wanted the Americans to end their war actions in Vietnam so that they could unify the country while the Americans wanted to bring back glory. Those wishes weighed heavily on the shoulders of two diplomats on opposite sides of the battle line.

Talking about Le Duc Tho, Henry Kissinger shared in his memoir: "I could have done better if the person across the table negotiating the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam had not been Mr. Le Duc Tho"; "He always appeared very calm, his attitude was always impeccable. He knew exactly what he wanted and served his ideals with dedication and skill".

After the Paris Agreement was signed on January 27, 1973, the whole world praised Le Duc Tho's diplomatic talent. He and Henry Kissinger were selected by the Nobel Committee to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

On that day, only Henry Kissinger stepped forward to receive the award. Le Duc Tho shocked the international media when he refused to accept the award, because he believed that peace had not yet been truly restored to the country and that the people who deserved to receive this award were the Vietnamese people.

With his great contributions to the country, Le Duc Tho was awarded the Gold Star Order and many other noble medals and honorary titles by the Party and State. His name was given to many streets in provinces and cities in Vietnam.

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Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nguoi-viet-nao-tu-choi-nhan-giai-nobel-hoa-binh-gay-chan-dong-quoc-te-ar934964.html