King Ham Nghi (1871 – 1944), real name Nguyen Phuc Ung Lich, was the eighth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. Today, Vietnamese history considers him, along with the anti-French kings Thanh Thai and Duy Tan, as three patriotic kings during the French colonial period.
Due to his leadership in the Can Vuong movement, he was ousted by the French colonialists and exiled to Algeria in North Africa in 1888.
In Algiers, the capital of Algeria, the former king lived comfortably in the Villa des Pins (Villa of Thousand Pines).
His life was not difficult. Many influential figures in the local government, intellectuals, and famous artists often visited his house.
More than 15 years after settling in Algiers, in November 1904, he married Marcelle Laloe (born in 1884, French), the daughter of the Chief Justice of the Algerian Court.
What’s unique is that despite Marcelle Laloe being 13 years younger than King Ham Nghi, their age difference did not become a barrier.
Having interacted with King Ham Nghi multiple times, Marcelle Laloe developed feelings for him. Disregarding old customs, her father, the Chief Justice of the Algerian High Court, happily agreed to give his daughter Marcelle Aimée Léonie Laloe to the Crown Prince of Annam.
On November 4, 1904, the wedding between King Ham Nghi and his daughter François LaLoe was solemnly held at the Cathedral of the Archbishop of Algiers, with the presence of many upper-class and intellectual individuals.
At the wedding, the bride Marcelle wore a luxurious wedding dress while King Ham Nghi wore his traditional black ao dai and a folded scarf on his head. Many Algerian citizens came to the church area to witness the couple’s wedding when they stepped out of the cathedral.
The wedding of King Ham Nghi and Marcelle in 1904 was considered a significant and extraordinary event in Algiers. It was a special combination between a French noblewoman and a king of a French colony in exile. From the engagement until the wedding of King Ham Nghi and Marcelle Laloe, the photographers in Alger fully exploited the story.
From then on, Marcelle Laloa became La Princesse d’Annam – meaning “Princess of Annam” or “Wife of the King of Annam” (as, according to the Nguyen dynasty tradition, the king’s wife did not become a queen but was instead titled princess).
King Ham Nghi became the first king of the Nguyen dynasty to marry a Western woman.
After marriage, King Ham Nghi and Marcelle Laloe lived happily in love and mutual respect. Marcelle Laloe followed Catholicism, while King Ham Nghi remained Buddhist and did not convert.
The result of their beautiful relationship was three children: Nhu Mai (1905 – 1999), Nhu Ly (1908 – 2005), and Minh Duc (1910 – 1990). All three were born and raised in Alger.
On January 14, 1944, Ham Nghi passed away from stomach cancer in the capital city of Alger.
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