Paul Nguyen Cong Anh

Paul Nguyễn Công Anh (born 1919) was a Vietnamese national who has been classed as a Righteous Among the Nations, by Yad Vashem. Paul Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to France, where he attended the University in Nice. Here he met a fellow student, Jadwiga Alfabet, a Jewish refugee from Poland and became engaged. In the summer of 1942 French police began arresting Jews with foreign nationality, including some of Jadwiga's relatives. Paul married Jadwiga on 5 September 1942, in the hope that gaining French citizenship she'd be protected from deportation. The couple then moved to Clermont-Ferrand, returning to Nice in 1943 when that city was in Italian control and relatively safe. However, in September 1943 the Germans re-occupied Nice and danger of deportation returned. From this time Paul Nguyen hid his wife, her uncle and aunt, Jakub and Salome Berliner and their baby son Roland.Obtaining false papers in November 1943 he arranged a people smuggler to take Jakub to Switzerland. He arranged a second journey with Salome Berliner and her infant. Paul and Jadwiga Nguyen had two daughters. Yad Vashem recognized Paul as Righteous on 30 April 2007. Paul Nguyễn Công Anh is the only Vietnamese person so recognized. His decorations included the Knight of the Legion of Honour.