Đèo Văn Long Explained

The Honorable
Đèo Văn Long
Succession:Lord of Sip Song Chau Tai
Coronation:1908
Regent:Deo Van An
Predecessor:Đèo Văn Trị
Successor:Deo Nang Toï
Birth Date:15 March 1887
Birth Place:Muong Lai, Lai Châu province, Tonkin Protectorate
Death Place:Toulouse, France

Đèo Văn Long (15 March 1887  - 20 November 1975) was the White Tai leader of the Autonomous Tai Federation of Northwestern Tonkin in post-war French Indochina.[1]

Auguste Pavie had allied with his father Đèo Văn Trị and France recognised him as leader of Sip Song Chau Tai in 1890.[2] He was the scion of a hereditary feudal noble line with roots in Yunnan province. Đèo Văn Long generated much revenue for the Federation by acting as a middleman in the opium traffic between the Tai Federation and the French. He compelled the Hmong of the Federation to sell to him at below-market prices, thus making enormous profit from his sales to the French. This made him rich, but severed his relationship with the Hmong of the Federation, who supported the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War. His use of force to suppress Hmong resistance also decreased his popularity with the Hmong. As the Điện Biên Phủ campaign came to an end, he was helicoptered away from Lai Châu to Hanoi. He went first to Laos, then later immigrated to France as a refugee, but died shortly thereafter. His sons had died in battle leading White Tai partisans against the Viet Minh, so in France leadership of the clan line was succeeded by his daughter Deo Nang Toï.[2]

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Notes and References

  1. Vietnam - Guide Michelin, 2010 Page 232 "Nommé gouverneur du district par l'administration coloniale en 1940, Deo Van Long devint de fait le suzerain non seulement des Thaïs blancs de Muong Te et de Phong To, mais aussi des Thaïs noirs de Son La. Lorsqu'en 1945 le Viet-minh essaima à partirde sa base du Nord-Vietnam (voir « Histoire», p. 120), Deo Van Long quitta le pays pour la France, où il participa à... Réfugié au Laos, il gagna ensuite la France et mourut à Toulouse en 1975"
  2. Web site: DEO FAMILY most recent Tai country Leaders. 2011-03-13. 2009-09-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20090911023708/http://deovanlong.org/deofamily/history.htm. dead.