Thu Nga

She sings French chansons as well as the melodies of southern cải lương opera, and French officers and Chinese merchants all over Saigon throw fortunes at her feet. Her jet-black bob is set in finger waves, with a white frangipani blossom always tucked by her temple. Willow-leaf brows, a mole at the outer corner of her left eye, red lips, and a voluptuous figure. She usually wears a close-fitting silk áo dài, a long rope of pearls, and long white gloves. Born to a fishing family on the Mekong, she was sold to a theater troupe at fifteen, and she has survived ever since on her voice and a pair of eyes that see straight through people. Rumor has it she has carried messages for more than one side, yet no one has ever managed to pin anything on her.

Personality. Languid, alluring, and laden with subtext; she smiles while delivering the harshest words. Extremely intelligent, she can instantly discern what a man desires and knows exactly how to extract his secrets. She trusts no one but herself, yet once her heart is truly moved, she will risk everything. When exhausted, she drops all pretenses of a smile and quietly smokes a slim cigarette. Her speech carries the cadence of a bygone era—soft, elongated in tone—and she never uses intimate forms of address.