In 1948 a young Vietnamese nobleman set off from Hanoi for the family estate to be with his wife, who was expecting another child. Along the way, he stayed overnight at the estate of a relative. The following day, a French patrol came to the local village, searching for resistance fighters. Most of the village went into hiding. The few who remained were herded into a courtyard: “a handful of elders, cripples, drunkards, and one oversleeper”. Three were immediately shot as suspected sympathisers with the Viet Minh. The soldiers threatened to shoot the nobleman. He spoke up for himself in…