Marco Polo was an Asia.
Xuan Thuy -LRB- September 2 , 1912 -- June 20 , 1985 -RRB- was a North Vietnamese political figure .. He was the Foreign Minister of North Vietnam from 1963 to 1965 and then chief negotiator of the North Vietnamese at the Paris Peace talks .. North Vietnam. North Vietnam. Paris Peace talks. Paris Peace Accords. Thuy was born in Ha Đong Province in Northern Vietnam on September 2 , 1912 .. Ha Đong Province. Ha Đong Province. His name means `` spring water '' .. He was educated at a French school in Hanoi .. Hanoi. Hanoi. Becoming interested in nationalist politics in his early teens , the fourteen-year-old Thuy entered the Revolutionary Youth League of the communist leader Ho Chi Minh .. Revolutionary Youth League. Revolutionary Youth League. Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh. At sixteen , he was arrested for the first time .. When he was eighteen , he was sent to the penal colony on Con Son Island in the South China Sea .. penal colony. penal colony. Con Son Island. Con Son Island. South China Sea. South China Sea. Two further jail terms followed .. In 1938 , Thuy became a member of the Indochina Communist Party .. Indochina Communist Party. Indochina Communist Party. After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 , he was imprisoned in Son La , being held there for six years until the end of the war in 1945 .. Son La. Son La. However , he used his internment to edit the underground communist newspaper Suoi Reo .. Suoi Reo. Suoi Reo. After his release , Thuy became the editor and director of the newspaper Cuu quoc , the official organ of the Viet Minh national liberation movement formed by Ho Chi Minh in 1941 in opposition to both French and Japanese control over the country .. Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh. Cuu quoc. Cuu quoc. Viet Minh. Viet Minh. In 1946 , he then became a member of the National Assembly of the just-proclaimed Democratic Republic of Vietnam .. National Assembly. National Assembly of Vietnam. The Assembly was started by the Viet Minh as a vehicle of resistance against French colonial rule in what would become the First Indochina War .. Viet Minh. Viet Minh. French colonial rule. French Indochina. First Indochina War. First Indochina War. Speaking both French and Chinese fluently and known as an expert in agitprop , Thuy traveled both Asia and Europe visiting Vienna , Stockholm , Rangoon , Beijing , and Moscow in 1950 to gather support for the North Vietnamese cause .. agitprop. agitprop. Vienna. Vienna. Stockholm. Stockholm. Rangoon. Rangoon. In 1961 and 1962 , he attended the Geneva Conference on Laos as the deputy chairman of the Vietnamese delegation .. Geneva Conference on Laos. Geneva Conference on Laos. An American diplomat at the meeting described him as `` a top-drawer negotiator , a dreadful fellow to face across the table day after day . ''. In 1963 , he then became Foreign Minister of Vietnam .. Foreign Minister of Vietnam. Foreign Minister of Vietnam. However , in 1965 he had to step down .. Thuy 's health was cited as the reason for his resignation , yet his losing a power struggle , in which he supported a pro-Soviet line , is the more likely cause .. His successor was Nguyen Duy Trinh , an avowed supporter of China in the Sino-Soviet split .. Nguyen Duy Trinh. Nguyen Duy Trinh. Sino-Soviet split. Sino-Soviet split. Thuy then fell out of favor with the ruling party , but he returned to the political scene in 1968 , as North Vietnam 's chief diplomat at the Paris peace talks .. North Vietnam. North Vietnam. Paris peace talks. Paris Peace Accords. These meetings finally led to American withdrawal from the country .. He was known to use long tirades to test the American negotiators ' endurance during the meetings .. Thuy served briefly as one of the Vice Presidents of Council of State from 1981 to 1982 .. Vice Presidents of Council of State. Vice President of Vietnam. He was also made Vice-Chairman of North Vietnam 's National Assembly , a position he retained until his death .. North Vietnam. North Vietnam. National Assembly. National Assembly of Vietnam. Xuan Thuy is known to have been married with children , but how many and whether they are still alive was kept secret .. Thuy died of heart failure in Hanoi on June 20 , 1985 .. Hanoi. Hanoi. heart failure. heart failure