Meeting the man who played Robert McNamara's would-be assassin

Random conversations with the elderly of Hanoi have long been a highlight of my time in the city. On a recent visit, I met a delightful 82 year old Mr Binh, an actor and singer who found fame in the 60s and 70s playing Nguyen Van Troi in a popular stage play. Nguyen Van Troi is a Vietnamese national hero. A communist who plotted to assassinate Robert McNamara during the US Defence Secretary's 1963 visit to Saigon. His plot was foiled and he was executed in 1964. To this day, he's one of the best known southern revolutionaries - with streets and markets named after him. His story is also told in history museums throughout the country. Mr Binh was a delight.