Patrick James Honey (16 December 1922 – 17 August 2005) was an Irish-born Vietnamese language scholar and historian.
In 1949, Honey was recruited to take up the Vietnamese language, which was considered very difficult, requiring a special aptitude from classics graduates to master.
[citation needed] From 1949 to 1965 he served as the first Lecturer in Annamese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
With a lot of difficulties and at considerable risk, Honey was able to make it to Hanoi to conduct his research and study the local language.
This period was very valuable, since in 1954, the Geneva Agreements partitioned the country into two-halves, and North Vietnam was not accessible for a long time.
[citation needed] He became a valuable source of knowledge about Southeast Asia and its cultures, languages, and politics.
In 1965 Honey was promoted to Reader in Vietnamese Studies in the University of London, a post he held until 1985.
After 1975, when Saigon fell, as the boat people flooded the outside world, his language skills were called upon to brief both officials and refugees from Vietnam.
[citation needed] From the 1950s Honey wrote many articles about Vietnamese language, history, and politics.