At the end of 1888, when the Can Vuong movement was at its height, King Ham Nghi was captured by the French. In 1889, King Ham Nghi was imprisoned by the French colonialists in El Biar village.
Although living in a foreign country, King Ham Nghi worked hard to learn French and kept the traditional Vietnamese way of dressing with a turban and ao dai.
In 1904, King Ham Nghi married Mrs. Laloe, daughter of the judge of the Alger court, and gave birth to three children, princess Nguyen Phuc Nhu Mai, princess Nguyen Phuc Nhu Ly, and prince Minh Duc.
In the book "The Royal Concubines, Princesses, and Court Ladies of the Nguyen Dynasty" by author Ton That Binh, it is written that Princess Nhu Mai was sent to Paris to study, took the entrance exam to the University of Agriculture and Forestry, and passed fifth.
During her time studying, the princess was a good student, winning the title of valedictorian and master's degree, surpassing many French people.
The book writes, Princess Nhu Mai returned to Algiers to live with King Ham Nghi and his wife, then returned to France to work and continue studying, earning a degree in Chemistry.
She worked at the French Agricultural Research Institute, then went to Correze province to support poor people with farming techniques and was respected by the people.
Researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan said that when Princess Nhu Mai was in college, she had a simple lifestyle like King Ham Nghi, and dressed like Vietnamese women, unlike French women at that time.
Although she lives in Correze (France), Princess Nhu Mai always remembers her childhood at the Gia Long villa (Alger).
After King Ham Nghi died, she and her brothers Nhu Ly and Minh Duc brought the king's remains from Algeria to France to be buried in the family cemetery in Thonac village, Dordogne province, near Correze province.
King Ham Nghi's wife, Mrs. Laloe, also followed princesses Nhu Ly and Nhu Mai to live in France. In 1974, Princess Laloe died and was buried in the mausoleum where King Ham Nghi was buried.
To show filial piety to her parents, Princess Nhu Mai decided not to get married and stay single to worship her parents.
According to the National Museum of History, the most valuable assets King Ham Nghi left behind are paintings. King Ham Nghi's family never sold King Ham Nghi's paintings.
However, when Princess Nhu Mai met close people who once loved King Ham Nghi, she often took King Ham Nghi's paintings to give them as souvenirs.
Princess Nhu Mai's younger sister - Princess Nhu Ly is also a well-educated and talented person. She graduated with a doctorate in medicine and married Duke François Barthomivat de la Besse.
Prince Minh Duc used to be an officer in the French army. The prince married a French woman named Dolly, however, the two had no children.
