Trần Bạch Đằng (July 15, 1926 – April 16, 2007) was a Vietnamese researcher, writer, and journalist. He was also a veteran politician, serving as former Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization and former Secretary of the Saigon Municipal Committee. Under the pen name Nguyễn Trương Thiên Lý, Trần Bạch Đằng is the author of the novel "Ván bài lật ngửa" about an agent working in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, based on the real life figure of Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo. The novel is adapted into a famous film series, considered a classic in Vietnamese cinema, by director Lê Hoàng Hoa (also known as Khôi Nguyên).