Alexander de Rhodes was a 17th-century Jesuit missionary and linguist, born in 1591 in Avignon, France. He is best known for his role in introducing the Latin alphabet to Vietnamese language, which significantly influenced its development. His work helped to create a written form of Vietnamese that was more accessible to the people. De Rhodes arrived in Vietnam in 1627 and spent many years there, promoting Christianity and studying the local culture. He published several important works, including a Vietnamese-Latin dictionary and a catechism, which contributed to the spread of Christianity in the region and laid the groundwork for future linguistic studies.