Raymond Audy was a French publicist and one of T'ang Haywen's closest friends. They met in Paris in 1951 or 1952 at the École des Langues Orientales and remained close until T'ang's death in 1991. Raymond recalled meeting T'ang as an elegant young man, often dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, who lived year-round in a hotel in the Latin Quarter. At the time, T'ang received a generous monthly allowance from his father, a silk merchant in Saigon, which allowed him to enjoy Paris under the best conditions.

Audy, a true Parisian at heart, hailed from the provinces — specifically Touraine, where his family owned a baroque house called Villa Caroline, built by a theatre owner on the banks of the Loire. A passionate lover of theatre, poetry, and literature, Audy introduced T'ang to the troupe of the Antique Theatre of the Sorbonne, where T'ang briefly participated. In 1952–53, T'ang decided to dedicate himself fully to painting, but in 1954, his family ceased sending his monthly allowance. Undeterred, T'ang continued to paint landscapes, plants, flowers, portraits, and still-lifes. Audy supported him by acquiring his works, which he collected throughout his life.

During a stay in Touraine, T'ang painted a remarkable piece set in the "pigeon house" of Villa Caroline, a room that overlooked the surrounding countryside. The painting depicts a brunette, elegant woman seated at a table with an open book, fruits, and flowers. With one hand pressed against her face, she gazes at the viewer with gentleness and serenity. Behind her, large windows open onto the village rooftops and fertile fields. The painting captures a moment of summer tranquility, perhaps hinting at the arrival of Caroline Waldé, an actress whom Raymond met during a theatrical performance and later married. This painting hung in the dining room of Villa Caroline for over forty years before joining an important Parisian collection.

Audy served as a soldier in Algeria, where he met the poet Marc Alyn, whom he introduced to T'ang in 1960. In his 2018 memoirs, Time is a Falcon that Dives, Marc Alyn dedicated a chapter to T'ang, writing: "On the flower corollas born from his hand, bees come to rest." In March 2019, Alyn published a collection of poems in homage to T'ang, titled T'ang l'obscur, Mémorial de l'Encre, illustrated with T'ang's works.

For the rest of his life, T'ang would visit the Audy-Waldé family once or twice a month for dinner or lunch. Audy often remarked that T'ang "spent most of his time exercising his freedom." It was after a Sunday lunch at their home that T'ang, feeling unwell, discovered he had contracted AIDS. The Audy-Waldé family cared for him until his passing on September 9, 1991.

As Philippe Koutouzis noted: "Raymond, Caroline, Janine Waldé (Caroline's sister), and Fabrice Audy (their son) became my most unwavering support, both in my research on T'ang and in the legal battles that followed—now part of the history of T'ang Haywen's oeuvre."