Madame Nhu

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Trần, but is often simplified to Tran in English-language text. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Xuân.

Trần Lệ Xuân
Madame Nhu in the 1950s
First Lady of South Vietnam
de facto
In role
26 October 1955 – 2 November 1963
PresidentNgo Dinh Diem
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byNguyễn Thị Mai Anh
Personal details
Born(1924-08-22)22 August 1924
Hanoi, Tonkin, French Indochina
Died24 April 2011(2011-04-24) (aged 86)[1]
Rome, Italy
Political partyCần Lao
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1943; died 1963)​
Relations
Children
Parent
Alma materLycée Albert Sarraut
Signature

Trần Lệ Xuân (22 August 1924[2] – 24 April 2011), more popularly known in English as Madame Nhu, was the de facto First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. She was the wife of Ngô Đình Nhu, who was the brother and chief advisor to President Ngô Đình Diệm. As Diệm was a lifelong bachelor and because she and her family lived in Independence Palace together with him, she was considered to be the first lady.

Known for her incendiary comments that attacked and severely denounced the Buddhist community of South Vietnam and the strong U.S. influence and presence in the country, she went to live in exile in France after her husband, Nhu, and her brother-in-law, Diệm, were assassinated in 1963.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference death-bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Joseph R. Gregory (26 April 2011). "Madame Nhu, Vietnam War Lightning Rod, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2011.