Madame Nhu

Madame Nhu (April 15, 1924 – April 24, 2011), also known as Madame Ngô Đình Nhu and born Trần Lệ Xuân, was considered the First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. In 1943, she married Ngô Đình Nhu, and converted from Mahayana Buddhism to Roman Catholicism, her husband's religion. She was influential on government policy and, since her brother-in-law Ngô Đình Diệm was unmarried, was regarded as the "First Lady" of Vietnam. Madame Nhu was sometimes called the "Dragon Lady". She often caused controversy because of her strong anti-Buddhist, pro-Catholic ideology. On November 1, 1963 her brother-in-law and her husband were assassinated in a coup d'état led by General Dương Văn Minh with the understanding that the United States would not intervene. At that time she was in the United States. The military government of Vietnam under General Dương Văn Minh confiscated all of her family's property in Saigon and she was not allowed to return to South Vietnam. She lived in exile in Europe until her death.

Quotes

• I believe all the devils in hell are against us but we will triumph eventually because we have the Devil on our side.
  • In response to Diệm and Nhu, assassination in a coup d’état led by General Dương Văn Minh (Armed Forces Council)

• Any crime committed against the Ngo family cannot be hidden under the label of suicide. I affirm that suicide has always been considered incompatible with our religion.
  • Addressing the claim that President Ngo Dinh Diem and her husband Ngo Dinh Nhu committed suicide (3 November 1963)

• Let them burn and we shall clap our hands.
  • Langguth, A. J. (2000). Our Vietnam: the war, 1954–1975.  p.216. Referring to the immolation of Buddhist monks including Thích Quảng Đức in 1963.

• If one has no courage to denounce, if one bows to madness and stupidity, how can one ever hope to cope with the other wrongs of humanity exploited in the same fashion by Communists?
  • "Letters to the Times: Mrs. Nhu Defends Stand", The New York Times, 14 August 1963. Referring to the self-immolation of Buddhist monks protesting government actions.

• I may shock some by saying 'I would beat such provocateurs ten times more if they wore monks robes,' and 'I would clap hands at seeing another monk barbecue show, for one can not be responsible for the madness of others.
  • Jones, Howard (2003). Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam War. pp.292-293
  • "Letters to the Times: Mrs. Nhu Defends Stand", The New York Times, 14 August 1963. Referring to the self-immolation of Buddhist monks protesting government actions.

• Whoever has the Americans as allies does not need any enemies.
  • Jones (2003) Death of a Generation p.407. November 2nd, 1963, following the assassination of her husband and brother-in-law.

References

• Jones, Howard (2003). Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam War. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195052862.
• Langguth, A. J. (2000). Our Vietnam: the war, 1954–1975. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81202-9. 
• "Letters to the Times: Mrs. Nhu Defends Stand", The New York Times, 14 August 1963