| Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu |
Article Index for Madame |
Website Links For Madame |
Information AboutMadame Ngo Dinh Nhu |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MADAME NGO DINH NHU | |
| people of the vietnam war | |
| vietnamese anti-communists | |
| vietnamese feminists | |
| vietnamese roman catholics | |
| ngo family | |
| buddhist converts to catholicism | |
| anti-buddhism | |
| 1924 births | |
| living people | |
|
BIOGRAPHY In 1943 , she married Ngô Ðình Nhu , and converted from Mahayana Buddhism to Roman Catholicism , her husband's religion. Due to the partition of Vietnam and alleged propaganda created by the CIA , they along with thousands of other Vietnamese Catholics migrated to South Vietnam, under the leadership of her husband's brother, Ngô Ðình Diệm . She was influential on government policy and, since her brother-in-law Ngô Ðình Diệm was unmarried, was regarded as the " First Lady " of Vietnam. Madame Nhu attempted to combine Catholicism with herself as a modern reincarnation of Vietnam's fabled Trưng Sisters , who temporarily defeated the invading Han Dynasty Chinese troops in AD 40 . In 1962 , she had a statue erected in Saigon to the memory of the Trưng Sisters and also established the "Women's Solidarity Movement," a female paramilitary organization. During her brother-in-law's presidency Madame Nhu formed military units for women and pushed for the passing of ' Morality Law s'. These included such things as outlawing Abortion , Contraceptive s, Dance halls, Beauty Pageant s, Boxing matches, and Animal Fighting , and closed down the Brothel s and Opium dens. Many people did not appreciate the imposition of Madame Nhu's values on their lives. Madame Nhu was said to be called the " Dragon Lady" because she said she would "clap hands at seeing another Monk Barbecue show." (She was referring to Thích Quảng Ðức , who poured flammable Liquid s over himself and meditated calmly while burning himself to death). She often caused controversy because of her strong anti-Buddhist, pro-Catholic ideology. Her parents disowned her because of her role in the persecution of Buddhists. On November 1 , 1963 her brother-in-law, President Ngô Ðình Diệm, and her husband, Ngô Ðình Nhu, were assassinated in a Coup D'état led by General Dương Văn Minh with the understanding that the United States would not intervene. At the time of the assassinations, Madame Nhu had been in Beverly Hills, California since October, with her daughter, Ngô Le Thuy , for a trip to the United States and Italy , where she intended to expose a scheming President John F. Kennedy and the Catholics to the American public. Her excerpts from her October 13 , 1963 interview on NBCTV's "Meet the Press":
When Madame Nhu learned of the coup d'état, she immediately suspected the United States, saying "Whoever has the Americans as allies does not need enemies." She went on to predict a bleak future for Vietnam and said that, by being involved in the coup, the troubles of the United States in Vietnam were just beginning. LIFE IN EXILE 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 went to Rome briefly before moving permanently to France with her children. In 1964 , she attempted to get a visa to re-enter South Vietnam on security grounds from the United States Department Of State , but it was denied. In the late 1960 s, her daughter Le Thuy was killed in an automobile crash in Paris . On October 16 , 1971 , Madame Nhu was robbed of more than $132,000 worth of jewelry in Rome, which was reported by the New York Times . On November 2 , 1986 , Madame Nhu charged the United States for hounding her family during the arrest of her younger brother, Tran Van Khiem, who was charged in the strangling deaths of their parents, Tran Van Chuong and Nam Tran Chuong in their Washington D.C. home. In the 1990 s, she was reportedly living on the French Riviera and charging the press for interviews. She has been listed in biographical publications as recently as 2001 . QUOTES ''Referring to the practice of self-immolation of Buddhist monks:''
''Refuting the rumors that President Ngô Ðình Diệm and her husband, Ngô Ðình Nhu, had committed suicide:''
''Madame Nhu to Jacqueline Kennedy after President Kennedy's assassination:''
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|