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| Madame Ngô Đình Nhu and Lyndon Baines Johnson, 12 May 1961. (Photo: United States Federal Government/LBJ Library) |
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
The woman who was once first lady of the country then known as South Vietnam has died in Rome, where she had been living in exile.
Italian officials announced Wednesday that Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, who served as official hostess to her unmarried brother-in-law, President Ngo Dinh Diem, died on Sunday at an estimated age of 87.
Madame Nhu's husband, the president's brother, had served as head of Vietnam's secret police.
Born Tran Le Xuan, a name meaning “beautiful spring,” she gained a reputation for being assertive and outspoken. Americans nicknamed her “the Dragon Lady” after a character in a popular comic.
She fled into exile after both her husband and the president died in a coup in 1963.
From Poisoned_Dragon1964:
ReplyDeleteIn Rome, no less; a permanent guest of the Catholic Church, which had enjoyed privileges during her husband's administration.