Compared with her husband and brother-in-law, she relished the limelight. It was always a virtuoso performance. Americans got a firsthand look at Nhu in the fall of , when she arrived for a three-week tour of several U.
She denied that her husband was the real ruler of South Vietnam and mocked American economic aid, particularly shipments of milk, which was foreign to Vietnamese diets. She said her father, Tran Van Chuong, who had recently quit as ambassador to the U.
At nearly every stop, news stories took note of her imperially long, lacquered nails, her bodice-hugging tunics and her diminutive height, which was reported to be 5 feet 2 in stilettos. On Nov. She soon learned that her husband and President Diem had been slain in the takeover. She wasted no time accusing the U. Mobbed by reporters, she went into seclusion at the Bel-Air mansion of friends. An aide said she had been left penniless by the coup.
She eventually flew to Rome, where she and her four children sought refuge with another brother-in-law, Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc. In Saigon immediately after the coup, an angry mob had attacked a statue of the Trung sisters that she had built. They beheaded the one that was said to have been carved in the likeness of the Dragon Lady. Tragedies continued to strike her family. In , one of her daughters was killed in a car crash. In , her parents were found murdered in their Washington, D.
Her brother, Tran Van Khiem, was accused in the deaths by prosecutors who theorized that he strangled them after learning he had been disinherited. Deemed mentally unfit, he was never tried and was held in an institution until But she preferred to compare herself to a dragonfly from a famous Vietnamese song.
Elaine Woo is a Los Angeles native who has written for her hometown paper since She left The Times in Dinh Bo Linh was the first emperor of Vietnam after the country was liberated from Chinese rule. Whilst his reign was relatively short-lived, he nevertheless played an important role in Vietnamese political history, defeating the notorious 'Twelve Warlords', who had previously been the cause of anarchy and civil wars in the country. Le Hoan also played an important role in the country's history, quelling two Chinese invasions.
Spend some time exploring these temples, which are nestled amongst lush greenery with a backdrop of limestone hills. Whilst the interiors of the temples are relatively small, they are wonderfully intricate, featuring lacquered pillars, ornate shrines and interesting statues.
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