![Photo of Tran Le Xuan (born April 15, 1924 in Hanoi, Vietnam), popularly known as Madame Nhu but more properly Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, was considered the First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. She was the wife of Ngo Dinh Nhu, brother and chief adviser to President Ngo Dinh Diem. As Diem was a lifelong bachelor, and because the Nhus lived in the Independence Palace, she was considered to be the First Lady. Diem often appointed relatives to high positions, so her father became the ambassador to the United States while her mother, a former beauty queen, was South Vietnam's observer at the United Na](https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/madame-nhu-dinh-diem-sister-in-law-VIEP-spring-2023.jpg)
Diem’s sister-in-law, known as Madame Nhu, meddled in politics and became infamous for arrogant and cruel behavior. (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy )
CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy
Diem’s sister-in-law, known as Madame Nhu, meddled in politics and became infamous for arrogant and cruel behavior. (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy )
CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy