White Pebble

No other Vietnamese family in modern time had such an intense involvement in high politics and public affairs as the Ngô-Đìnhs. Through the tenure of President Ngô-Đình Diệm of the Republic of Vietnam (1955–1963), this family helped shape Vietnamese history in numerous ways. President Diệm’s rule in South Vietnam was perceived by many to be authoritarian and nepotistic, but it is important for historians in general and for anyone interested in Vietnamese history in particular to learn more about his family members who played such important roles in his government. How did they see themselves, their country, and their compatriots? How did each member of the family think of others? How did they view the family’s role in history? Sixty years after the death Ngô-Đình Nhu, English-language readers can now learn about Madame Ngô-Đình Nhu’s life from her own words and recollections. Of all the Ngô-Đìnhs, Madame Ngô-Đình Nhu (Trần Lệ Xuân) was perhaps the most controversial figure. In this posthumous memoir translated from French,

Madame Nhu narrates important events in her life, from her childhood to her marriage to Mr. Nhu, from her time in Huế during the Franco-Vietnamese war to the happy years of the Diệm government, and from her forced exile to the last days of her life. A complex individual and a strong-willed woman who refused to accept the terrible hands fate dealt her, Madame Nhu bared her pains, lamented the plight of Vietnam, and railed against the foreign powers that meddled in Vietnamese affairs. In an essay accompanying their mother’s narrative in The White Pebble, the late Ngô-Đình Lệ Quyên and Ngô-Đình Quỳnh (along with Jacqueline Willemetz) join their mother to defend the integrity of the Diệm government and the Ngô-Đình family against their critics. By telling the family’s history alongside that of the Vietnamese nation, Ngô-Đình Nhu’s children wanted to demonstrate the sincerity and depth of patriotism in the family.

This book not only provides a unique account of Madame Nhu and the Ngô-Đình family by its members but also illuminates politics in Republican Vietnam and its troubled relationship with the United States.

Tuong Vu is Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon, where he has taught since 2008. He has held visiting appointments at Princeton University and the National University of Singapore. He is the founding director of the US-Vietnam Research Center based at the Global Studies Institute, University of Oregon. His research has focused on the comparative politics of state formation, development, and revolutions in East and Southeast Asia. He is the author and co-editor of nine books and many other publications.

Madame Ngô Đình Nhu (1924–2011) was the influential and controversial de facto First Lady of South Vietnam, known as the Dragon Lady for her sharp political acumen and outspoken nature. As the wife of Ngô Đình Nhu, brother and advisor to President Ngô Đình Diệm, she wielded significant political influence. She was also known by her given name, Trần Lệ Xuân.