Trần Văn Khiêm is the younger brother of Madame Ngô Đình Nhu, the former First Lady of

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, and a

ese politician, lawyer and public servant. He was a press officer for South Vietnamese President

Ngô Đình Diệm Ngô Đình Diệm ( , or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician who was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955) and later the first president of South Vietnam ( Republic of ...

Political career

In 1963, during the Buddhist crisis, with relations between the United States and South Vietnam deteriorating, Khiêm drew up a hit list of American officials. In the September 1963 legislative elections, Khiêm stood for the National Assembly for a seat in

Vĩnh Long Vĩnh Long ɨn˨˩˦:lawŋ˧˧is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Geography Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 200,120 (as of 2018). The name was spelled 永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the form ...

, which he subsequently won. At the same time, he was estranged from his sister and her husband, who suspected him of handing over sensitive information about the government.

Family

He had a child with Mireille Sautereau named Pierre in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Criminal charges

In 1986, Khiêm was charged with killing his parents, Trần Văn Chuơng and Madame Chuơng, in their

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, home. Chuơng had been South Vietnam's ambassador to the United States and observer at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

under the rule of his daughter's brother-in-law,

. Khiêm was ruled unfit for trial on grounds of mental incompetence.

Deportation

In 1993, then 68, he was released from

St. Elizabeths Hospital St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. The hospital opened in 1855 under the name Government Hospital for th ...

, when D.C. Superior Court Judge Curtis E. von Kann found that Khiem would never be competent to assist in his own defense. Immigration Judge John Milo Bryant ordered that Khiem be deported, and Immigration and Naturalization Service officials took him to Dulles International Airport, where he boarded a flight to France. Judge Frees Man Accused of Strangling Diplomat Parents October 22, 1993
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tran, Van Khiem Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Vietnamese anti-communists Members of the National Assembly (South Vietnam) Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) People deported from the United States Vietnamese emigrants to France Living people