Trần Văn Khiêm was the younger brother of Madame Ngô Đình Nhu

Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu

Trần Lệ Xuân , popularly known as Madame Nhu, was considered the first lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. She was the wife of Ngo Dinh Nhu who was the brother and chief adviser to President Ngo Dinh Diem...

, the former First Lady

First Lady

First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...

 of South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

, and a Vietnamese politician and public servant.

Khiêm was a press officer for South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm

Ngo Dinh Diem

Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...

.

In 1963, during the Buddhist crisis

Buddhist crisis

The Buddhist crisis was a period of political and religious tension in South Vietnam from May 1963 to November 1963 characterized by a series of repressive acts by the South Vietnamese government and a campaign of civil resistance, led mainly by Buddhist monks....

, with relations between the U.S. and South Vietnam deteriorating, Khiêm drew up a hit list

Hit list

Hit list or The Hit List may refer to:*Hit List , starring Jan-Michael Vincent*Hit List , a Canadian television series*The Hit List , featuring Cuba Gooding, Jr.*The Hit List...

 of American officials.

In the September 1963 legislative elections, Khiêm stood for the National Assembly for a seat in Vĩnh Long

Vinh Long

Vĩnh Long is the capital of the Vinh Long province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The name was spelled 永隆 in the former Hán Tự writing system....

, 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.

In 1986, he was charged with killing his parents, Trần Văn Chuơng

Tran Van Chuong

Trần Văn Chương was South Vietnam's ambassador to the United States in the early 1960s and the father of the country's de facto first lady, Madame Nhu .-Family life:...

 and Madame Chuơng, in their Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

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

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

during the reign of Ngô Đình Diệm. He was ruled unfit for trial on grounds of mental incompetence.