Madame Nguyễn Cao Kỳ

Madame Nguyen Cao Ky
First Lady of South Vietnam
In office
19 June 1965 – 31 October 1967
Personal details
Born Hanoi, French Indochina
Spouse(s) Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Religion Buddhist

Đặng Tuyết Mai, also known as Madame Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (1942) is the former wife of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, former South Vietnamese air force commander and politician, who served as Prime Minister of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, and then as Vice President until his retirement from politics in 1971.[1] Some sources have referred to Madame Đặng Tuyết Mai as the former First Lady of South Vietnam while others as the former second lady since her ex-husband's highest position in the former South Vietnam was Vice President and not President (the prime minister's position was head of government but not head of state.) She was an Air Vietnam stewardess before she married General Ky, then the chief of staff of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.[2][3]

While her husband served as Prime Minister and Vice President she would travel around South Vietnam along with him wearing a military flight suit to show solidarity with the armed forces.[4] In December 1966, she traveled to Tokyo's Jujin Hospital of Cosmetic Surgery, for surgery under the name of Miss Dang Tuyet Mai of South Vietnam, which was reported by Time magazine.[5]

Exile

During the Fall of Saigon, her husband had made arrangements for her and their children to be evacuated, while he fled by helicopter during Operation Frequent Wind, landing aboard the USS Blue Ridge, reunited they went into exile in the United States, settling in California. She has since divorced and moved back to Vietnam,[6] where she manages the restaurant Phở Ta[7] Her daughter, Kỳ Duyên, is a well-known personality in the overseas Vietnamese entertainment industry (usually in the role of MC for musical programs).

References

  1. Chuyện tình hoa khôi Đặng Tuyết Mai và ông Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
  2. Mai Nguyễn Đọc hồi ký của các tướng tá Sàigon xuất bản ở nứơc ngòai 2000 p78 "NGUYỄN CAO KỸ - ĐẶNG TUYẾT MAI: MỘT THỜI ĐỂ YÊU VÀ MỘT THỜI... ĐAO CHÍNH! Trên chuyến máy bay sang Thái Lan vào năm 1964, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ bị hớp hôn bởi “một sấc đẹp cổ kính nhât” của cô tiếp viên hàng không Đặng ..."
  3. https://secure.flickr.com/photos/35715468@N05/3307899337/
  4. http://hoanghaithuy.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/caoky_tuyetmai.jpg
  5. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840754,00.html
  6. moved back to Vietnam
  7. restaurant https://secure.flickr.com/photos/18853170@N04/3922247462/in/photostream/
Preceded by
Madame Khánh
First Lady of South Vietnam
1965–67
Succeeded by
Madame Thiệu
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