Ngô Đình Diệm's father was Ngô Đình Khả, who was a mandarin in the Vietnamese Empire and later the French colonial government. He was a Catholic and a member of the upper class. Diệm's father was also a strong nationalist, and he was involved in the struggle for Vietnamese independence from France.
Diving into Diem's Domain: A Quiz on Ngo Dinh Diem, the Enigmatic President of South Vietnam