Nguyễn was born in 1914. Nguyễn's father was Giảng and her mother was Ba (Hạ) Trần. Her paternal grandfather was Điều and her paternal grandmother is <Unknown>. She had a brother and four sisters, named Bá Tuân, Giám, Đang, Ngọ and Trang. She was the youngest of the six children.