Nguyên was born in 1923. Nguyên's father was Kha and her mother is Lục Vũ Đức. Her paternal grandparents were Mạnh Cung and Hoan (Loan) Đỗ. She had three brothers and four sisters, named Nha, Pha, Du, Phách, Hanh, Càn and Nguyệt. She is the second youngest of the eight children.