Tham was born on June 25th, 1925. Tham's father was Hồ and her mother was Can Nguyễn Hữu. Her paternal grandparents were Mạnh Cung and Hoan (Loan) Đỗ. She has three brothers and two sisters, named Ban, Hoan, Ký, Bột and Bật. She is the third youngest of the six children.