Nguyễn Văn Lém was a captain in the Viet Cong and was known by the code name Bảy Lốp.
Execution Nguyễn Văn Lém was a captain in the Viet Cong and was known by the code name Bảy Lốp. His wife, Nguyễn Thị Lốp, explained that his code name consisted of "Bảy" for the seventh son,[ whose? ] and "Lốp" from her own name. Lém was captured by South Vietnamese troops while wearing civilian clothing near Saigon's Ấn Quang Pagoda on 1 February 1968, amid the Tet Offensive, a massive surprise attack by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. He was brought to Brigadier General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, Chief of the Republic of Vietnam National Police, at 252 Ngô Gia Tự Street, District 10 (10.7638°N 106.671°E), near the present-day Chùa Trấn Quốc temple. The 36-year-old Lém was accused of murdering South Vietnamese Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Tuân, his wife, six children, and the officer's 80-year-old mother. He was allegedly captured near a mass grave of approximately thirty civilians. Loan summa...