Ngô Đình Diệm

Ngô Đình Diệm was South Vietnam’s first president, ruling from 1955 until his overthrow and assassination in 1963. His authoritarian government faced mounting opposition and relied on U.S. support.

1963 South Vietnamese coup: A military coup that overthrew Ngô Đình Diệm’s government in November 1963 and ended with his assassination. The coup ended Diệm’s rule and exposed the instability of the regime that replaced him.
Can Lao Party: A secretive political organization that supported Ngô Đình Diệm’s government in South Vietnam. The party extended the Ngô family’s influence through state institutions and political surveillance.
August Revolution: The 1945 Vietnamese uprising that ended French colonial rule and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The revolution and its aftermath displaced Diệm from national politics before his return to power.
Hồ Chí Minh: A Vietnamese revolutionary leader who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Việt Minh. Hồ’s communist-led government rivaled Diệm’s state for legitimacy and control of Vietnam.
Buddhist crisis: A 1963 political and religious confrontation between South Vietnam’s Buddhist majority and Diệm’s government. The government’s response to Buddhist protests intensified opposition to Diệm and helped precipitate the coup.
Ngô Đình Nhu: A South Vietnamese politician and Diệm’s younger brother, who served as a close adviser and power broker. Nhu helped direct the regime’s political machinery and security policies.
First Indochina War: A war from 1946 to 1954 between France and the Việt Minh over control of Indochina. The war’s end created the conditions for Diệm’s appointment and the division of Vietnam.
Viet Cong: The communist-led insurgency in South Vietnam, formally known as the National Liberation Front. The insurgency challenged Diệm’s government through armed struggle and political organizing.
United States involvement in the Vietnam War: The political, military, and economic role of the United States in the conflict in Vietnam. U.S. officials backed Diệm, then accepted his removal as confidence in his government collapsed.
Strategic Hamlet Program: A South Vietnamese counterinsurgency program that relocated rural populations into fortified settlements. The program became a prominent test of Diệm’s effort to isolate rural communities from communist insurgents.

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