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Ngo Dinh Diem claimed to have come from one of the great families of Vietnam which had the reputation of being honorable and bringing good luck. They also claimed to have been one of the very few Vietnamese people to first embrace Catholic religion.

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As France tightened its hold over Vietnam in the 1880s, anti-Catholic violence grew worse; Catholicism was identified with the foreign oppressor, and Catholic Vietnamese held to their faith at a ghastly price.
As a result, the Ngo clan was attacked by a Buddhist mob that raided their village and burned over 100 members in a Church.

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Nguyen Huu Bai, the Catholic head of the council of ministers in Hue, took interest in Diem's patriotism, religious views(along with family ties). Diem swiftly went from district to province chief at age 25.

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After being constantly ignored for more self-government from the French, Diem's primary focus as a mandarin was his pursuit in stopping Communism and the mass demonstrations. He took pride in being one of the first Vietnamese officials to recognize the communist resistance movement and to work for the French.

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Promoted as ministry interior by emperor Bao Dai, Diem only 32, assumed control of the most important ministry in Bao Dai's cabinet. However, less than 3 months, Diem resigned after the French rejected all of his proposed administrative reforms

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Viet Minh (communist Vietnamese led by Ho Chi Minh)

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Viet Minh (communist Vietnamese led by Ho Chi Minh)

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Suspecting that Bao Dai might be willing to share power with Ho Chi Minh, Diem set out from Saigon to Hue to warn the emperor not to. In 1945, Diem was taken into custody and his hatred for the Viet Minh was solidified when he learned that his brother Khoi and nephew were buried alive in September.

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Ho Chi Minh propose Diem to be ministry interior because he wanted to attract Vietnam's Catholic minorities to support his leadership. However, Diem refused his offer because of the killing of his brother and nephew and countless of other people. He was not moved by Ho's system of government and he was adamant about it

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French infantry and armored divisions re-occupation of Vietnam in November 1946 initiated the 1st IndoChina War

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Washington felt that it was necessary to support a third force that was neither communist nor colonialist, undergoing struggle for independence. This was also an ideology that Diem shared.

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Truce agreement at the 1954 Geneva Convention

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Truce agreement at the 1954 Geneva Convention

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The 2 major conditions attached to the truce agreement at the 1954 Geneva Convention were the end of hostility between the Viet Minh and the French, and being bound by the results of the the elections whether they be a socialist gov or a capitalist democracy. This created a demarcation line along the 17th parallel that "temporarily" divided Vietnam into two political entities.

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The Viet Minh pushed to partition south of the 17th parallel, so that the ancient capital of Hue would be in their territory, and nationwide elections would be held in six months instead of two years, with a more or less guaranteed communist vote for Ho Chi Minh.

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The Viet Minh ultimately conceded to the terms of the truce agreement because they knew that they were in an unstable alliance(China&Soviet). This made it very difficult to win or even prepare for war and so, ultimately, they were forced to comply

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South Vietnam was in disarray after the First Indochina War because of the lack of proper structure caused by the Viet Minh. There was no order/justice system and civilians were left to fend for themselves

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The Lansdale psywar team spread rumors of the Viet Minh claiming they made a deal with Red China to allow 2 divisions of troops to circulate in North Vietnam. They also claimed that they were raping and pillaging while authorities in Hanoi did absolutely nothing. Lansdale also used US funds to hire a soothsayer who had visions of disasters that will come with the Communist party while the South will prosper. Danger would follow for anyone who lived in the north

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The religious rumor that Lansdale's psywar team spread to urge people to move south was the Communist ideology of being conservative and not allowing the freedom of religion. They achieved this by creating propaganda of communists closing the cathedral and forcing those to pray under a picture of Ho Chi Minh

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Eisenhower Era (1953-61) double narratives

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Eisenhower Era (1953-61) double narratives

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The two narratives about Diem during the Eisenhower Era were those painted by South Vietnam and the US. In South Vietnam, Diem was painted as corrupt since he was perceived as growing more towards the side of Communism. In the US however, Diem was painted to be a Miracle Man who proved his worth by leading South Vietnam to freedom

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Diem's victory in 1955 referendum on Bao Dai

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Diem's victory in 1955 referendum on Bao Dai

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Diem ensured victory during the 1955 referendum on Bao Dai using propaganda to portray Bao Dai as an incompetent leader in every aspect, in comparison to himself.

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The constitution gave Diem the power to issue+change existing laws, freedom to appoint or dismiss any officers&officials and the right to rule by emergency that basically gives him full control.

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Ngo Dinh Nhu's role in the South Vietnamese government was to seek support for Diem among noncommunist Vietnamese during Diem's four-year exile from his homeland, as well as offer his advice.
Nepotism was an essential part of Diem's rule because he was unable to find trust in anyone else outside of his family. This also enabled him to work alongside those who were loyal to him.

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The Can Lao political party operated in a similar fashion to communist organizations as they had cadres, cells, and other features that enabled its agents to infiltrate the army, the national assembly, the police, the educational system, and the media. By 1956 Can Lao personnel controlled every facet of the administrative apparatus of South Vietnam, spying on potential traitors, pressuring government and army officials to join the party, and using torture and assassination to stifle dissent.

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The Anti-Communist Denunciation Campaign backfired because Diem's arrest and execution for anyone considered a danger "to the defense of the state and public order", caused him to lose many loyal supporters. Even normal civilian and their families were being punished

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Diem refused to hold the 1956 all-Vietnam elections that were scheduled at the Geneva Convention in 1954 because he did not want no parts in accepting the legitimacy of the Geneva Accords and Ho Chi Minh's regime

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Diem refused to hold the 1956 all-Vietnam elections that were scheduled at the Geneva Convention in 1954 because he did not want no parts in accepting the legitimacy of the Geneva Accords and Ho Chi Minh's regime

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Land ownership had previously been a problem in Vietnam because tenants were giving up 50-70 percent of their crop in rent and were always in debt. Nearly the whole of the Mekong Delta was owned by absentee land owners, while they were worked by tenants

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The communists in North Vietnam used violent methods of execution of landlords or sent them to forced labor camps.

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Diem and his regime gave tenants more farming rights by allowing them access to uncultivated land; and also reduced the amount of crops landlords are able to claim

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The tenant farmers didn't like Diem's new policies because they had stopped paying rent due to war, but now rent payments resume to normal. Land owners didnt like it because the rent they were collecting were too low.
Diem's land reforms were "almost wholly negative" because not much of the tenant population actually received new land while landlords still owned the majority of it

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The CIP was more favorable than directly injecting the South Vietnamese economy with money because it allowed for more regulated inflation, progress in industrialization and economical self-sufficiency.
The government and The Army of the Republic of Vietnam benefitted from the CIP, as well as urban middle class who were able to get business licenses for factory work

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People in the country/rural side who still dealt with poverty were not benefitted from the CIP. This is because much of its priority revolved around aiding the urban middle class and upperclasses while neglecting the entire populace. This caused blockades in terms of true economic self-suffiency.

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The Battle of Ap Bac was supposed to be in favor of the US and the ARVN forces because they had high tech equipment and the element of surprise. However, this backfired and the soldiers were unwilling to work together. The VC was able to win the battle but they fled the location, which could be seen as a win for the US.

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A Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, protested reforms during Diem's regime by setting himself on fire in one of Saigon's major boulevards right before 10 AM

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After the pagoda raids, the new US ambassador changed his approach of dealing with Diem's regime by engineering a coup.

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The ARVN generals struggled with the recruitment of  Brigadier General Ton That Dinh to their side while carrying out a coup. His support was crucial because of his position as military governor of Saigon. The dissident generals also faced an obstacle with CIA station chief, John Richardson who could tell Nhu about an impending coup. The lack of cohesion in the generals' own ranks further aggravated the struggle with trust and betrayal.

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France's ambassador to South Vietnam, Lalouette, and Indian chair of the International Control Committee (ICC),Goburdhun, used the Polish delegate of the ICC, to facilitate dialogue between the tension of Hanoi and Saigon. Ho Chi Minh was also pressured with war taking place in North Vietnam by  the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

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Ho Chi Minh would have consented to a federated government instead of a coalition government if Vietnam reunified in 1963. Besides the fact that "The Americans have to leave".However, in a federate government, Diem wouldn't have been in control for more than 6 months. He would have to struggle to even hold his position within those six months due to his own principles that he has held for decades with his life.

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Diem was eventually arrested at St.Francis Xavier church. He was killed between the time of his arrest and the convoy's 11 o'clock arrival at JGS. The coup lasted 17 hrs.