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Diem graduates top of his class and begins work in government service. Through the years Diem is able to rise through positions quickly due to family ties to Bai and shared Catholic faith.

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May 1933 - Diem Becomes Minister of the Interior

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May 1933 - Diem Becomes Minister of the Interior

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Diem assumes the position of minister of the interior. This was mostly due to his familial connections to Bai and his previous work with exposing Communists revolts.

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After the Japanese took control of Vietnam in March 1945, Diem was offered the role of premiership under a puppet regime, which he rejected because he realized the Vietnamese would not have real independence or control. However, he regrets this decision.

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February 1946 - Diem and Ho Chi Minh Meet in Hanoi

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February 1946 - Diem and Ho Chi Minh Meet in Hanoi

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Ho Chi Minh had Diem brought to Hanoi for medical treatment. Ho Chi Minh offered Diem a position as minister of the interior because of Diem's Catholic background, which would appeal to the minority of Catholic Vietnamese. However, Diem declined the offer because he blamed Ho Chi Minh for the death of his brother and his own imprisonment that caused his sickness.

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Infantry and armored divisions re-occupied Vietnam and the 1st Indochina War (Franco-Viet Minh War) begins.

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1950 - US Decides to Intervene in Vietnam

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1950 - US Decides to Intervene in Vietnam

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US decides that it needs to intervene in Vietnam to support an anti-communist and anti-colonial force.

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Mid-January 1951 - Diem Interviewed by US

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Mid-January 1951 - Diem Interviewed by US

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Diem is interviewed by Robert Hoey, who is the State Department's officer for Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos affair. In his interview, Diem offered information that Ho Chi Minh (in Vietnam) and Mao Zedong (China) were working together as a communist monolith, that would later spread to other countries in Asia. Diem also offered information that the "Bao Dai solution" was impractical because it would mean the Viet Minh winning, and therefore Vietnam needed a leader who was neither French nor communist (hinting towards himself).

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Mid-1953 - Viet Minh Succeeds Despite Disadvantages

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Mid-1953 - Viet Minh Succeeds Despite Disadvantages

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The Viet Minh had control over 2/3 of Vietnam. They were disadvantaged because they lacked airplanes, tanks, artilleries, like the French enemy. However, they overcame these obstacles led by Vo Nguyen Giap who conserved their forces and attacked when the French were vulnerable, like during ambushes. France was on its way out of Vietnam and the US would replace them as a Western combatant against communism.

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The fall of Dien Bien Phu signaled the end of French control in Indochina.

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Diem is inducted as premier. Taking office, he demanded full power over the South Vietnamese government, economy, and military. His installation meant that South Vietnam was becoming an "American client state."

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In July 20, 1954, the French and the Viet Minh signed a truce to stop the war, leading to the Geneva Conference. The Geneva Conference divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel into North and South Vietnam (two temporary and separate political entities) and made sure that elections would occur in 1956 (2 years later). Elections were to be held in North and South Vietnam. Both nations agreed that based on the results of the election, they would be controlled by that government.

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January 1955 - Diem and Landowner Reforms

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January 1955 - Diem and Landowner Reforms

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Diem declared that land owners could no longer collect more than 25 percent of a farmer's crop and allowed tenants to cultivate in abandoned land. Farmers did not like this reform because many of them had not payed rent since 1946 (Franco-Viet Minh War). Land owners did not like this because the rent was too low.

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October 1955 - Diem Cheats in Elections Against Bao Dai

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October 1955 - Diem Cheats in Elections Against Bao Dai

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Diem staged a referendum. Elections between him and Bao Dai begun. Although it was highly unlikely for Bao Dai to win, Diem stuffed ballot boxes and ran a slander campaign against Bao Dai.

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Diem issued Ordinance No.6, which removed restrictions of politicians combating their opponents. According to this policy, anyone deemed a (communist) threat could be jailed, executed, or tortured. The years 1955-1959 were considered the darkest periods and this policy made Diem more enemies, specially in the countryside were countrymen who were not opposed to Diem before, turned against him as they saw family members suffer under the lethal policy.

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In the Passage to Freedom, about 100,000 refugees moved moved from North to South Vietnam. Many of these refugees were Catholics, shifting the majority of Catholics to be in South, rather than the North.

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By 1956, the Can Lao (founded by Nhu, Diem's brother) had gained a lot of power and influence over South Vietnam. They could pressure government officials and torture/assassinate opponents.

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Mid-1956 - North Vietnam Solves the Land Owner Issue

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Mid-1956 - North Vietnam Solves the Land Owner Issue

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North Vietnamese land owners were executed or sent to labor camps. Their land was then redistributed to landless farmers.

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When newspaper articles critical of the US's support for Diem were published, the positive coverage of Diem as a savior (as seen by the US) was exposed.

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August 1959 - Corrupt Elections for the National Assembly

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August 1959 - Corrupt Elections for the National Assembly

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Elections for the national assembly happen in South Vietnam. The elections are very corrupt.

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The Carevelle Group, which was a group of 18 politicians that wanted reforms in South Vietnam, made their letter, which was addressed to the president, public at a conference. The letter exposed the conditions in South Vietnam and the heinous actions of Diem, that other foreign nations were previously unaware of.

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June 11, 1963 - Thich Quang Duc Sets Himself on Fire

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June 11, 1963 - Thich Quang Duc Sets Himself on Fire

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Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, burned himself alive as a demonstration against Diem's regime.

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The Buddhist Crisis occurs as hundreds of Buddhist pagodas are raided, many followers are killed, and Diem refuses to addresses the needs of the 70-90% of the Buddhist population.

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The US government and the ARVN conspire for a coup to topple the Diem regime.

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1963 - North and South Vietnam Have a Treaty

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1963 - North and South Vietnam Have a Treaty

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North and South Vietnam have a treaty, as they try to resolve the conflict without military intervention and violent means.

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September 2, 1963 - JFK Signals ARVN for Coup via Interview

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September 2, 1963 - JFK Signals ARVN for Coup via Interview

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In an interview with Walter Cronkite, JFK says that the Vietnam war will not be won if Diem does not gain the support of his people, which would require government reform. This signaled the ARVN, as they knew that Diem would not give government reforms and therefore, they needed to take action in the planned coup.

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November 1-2, 1963 - Successful Coup in South Vietnam

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November 1-2, 1963 - Successful Coup in South Vietnam

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The ARVN leads a coup against the South Vietnamese government that ends successfully after 17 hours. Diem and his brother Nhu are assassinated. The South Vietnamese people celebrate his death.