Ngo Dinh Diem was born January 3, 1901 into a noble Vietnamese Catholic family in Hue, Vietnamese. A staunch anti-Communist, he joined the U.S.-backed government, making himself president in 1955. He imprisoned and murdered hundreds of Buddhists, causing the U.S. to remove its support. Diem's assassination in 1963 left Vietnam vulnerable to the Communist threat from the north, eventually resulting in civil war. Diem went to the School of Law and Administration in Hanoi and graduated in 1921. That same year, he was made governor of the Phan-Thiet province, which led to his increase in popularity since he made land reforms and helped the poor. In 1933, Diem was chosen to be the interior minister by Emperor Boa Dai for …show more content…
Fifty years ago, South Vietnamese generals, with the covert support of the U.S. government, assassinated President Ngo Dinh Diem in one of the most momentous events of the Vietnam War. He was made governor of the Phan-Thiet province, which led to his increase in popularity since he made land reforms and helped the poor. In 1933, Diem was chosen to be the interior minister by Emperor Bao Dai for the Commission for Administrative Reforms. Economic: Diem was a good president by helping the economy. However, the number of people who didn’t like him grew. Since Diem was a Catholic, he didn’t agree with the Buddhists so they became oppressed since he ignored those Using Vietnamese and American government documents, newspapers, and the MSUG archives, Miller examines the similarities and differences in US and Diem approaches to political centralization, economic development, counterinsurgency, and suppression of political …show more content…
The Americans realized they could not back Diem anymore since he was an ineffective leader. There was a coup set up to overthrown him but Diem learned about it. Diem and his brother fled to Cho Lon through a tunnel. At the beginning of November, 1963, President Diem was overthrown by a military coup. After the generals had promised Diem that he would be allowed to leave the country they changed their mind and killed him. He was replaced by Nguyen Van Thieu, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of South Vietnam
Progress & Decline:
Diem’s reign was short lived since the country was made up of mostly Buddhists. The uprisings grew and became more frequent and Buddhists were soon lighting themselves on fire in protest. At first, Diem was a good president by building new schools and helping the economy. However, the number of people who didn’t like him grew. Since Diem was a Catholic, he didn’t agree with the Buddhists so they became oppressed since he ignored them. While President, Diem threw many political opponents into prison camps where they were tortured and killed. By 1959, over half the country was against