Ngo Dinh Diem, << uhng oh dihn zih ehm >> (1901-1963), was the first president of South Vietnam. He served from 1955 until a group of army officers seized control of the government and killed him in 1963.
Diem was born in central Vietnam on Jan. 3, 1901, the son of a government official. In the late 1940’s, he worked for Vietnam’s independence from France and opposed Communist control of Vietnam. In 1954, Communist-led rebels defeated the French forces in Vietnam. The country was then divided into two parts, South Vietnam and North Vietnam. Bao Dai, emperor of South Vietnam, appointed Diem as his prime minister. Diem was elected president when South Vietnam became a republic in 1955.
At first, Diem restored some order to his war-torn country. But he soon began ruling like a dictator, and he became increasingly unpopular. Special police units brutally crushed his opponents. Also, Diem was unable to stop Viet Cong (Communist-led guerrilla) attacks on villages in South Vietnam. Many of his harsh actions were attributed to advice from his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, and his sister-in-law, Madame Nhu. Nhu and Diem were killed together on Nov. 2, 1963.
See also Vietnam (History); Vietnam War.
