Cao Văn Viên
| Cao Văn Viên | |
|---|---|
(l-r) Lt. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Lãm, I Corps; Gen. Cao Văn Viên; Lt. Gen. Richard G. Stilwell; Maj. Gen. Ngô Quang Trưởng
|
|
| Born |
December 21, 1921 Vientiane, French Laos |
| Died | January 22, 2008 (aged 86) Annandale, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Soldier; civil servant |
| Spouse(s) | Tao Thi Tran (died 1991) |
| Children | Cao Anh Tuan (died 1996); Cao Anh Dzung (missing); Lan Cao |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | State of Vietnam and South Vietnam |
| Service/branch | Vietnamese National Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam |
| Years of service | 1949 – October 25, 1955 (Vietnamese National Army) October 26, 1955 – April 30, 1975 (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) |
| Rank |
 General (Four-Star)
|
| Commands held | Vietnamese Airborne Division; III Corps; Chairman, Joint General Staff, Vietnamese Armed Forces; Vietnamese Navy (acting) |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Kiến Phong (now Đồng Tháp Province) |
| Awards | National Order of Vietnam; Silver Star; Legion of Merit |
Cao Văn Viên (December 21, 1921 – January 22, 2008) was a South Vietnamese soldier who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and rose to the position of Chairman of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff. Considered one of "the most gifted" of South Vietnam's military leaders, he has been called "absolutely a key figure" and one of "the most important Vietnamese military leaders" in the U.S.-led fighting during the Vietnam War. Along with Dương Văn Minh, Nguyễn Khánh, and Trần Thiện Khiêm he was one of only four four-star generals in the entire history of South Vietnam.
Viên was born to Vietnamese parents in Vientiane, Laos, in December 1921. His father was a merchant. Hearing rumors of a gold rush in the Mekong Delta, he moved to what was then called Cochinchina to become a prospector. Although he became a follower of Ho Chi Minh's struggle against French colonial rule, he soon concluded that Ho's movement was more communist than nationalist, and joined independent fighter groups. He was captured by the French, released, and enrolled at the University of Saigon where he obtained a bachelor's degree in French literature. His schoolmate was Lâm Quang Thi.
Viên attended the French-run Cap Saint Jacques Military School, graduating with a commission in the Vietnamese National Army as a second lieutenant in 1949. He rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a battalion commander in 1953 and major in 1954. He attended the Vietnamese National Military Academy as a lieutenant, where he met and became friendly with many of South Vietnam's later military leaders. He twice served in military intelligence (in 1953 and 1954), and twice as a military logistics officer. After the formation of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in 1955, he was appointed chief of military logistics for the ARVN Joint General Staff. He graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1957. By 1960, he had completed parachute training with both the Vietnamese and American military, earned his Vietnamese combat pilot's license, and earned his American combat helicopter pilot's license. Viên was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed Chief of Staff of the Special Military Staff in the office of the President of the Republic in 1956. He and his family moved to a modest home in the Cholon neighborhood of Saigon (where he lived until April 1975). He was promoted to colonel in 1960 and named Commander of the Vietnamese Airborne Division in November 1960. This came after Colonel Nguyễn Chánh Thi and Lieutenant Colonel Vương Văn Đông, the two highest-ranking paratroopers led a failed coup attempt against Diem and fled into exile in Cambodia. Based on his experiences, Viên concluded in 1961 that the Viet Cong were no longer acting alone but were being led and reinforced by regular units of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
...
Wikipedia