Dương Văn Minh
| Dương Văn Minh | |
|---|---|
| President of South Vietnam | |
|
In office 28 April 1975 – 30 April 1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Trần Văn Hương |
| Succeeded by | Huỳnh Tấn Phát, Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam |
|
In office 2 November 1963 – 30 January 1964 |
|
| Preceded by | Ngô Đình Diệm |
| Succeeded by | Nguyễn Khánh |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 February 1916 Mỹ Tho Province, Cochinchina, French Indochina (now Tiền Giang Province, Vietnam) |
| Died | 6 August 2001 (aged 85) Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 South Vietnam |
| Service/branch |
 Vietnamese National Army Army of the Republic of Vietnam
|
| Years of service | 1940–1964 |
| Rank |
 General (Đại tướng)
|
| Commands held | Head of the Military Revolutionary Council (November 1963–January 1964) |
| Battles/wars | Battle for Saigon, Operation Rung Sat, 1963 South Vietnamese coup |
| Relations | 1 Brother: Brigadier General Dương Văn Nhựt in the North Vietnamese Army |
Dương Văn Minh (
listen) (16 February 1916 – 6 August 2001), popularly known as Big Minh, was a Vietnamese senior general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and a politician during the presidency of Ngô Đình Diệm. In 1963, he became President of South Vietnam after leading a coup in which Diệm was assassinated. Minh lasted only three months before being toppled by Nguyễn Khánh, but assumed power again in April 1975, two days before surrendering to communist forces.
The son of a wealthy landlord, Minh joined the French Army at the start of World War II, and was captured and tortured by the Imperial Japanese, who invaded and seized French Indochina. During this time, Minh's teeth were plucked out, leaving him with his distinctive smile. After his release, he joined the French-backed Vietnamese National Army (VNA) and was imprisoned by the communist-dominated Viet Minh before breaking out. In 1955, when Vietnam was partitioned and the State of Vietnam controlled the southern half under Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm, Minh led the VNA in decisively defeating the Bình Xuyên paramilitary crime syndicate in street combat and dismantling the Hòa Hảo religious tradition's private army. This made him popular with the people and Diệm, but the latter later put him in a powerless position, regarding him as a threat.
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Wikipedia