Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (Vietnamese pronunciation: [ŋʷjə̌ˀn van tʰjə̂ˀw] (
listen); April 5, 1923 – September 29, 2001) was a general and served as president of South Vietnam (1967–75).
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Born in a coastal village in Ninh Thuan Province, Thiệu was a son of a small but well-to-do landowner. As a young man, he reportedly joined the Viet Minh,[1] led by Hồ Chí Minh, whose goal was to liberate Vietnam from French colonialism. He left the movement after just one year, following the return of the French to Southern Vietnam in 1946.
Thiệu initially was enrolled in the Merchant Marine Academy but later transferred to the National Military Academy in Dalat in 1949. In 1951, upon graduation, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant from the first officer candidates' course of the "Vietnam National Army", which had been created by former Emperor Bảo Đại who had agreed to collaborate with the French as the "Chief of State" of the French-sponsored "State of Vietnam" to fight against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by the Viet Minh.
Thiệu was an Army lieutenant-colonel when the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) was founded and officially gained full sovereignty after the withdrawal of French forces in 1955, following the 1954 Geneva Agreement.
He married Madame Nguyen Van Thieu, the former Nguyen Thi Mai Anh Khue from My Tho, South Vietnam.
He served as South Vietnam's ceremonial head of state in Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ's government from 1965–67.
On September 3, 1967, he ran successfully for the new executive presidency of South Vietnam earning 38% of the vote and held that position until a few days before the surrender of Saigon, South Vietnam's capital, became imminent in 1975.
Thiệu's regime was accused of being far more corrupt than the regime of his predecessor. Unlike Kỳ, Thiệu created a political party and greatly centralized political power in the executive branch at the expense of the elected congress. Close allies were placed in key ministerial and military posts in order to prevent threats to the president's leadership from emerging.
In 1971, Thiệu ran for re-election, but his reputation for corruption made his political opponents believe the race would be fixed, and they declined to run. As the only candidate, Thiệu was thus easily re-elected, receiving a suspiciously high 94% of the vote on an 87% turn-out.
In January 1975, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. Nguyễn Văn Thiệu notified President Ford that he was of the opinion that North Vietnam had violated the 1973 Paris Peace Accords and asked for $300 million of aid, but the U.S. Congress would not release the funds.
The North called this the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign." All resistance crumbled. Conditions in South Vietnam deteriorated. The ARVN 18th Division "The Supermen" tried to hold Xuan Loc, the last line of defence before Saigon. Even according to the Communists, these men fought very well, but it was not enough.
Thiệu resigned as President in a tearful televised announcement on 21 April in which he denounced the United States for failing to come to the aid of South Vietnam as promised by President Nixon.[2] Thiệu stated, "The United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word reliable these days?" ...and, "The United States did not keep its promise to help us fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost 50,000 of its young men."[3]
On 25 April 1975 a USAF C-118 transport left Tan Son Nhut carrying President Thiệu and his family to exile in Taiwan[4]. Following Thiệu's resignation power passed to his Vice President, Trần Văn Hương.
Thiệu fled to Taiwan, later settling in Surrey, England. Finally he took up residence in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where he died in 2001. He was cremated and buried in Boston, Massachusetts.[5]
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| Preceded by Phan Khắc Sửu |
President of the Republic of Vietnam 1965–1975 |
Succeeded by Trần Văn Hương |
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