Viet-Cong
Many communists remained in the south to raise their heads later when the Viet-Minh showed up once again, this time known as the Viet-Cong. (Viet communists represented by the National Liberation Front.)
Emperor Bao-Dai was deposed in 1955 and President Ngo Dinh Diem was installed by popular vote in the south.
The communists have continued in their efforts to weaken and destroy the government in South Vietnam and have wholeheartedly carried out their plans to conquer the south. In 1961, U.S. military aid was greatly increased to meet the challenge of the serious threat to the survival of the South Vietnamese people.
Viet-Cong terror tactics are known throughout the world today and many free nations led by the United States have joined hands with the South Vietnamese people to defeat the communists in South Vietnam. It is a difficult battle, but one that has received the determination to win from the United States under the leadership of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.
Later Governments in South Vietnam
President Diem's government started out well in South Vietnam and he became known in some circles as the "George Washington" of that country. He continued with a series of improvements for the citizens of Vietnam that would do credit to any leader. Unfortunately, he became more and more dictatorial, refused guidance from noted counselors and relied more and more on his brother Nhu, and his wife, Madame Nhu.
Gradually, the situation became worse. Two attempted coup d'etat's were foiled, but the third succeeded on November 1, 1963. Diem and his brother Nhu were captured, and both were killed by a dissident Major in the Army of Vietnam.
Diem was toppled by military means by a military junta led by an affable General Duong Van Minh. He, too, was replaced in a bloodless coup on January 30, 1964, by General Nguyen khanh. General Khanh was also replaced after a see-sawing effort to stay in power.
Since that time there have been a number of civilian and military caretaker governments, only one of which has remained in power for an appreciable length of time. It is headed by South Vietnamese Premier Gao Ky, a flamboyant young officer who worked his way from Colonel to Vice Air Marshal and Premier of the country in a period of less than three years.
INTERESTING PEOPLE IN VIETNAM'S PAST
A new Saigon resident can learn the names of Vietnam's heroes in a matter of weeks. Practically every street in the city is named for a famous person from Vietnam's colorful history. When the French were in control of Vietnam, the street names were French. After their departure and the formation of the new government, only two streets in Saigon kept their former names. They are:
Pasteur Street—Named after the famed French scientist and in thanks for the tremendous work accomplished by the Pasteur Institute in Vietnam.
Alexander-de-Rhodes—The French priest who gave the Vietnamese their language in romanized script. (See Chapter 3.)
Streets in Saigon named for Vietnamese heroes include:
Tran Hung Dao
The large boulevard connecting Saigon and Cholon bears this famous general's name. In the 13th century his tiny army defeated half a million Mongol invaders, who had already conquered most of Europe and Asia. He subsequently defeated them on two more invasions.
Tran Hung Dao was an uncle of the Emperor Tran Nhan Ton. His nephew made him a hero, and on his death, par-sonally supervised a ten day national funeral for him. His death is a national holiday in South Vietnam today.
Le-Loi
One of the biggest and busiest downtown streets in Saigon is named for a famous leader who for about ten years conducted guerrilla warfare against the Chinese who were ruling the country.
A man of intelligence, Le-Loi had been repeatedly offered Mandarinates by the Chinese but had always refused them. When his forces triumphed against the Chinese, Le-Loi acceded to power as king of Vietnam. He died six years later in 1433 in Hanoi, of beri-beri. While king, he ruled under the name Le-Thai-To.
Vo Tanh
Vo Tanh was a national hero of the 18th century who raised an army with his mother's money, and fought on the side of Nguyen Anh when war was raging between the Nguyen dynasty and the Tay Son. He was extremely successful until 1799 when he was attacked at Qui-Nhon.
He held out against a superior force for two years while hoping for reinforcements from the south. None came and Vo Tanh decided to write to the Tay Son general asking him to spare his troops.
After that, he put on his state dress uniform and assembled his troops around a stake which he had erected in the center of the fort. He told the troops that he had failed in his mission of defending the town, and wished to die at the stake rather than let the enemy see his face. He personally ignited the gunpowder beneath the stake. After his death, Vo Tanh was made a duke by the Emperor Minh Mang and a tomb was built for him in Gia-Dinh province.
Le Van Duyet
An interesting fact about this leader is that he was an eunuch. As in China, the eunuch system was an important institution in Vietnam. When a child was born with a congenital birth defect which would qualify him to become an eunuch, the family had to notify the Court and offer the services of the child. He might be used to guard and supervise the royal harem, or serve as liaison officer between the emperors and the mandarins when he was older. Usually, such a child began his work in the palace at the age of ten or eleven. The family of the child and the entire village from whence he came received tax concessions in compensation. Some eunuchs won places in the Mandarinate. Besides children born in this condition, others suffering physical injury were also selected, and castration was sometimes used as a recruitment technique.
Le Van Duyet was well liked by the Emperor Gia-Long who unified Vietnam. He was later appointed Governor-General of Saigon by the emperor. Duyet opposed Minh Mang's coming to the throne, but Gia-Long asked him to guide his inexperienced son during the first years of his rule.
Minh Mang, however, detested Le Van Duyet and resented his advice. In 1836, Emperor Minh Mang issued a decree with the purpose of diminishing the power of the eunuchs in government, notably Le Van Duyet. The new regulation forbade eunuchs to interfere in any way with administration and limited them to transmission of orders. He prohibited any more eunuchs from being appointed to the mandarinal corps. This marked the beginning of the end of the eunuch system in Vietnam.
Le Van Duyet was born in 1762 in My Tho near Saigon. After his death, General Le Van Duyet was brought to disgrace when Emperor Minh Mang relieved him posthumously of his rank, and cancelled all nominations and titles conferred on him during his lifetime. He ordered Duyet's tomb to be flattened and surrounded by chains. He also had the tomb symbolically lashed 100 times.
The General's status was restored under later emperors, and a shrine has been erected for him in Gia-Dinh province. (See Chapter 11, places of interest.)
Petrus Ky
Unlucky in politics and diplomacy, Petrus Ky (Truong Vinh Ky) turned his knowledge of both the East and West to more scholarly applications. He spoke ten languages, was the author of scores of textbooks, and was one of the first newspaper men in Vietnam. Many books from outside Vietnam were translated by Petrus Ky adding immensely to the culture of Vietnam. He died in 1898 at the age of 61 after spending his last years in poverty. Today, he is highly revered and a statue of him is in Saigon. The largest boy's high school and one of the longest avenues in Saigon bear his name.
Phan Thanh Gian
A self-made Mandarin, who passed the doctorate exam at the age of 29, Phan Thanh Gian is remembered in Vietnam not only as a good administrator, but also a man of letters. He became the country's