President Diem
Following France’s complete withdrawal from Indochina, Vietnam had been partitioned at the 17th parallel into two separate states: North Vietnam, called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and South Vietnam, simply called the Republic of Vietnam. Power in South Vietnam was still held by Bao Dai, the dynastic emperor of Vietnam since 1949, whom Ho Chi Minh had convinced to abdicate in deference to the Vietminh. In July 1954, however, when the United States had begun to take more obvious interest in the fate of Vietnam in accordance with the Domino Theory, Bao Dai appointed a prime minister, Ngo Dinh Diem, whose fierce anti-communist attitude he hoped would bring the favor of the United States. In the coming years Diem would indeed improve Vietnam in the eyes of American policy makers, but at a cost that would make Bao Dai regret his decision.
In the months after his appointment, Diem disagreed often with Bao Dai, believing him to be a weak and ineffectual ruler. With the United States doubting South Vietnam’s ability to hold up against their communist neighbors, Diem set himself to the task of improving upon Bao Dai’s tenuous hold on the state’s affairs. First came an establishment of military power, a task that would prove difficult do to Bao Dai’s meddling. Power in Vietnam was divided into four militias: two privately owned religious forces, the official army of the Republic of Vietnam, and the dangerously influential Binh Xuyen organized crime syndicate. The Binh Xuyen posed the greatest threat to Diem, because Bao Dai had foolishly sold them the rights to police Saigon, South Vietnam’s capitol, and in April of 1955 Diem resolved to remove them from power in the city. He ordered that they relinquish control of the city; naturally, the Binh Xuyen refused, so on April 27th Diem waged a brief but bloody battle against their forces in the city, leaving between 500 and 1,000 dead. Despite these casualties, Diem emerged victorious, now with the confidence of the United States behind him.
Buoyed by this victory and backed by the US, Diem began a formalized campaign against Bao Dai, beginning with the dissolution of Bao Dai’s royal guard, a force of 5,000 that Diem incorporated in the national military. He then ordered the Council of the Royal Family to denounce Bao Dai and strip him of his authority, which they did in June of 1955, likely under pressure form Diem to confiscate their royal assets. Finally, on July 7th, 1955, exactly one year after his appointment to prime minister by Bao Dai, Diem announced that elections would take place in the Republic of Vietnam between him and Bao Dai, to formalize his control on the nation’s government. This election, which Diem regarded mostly as a novelty, was mostly a joke; Bao Dai was forbidden from campaigning, and Diem ran a series of campaigns that demonized the former emperor, labeling him as an outdated puppet-emperor that had given in to vice. Elections were held four months later, on October 23rd, and 98.2% of the vote turned in for Diem. Results showed in many districts that more votes for Diem had been turned in than there were residents, but despite this the United States lauded Diem as a hero of the free world, who was ushering in a new era of capitalist prosperity to the Republic of Vietnam. They knew that their support for him as president of the Republic would be essential resisting the communism that threatened to spread from North Vietnam.
In the months after his appointment, Diem disagreed often with Bao Dai, believing him to be a weak and ineffectual ruler. With the United States doubting South Vietnam’s ability to hold up against their communist neighbors, Diem set himself to the task of improving upon Bao Dai’s tenuous hold on the state’s affairs. First came an establishment of military power, a task that would prove difficult do to Bao Dai’s meddling. Power in Vietnam was divided into four militias: two privately owned religious forces, the official army of the Republic of Vietnam, and the dangerously influential Binh Xuyen organized crime syndicate. The Binh Xuyen posed the greatest threat to Diem, because Bao Dai had foolishly sold them the rights to police Saigon, South Vietnam’s capitol, and in April of 1955 Diem resolved to remove them from power in the city. He ordered that they relinquish control of the city; naturally, the Binh Xuyen refused, so on April 27th Diem waged a brief but bloody battle against their forces in the city, leaving between 500 and 1,000 dead. Despite these casualties, Diem emerged victorious, now with the confidence of the United States behind him.
Buoyed by this victory and backed by the US, Diem began a formalized campaign against Bao Dai, beginning with the dissolution of Bao Dai’s royal guard, a force of 5,000 that Diem incorporated in the national military. He then ordered the Council of the Royal Family to denounce Bao Dai and strip him of his authority, which they did in June of 1955, likely under pressure form Diem to confiscate their royal assets. Finally, on July 7th, 1955, exactly one year after his appointment to prime minister by Bao Dai, Diem announced that elections would take place in the Republic of Vietnam between him and Bao Dai, to formalize his control on the nation’s government. This election, which Diem regarded mostly as a novelty, was mostly a joke; Bao Dai was forbidden from campaigning, and Diem ran a series of campaigns that demonized the former emperor, labeling him as an outdated puppet-emperor that had given in to vice. Elections were held four months later, on October 23rd, and 98.2% of the vote turned in for Diem. Results showed in many districts that more votes for Diem had been turned in than there were residents, but despite this the United States lauded Diem as a hero of the free world, who was ushering in a new era of capitalist prosperity to the Republic of Vietnam. They knew that their support for him as president of the Republic would be essential resisting the communism that threatened to spread from North Vietnam.