Ngo Dinh Diems election The election President Eisenhower

Ngo Dinh Diem’s election

The election • President Eisenhower was determined to maintain the government of South Vietnam, this meant propping up the president, Ngo Dinh Diem. • Ngo had worked in the French administration of Vietnam in the 1930’s. • In 1954 Ngo emerged as leader of South Vietnam. In October he was officially elected.

The election was rigged • The election was rigged with 605, 000 people in Saigon voting for Ngo despite only 450, 000 people living in Saigon at the time. • The USA knew that the election was rigged but they did nothing as they needed Ngo as president. • The USA had NO intention of abiding by the Geneva agreement for a reunification election in 1956. • The USA knew that Ho Chi Minh would win. • The USA supported Ngo because he had prevented a communist victory in the South. They continued there support of him by training the South Vietnamese army.

The weaknesses of Ngo Dinh Diem’s government • Ngo was not a popular or successful president. • He was a catholic while most of the Vietnam people were Buddhists. • His persecuted Buddhists, even going as far as to banning the flying of the Buddhist flag on Buddha’s birthday. • In June 1963, a 73 year-old Buddhist monk, Quang Duc, set himself alight as a protest against Diems religious policy. • Ngo ruled as a dictator. He was only interested in hunting down supporters of the Vietminh and re-educating themselves at prison camps.

Diem was encouraged to carry out land reform. • When asked to carry this out land reform Diem did the exact opposite. Land was taken from the peasants who were farming it and given to Diem’s supporters. • Ho Chi Ming carried out land reform in the North and was a much more popular leader.

The growth of opposition • By the end of the 1950’s Diem’s terror campaign had got rid of most of the Vietminh supporters in the South. • In 1959 the communist government in the North issued orders to the Vietminh begin a terror campaign against the South Vietnamese officials. • Over the next few years 4, 000 officials a year were assassinated. • In the 1960 former members of the Vietminh set up the National uberation Front to oppose Diem’s regime. • They demanded removal of Diem and land reform, and began a guerrilla campaign against the regime. • To Diem and the USA all opposition was communist. The opposition was labelled the Vietcong as a term of abuse.