Profession: President of South Vietnam
Nationality: 
Vietnamese
Biography: A key figure in the Vietnam War, Diem ruled over South Vietnam from 1955 until 1963.
Originally a key ally of the United States, Diem's increasing corruption and persecution of South Vietnam's majority Buddhist population led to his overthrow and assassination in a CIA-backed coup in 1963.
Born: January 3, 1901
Birthplace: Quang Binh, French Indochina
Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Capricorn
Died: November 2, 1963 (aged 62)
Cause of Death: Assassination
Articles and Photos
Agent Orange in Vietnam
American C-123 spraying chemical defoliant, Agent Orange, on a dense Vietnamese jungle
January 12, 1962
Vietnamese Monk Burns Himself Alive
Thích Quảng Đức moments after setting fire to himself in Saigon as an act of protest
June 11, 1963
Execution of a Viet Cong Prisoner
General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan summarily executes Viet Cong prisoner Nguyễn Văn Lém
February 1, 1968
Historical Events
- 1954-06-16 Ngô Đình Diệm elected Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
- 1954-10-25 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower offers aid to the Prime Minister of South Vietnam Ngô Đình Diệm
- 1955-10-26 Ngô Đình Diệm proclaims Vietnam a republic with himself as President
- 1957-05-08 South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
- 1960-11-12 Military coup against Republic of Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm fails
- 1962-02-27 South Vietnam President Ngô Đình Diệm's palace bombed by dissident air pilots in a failed assassination attempt
- 1963-11-02 Ngô Đình Diệm, the President of South Vietnam, is overthrown and assassinated in a coup by the South Vietnamese Army
Biographies and Sources
- Press Release of Letter from President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem - The National Archives
Bảo Đại
Ho Chi Minh
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Võ Nguyên Giáp