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).
Born in a coastal village, central Vietnam (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, led by Hồ Chí Minh, whose goal was to liberate Vietnam from French colonialism. He left the movemen...
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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).
Born in a coastal village, central Vietnam (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, 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 2 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...
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