Diem's unpopular South Vietnam and Hanoi's decision to support armed struggle turned division into war.
In the South, Ngo Dinh Diem became president in 1955 with American backing. He refused to hold the 1956 elections, arguing that free voting was impossible in the communist North. The USA supported this, partly because Ho was expected to win.
Diem's rule was narrow and repressive. He favoured fellow Catholics in a mainly Buddhist country and imprisoned opponents. His campaigns against former Viet Minh members drove many into armed resistance.
In 1959, North Vietnam's leaders decided to support armed struggle in the South. Supplies began moving down what became the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In December 1960 the National Liberation Front (NLF), called the Viet Cong by its enemies, was formed to fight Diem.
Diem's position weakened further. In 1963, Buddhist protests, including self-immolations, drew world attention. In November 1963, South Vietnamese generals overthrew and killed Diem, with American approval of the coup. Several unstable governments followed.
- Diem
- President of South Vietnam from 1955; overthrown November 1963.
- Hanoi's 1959 decision
- Support for armed struggle in the South.
- NLF
- Formed December 1960.
Worked example: Weighing local actors in an H1 essay
An essay asks how far South Vietnam's weakness shaped the war.
- Weakness: Diem's repression and the post-1963 instability fuelled the insurgency.
- North Vietnam: Hanoi's 1959 decision and the Ho Chi Minh Trail drove the war.
- USA: American support kept the South alive and later escalated the war.
- Judgement: South Vietnam's weakness made escalation likely, but Hanoi's aims and US commitment shaped the war.
Watch out for this
The Viet Cong was simply an army sent from North Vietnam.
The NLF drew on southerners opposed to Diem, though it was directed and supplied by Hanoi and later reinforced by northern troops.
Check your understanding
Why did Diem refuse to hold the 1956 elections?
- He argued free voting was impossible in the North, and Ho was expected to win.
- The UN cancelled them.
- Ho Chi Minh refused to take part.