American Experience

Who's Who: South Vietnam		return to index
	Ngo Dinh Diem			12 of 41

After refusing Ho Chi Minh's invitation to join the Communist movement, Ngo Dinh Diem led South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963, when he was killed by his generals in a coup. His autocratic rule, exemplified by the imprisonment and execution of hundreds of Buddhists, and his refusal to institute land reforms, probably contributed to increasing popular support for Ho Chi Minh.