South Vietnam

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), {{ll|Vietnamese}} Việt Nam Cộng Hòa from 1955, was a country that existed from 1954 to 1975 in the territory of Vietnam that lay south of the Demilitarized Zone while North Vietnam was situated to the north of the DMZ. The partition was made during the Geneva Conference (1954), after the Viet Minh fought successfully to end almost 100 years of French colonialism. The Republic was proclaimed in Saigon by Ngo Dinh Diem on October 22, 1955, after the Emperor Bao Dai was deposed.

History

There is debate about how closely the South Vietnamese government was linked to the United States —many historians allege the South government to have been nothing more than an American-backed puppet government. But many others claim that it was genuine democracy or, at the least, a legitimate patriotic movement born from genuine concern for the Vietnamese people. Any point of view on the matter generally correspond closely to their views on the Vietnam War in general —supporters of US involvement often believe that South Vietnam was worth defending to preclude Communist expansion, and thus worthy of defence, while opponents often believe that South Vietnamese government was not worth defending based on its corruption or the expense of Vietnamese and American lives.

Related Topics:
United States - Puppet government - Democracy - Patriotic - Vietnam War

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All of U.S. forces withdrew from South Vietnam in 1973, in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords signed with North Vietnam in 1973. However, following major victories by the Viet Cong guerrilas in the South, and taking advantage of the Southern government's lack of popular support and lack of American aid, North Vietnam broke the treaty in 1975 and invaded South Vietnam, quickly capturing the cities of Hue, Da Nang and Da Lat in central Vietnam, and advancing southwards very fast.

Related Topics:
Paris Peace Accords - Viet Cong - Hue - Da Nang - Da Lat

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The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) did mount a significant defense and even a counterattack, but they kept losing ground. South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu requested aid from U.S. President Gerald Ford, but the U.S. Senate would not ratify another involvement in Vietnam.

Related Topics:
Army of the Republic of Vietnam - Nguyen Van Thieu - Gerald Ford

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Nguyen Van Thieu resigned on April 21, 1975, and fled to Taiwan. He nominated his Vice President Tran Van Huong as his successor. In one week, Tran Van Huong handed over the presidency to General Duong Van Minh.

Related Topics:
Tran Van Huong - Duong Van Minh

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The Army of the Republic of Vietnam was unable to sustain the defense and quickly collapsed due to limited supplies and poor leadership. Acting President Duong Van Minh unconditionally surrendered the capital city of Saigon and the rest of South Vietnam to North Vietnam on April 30, 1975.

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