South Vietnam

Diem Regime

Emperor Boa Dai

Playboy lifestyle Had 5 wives and a lot of mistresses Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem removed Emperor using a referendum widely thought to be fraudulent

Ngo Dinh Diem

Referendum was rigged, with Diem gaining 98% of the vote. Diems rule was authoritarian and nepotistic (favouring his family) Ngo Dinh Nhi was his brother and trusted official. He was an opium addict and admired Hitler. Secret Police was styled on the Gestapo

Family Corruption
Widely believed to be involved in smuggling rice to North Vietnam and Opium throughout Asia.

Madame Nhu
Vietnams first lady, Dragon Lady of Vietnam Enjoyed power, Power is wonderful, total power is totally wonderful Catholic values formed the policy Brothels, opium dens closed, divorce and abortion illegal and adultery laws strengthened.

Religious Sects
Under the Diem Regime the Hoa Hao and Cao Dai Sects were crushed Discrimination Ban on flying the Buddhist Flag

Protests against the Government

Quang Duc, 73 year old monk Protesting the antiBuddhist policies Madame Nhu hoped for more barbecues Ngo Dinh Nhi offered to supply the gasoline

Anti-Communist
Tortures and killings of "communist suspects" were committed on a daily basis The death toll was put at around 50,000 with 75,000 imprisonments, and Dim's effort extended beyond communists to anticommunist dissidents and anti-corruption whistleblowers