Nguyễn Văn Minh
- State of Vietnam
- South Vietnam
- Vietnamese National Army
- Army of the Republic of Vietnam
26 October 1955 – 30 April 1975 (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)
Capital Military District
III Corps
Nguyễn Văn Minh (1929-2006) was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War.
Military career
Minh entered military service during the First Indochina War in 1950 as an airborne officer serving in the French colonial forces. Minh was dispatched to An Giang Province, in the Mekong Delta, and served as provincial chief until Diem's death in 1963. He was sometimes known as "Little Minh" to distinguish him from the much larger (physically) Dương Văn Minh, known as "Big Minh".[1]
In 1964, he became deputy commander of the 21st Division in the IV Corps Tactical Zone. In 1965 Minh was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the division. By 1967 Brigadier general William Desobry, the American senior adviser, considered the 21st Division under Minh the best in the ARVN.[2]: 248 However the senior U.S. officer in IV Corps, Major general George S. Eckhardt, had recommended his dismissal, noting that he was "very temperamental and has frequently requested relief when under stress or when at odds with [the] corps commander."[2]: 312
Following the May Offensive of 1968, he was given the command of the Capital Military District by his close friend President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu. His uncle Trần Văn Hương served as Prime minister under Thiệu.[2]: 478
Upon the death of the commander of III Corps, Lieutenant General Do Cao Tri during the Cambodian Incursion of 1970, Minh was promoted and became Corps commander. American evaluations, however, remained unchanged. Lieutenant general Michael S. Davison described him as "burned out" and "desperate", while Major general Jack J. Wagstaff reported that he was "over worked" and "highly emotional" ("as is well known") and that his decisions were "colored largely by his sensing of the moment.[2]: 478
U.S. advisors found his performance during the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive of 1972 "wanting."[2]: 485 Following the offensive Minh remained in command of III Corps despite continued American insistence that he be replaced.[2]: 486
On 27 October 1973 Thiệu transferred Minh back to command of the Capital Military District.[3]: 121–3
On 3 April 1975 after Minh had served as ARVN inspector general Thiệu once again transferred Minh back to command of the Capital Military District.[3]: 393
Honours
National honours
- Grand Cross of the National Order of Vietnam
Foreign honour
- USA :
- Officer of the Legion of Merit
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army)
- Thailand :
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Thailand
References
- ^ "Dương Văn Minh profile". Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
- ^ a b c d e f Clarke, Jeffrey (1998). The U.S. Army in Vietnam Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965-1973 (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-1518612619. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Veith, George (2012). Black April: The fall of South Vietnam 1973–75. Encounter Books. ISBN 9781594035722.
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and mutinies
officers
- Cao Văn Viên
- Chung Tấn Cang
- Đặng Văn Quang
- Đỗ Cao Trí
- Đỗ Mậu
- Dư Quốc Đống
- Dương Văn Đức
- Dương Văn Minh
- Hoàng Cơ Minh
- Hoàng Xuân Lãm
- Huỳnh Văn Cao
- Lâm Quang Thi
- Lâm Quang Thơ
- Lâm Văn Phát
- Lê Minh Đảo
- Lê Nguyên Khang
- Lê Nguyên Vỹ
- Lê Văn Hưng
- Lê Văn Kim
- Lữ Mộng Lan
- Lý Tòng Bá
- Mai Hữu Xuân
- Ngô Du
- Ngô Quang Trưởng
- Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
- Nguyễn Chánh Thi
- Nguyễn Đức Thắng
- Nguyễn Hợp Đoàn
- Nguyễn Hữu Có
- Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh
- Nguyễn Khánh
- Nguyễn Khoa Nam
- Nguyễn Phước Vĩnh Lộc
- Nguyễn Trọng Luật
- Nguyễn Văn Chuân
- Nguyễn Văn Hiếu
- Nguyễn Văn Mạnh
- Nguyễn Văn Minh
- Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
- Nguyễn Văn Toàn
- Nguyễn Văn Vy
- Nguyễn Viết Thanh
- Nguyễn Vĩnh Nghi
- Phạm Ngọc Thảo
- Phạm Phú Quốc
- Phạm Quốc Thuần
- Phạm Văn Phú
- Phan Trọng Chinh
- Phan Xuân Nhuận
- Tôn Thất Đính
- Trần Thanh Phong
- Trần Thiện Khiêm
- Trần Văn Đôn
- Trần Văn Hai
- Trần Quang Khôi
- Vũ Văn Giai
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