| Republic of Vietnam Việt Nam Cộng hòa | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) |
| Official languages | Vietnamese |
| Dominant mode of production | Capitalism |
| Area | |
• Total | 173,809 km² |
| Population | |
• 1974 estimate | 19,582,000 |
The Republic of Vietnam (RVN), also known as South Vietnam, was a U.S. puppet state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. After the Liberation of Saigon, it reunified with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) to form the modern Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The U.S. military divided South Vietnam into four tactical zones from north to south in addition to a special zone for the capital.[1]
History
After the defeat of the French colonizers in 1954, the Geneva Convention partitioned Vietnam into north and south and planned to reunify them in 1956 following an all-Vietnam election. The USA knew that Ho Chi Minh would win the election, so it armed the south against revolutionary forces and installed Ngô Đình Diệm as the Catholic autocrat of the south.[2]
References
- ↑ Nick Turse (2013). Kill Anything That Moves: 'The Massacre at Trieu Ai' (p. 37). [PDF] New York City: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 9780805086911 [LG]
- ↑ Nick Turse (2013). Kill Anything That Moves: 'Introduction' (p. 12). [PDF] New York City: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 9780805086911 [LG]