Phạm Văn Đổng

Not to be confused with Phạm Văn Đồng.

’

Template:Vietnamese name Phạm Văn Đồng

Phạm Văn Đồng as a Lt. Colonel, 1953.

Phạm Văn Đồng (1919—2008) was a South Vietnamese general known for his bravery. In 1965, as military governor of Sàigòn, he had successfully kept the capital safe from the violent, anti-government Buddhist mobs instigated by Thích Trí Quang of the Ấn Quang group and Thích Tâm Châu of Việt Nam Quốc Tự. With his commanding skills and knowledge, Đồng was regarded highly by American and French officers, and well-respected by many ARVN officers. A staunch nationalist and anti-communist, he was considered an ally to the labor union, the Northern Catholics, several Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (Việt Quốc) factions, multiple Đại Việt groups, Việt Nam Cách Mạng Đồng Minh Hội (Việt Cách) high-ranking members, Duy Dân and Hòa Hảo leaders.

Early life and education

Phạm Văn Đồng (who has the same name the former Prime Minister of North Vietnam) was born October 25, 1919, in Quốc Oai, Sơn Tây, Tonkin (now North Vietnam), when Việt-Nam was still part of the French empire. He grew up in his father’s village of Xuân Ðỗ (then part of Bắc Ninh province) and went to school in Hà Nội where he earned the “Thành Chung” (Diplôme d'Etudes Primaires Superieures Indochinoises (DEPSI)) upon his graduation from Ðỗ Hữu Vị School.

Generations of Đồng’s family had taught at the Imperial Court. Phạm Văn Đồng himself had planned to become a teacher, so he enrolled at the École Normale d’Instituteurs. In 1939, he had to withdraw, as he did not have the money to bribe a court official, even though he had passed the required examinations. He then joined the French colonial army at the persuasion of his father’s friend. It was a good decision as Đồng would later become one of the first Vietnamese officers to command French soldiers at the light division level (Groupement Mobile). Đồng was also one of the few ARVN officers to have been officers in the French Army and the only general officer who had begun his military career as a private.

Career Summary

World War II

Five years after joining the army as an enlisted man, he was promoted to Officer of Materials for the 2nd Battalion of the 19th Colonial Infantry Regiment (Officier du Matériel, II/19e RMIC) stationed in Móng Cái. Here, he earned the trust of many young Nùng men who he later trained to be competent officers of the ARVN.

On March 9, 1945, as part of the Second French Indochina Campaign, Japanese Imperial Army forces in Tonkin attacked two battalions of the 19ème RMIC at Hà Cối. Two days later, the regiment commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Charles LeCocq, was killed in action while leading a counter-attack. His body would have been left behind were it not for the sharp-shooter Hoang Duc Phung who recovered it with Đồng’s mortar support.

Two weeks later, Đồng and remnants of the 1er Territoire Militaire fought their way to Quảng Tây in South China where they joined General Marcel Alessandri who had been cooperating with the Chinese National Kuomingtang Army (國民革命軍) in the fight against Japanese armies. There, Đồng attended a special officer class. During this period, he secretly made contacts with several Việt Quốc revolutionaries-in-exile most of whom would become his good friends and ardent supporters throughout his career in South Vietnam. At the end of 1945, Sous Lieutenant Đồng returned to Vietnam where he was assigned to Vạn Hoa.

The First Indochina War

In 1946, Đồng was transferred to the south where he participated in several major operations in Gò Công, Long Thành, and Thành Tuy Hạ. A year later, his successes against communist troops earned him a promotion to Lieutenant. His abilities in organizing intelligence networks eventually landed him a position working for the Governor of North Vietnam, Nghiêm Xuân Thiện as Sous-Directeur des Etudes (Phó Sở Nghiên Cứu) where he reported to Captain Sylvain Trần Văn Minh. In 1949, Lt. Đồng went back to the army and served as Chief of J-2 for the 2e BVN (Trưởng Phòng 2 của Bộ chỉ huy TĐ2 VN).

In January 1950, the State of Vietnam’s Minister of Defense Phan Huy Quát, a Đại Việt leader, asked Đồng to join the Vietnamese National Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. A year later, he was appointed Province Chief of Nam Định, after participating in the battle of Vĩnh Yên.

Early 1952, Đồng was appointed Commander of the 55th Vietnamese Battalion (55e BVN) stationed at the Na San firebase. At the end of 1952, he was promoted to Commander of the 2e Groupe Mobile. During this period, he participated in some of the hardest-fought battles to pacify the Red River Delta, especially in Ninh Bình. In September 1953, he was appointed Commander of the Bùi Chu Secteur and concurrently Commander of the Forces of North Vietnam Light Battalions and Artillery. The latter position was very important, for he was in command of nineteen light infantry battalions (TĐKQ) and three artillery companies with the mission to pacify a military zone comprising of seven provinces.

Prior to taking command of Bùi Chu, Đồng participated in Operation Tarentaise to take back areas under the Việt Minh's control. In October 1953, he commanded Operation Lê Lợi to attack enemy's strongholds in the area. The operation was successful, though the cost was high: one of Đồng light battalions at Quần Phương Hạ was completely destroyed by the Việt Minh's more seasoned independent regiments.

It was in Bùi Chu that Đồng, a Buddhist, would become an ally of Bishop Phạm Ngọc Chi, his diocese and Father Hoàng Quỳnh. In return, these Roman Catholics would become his staunch supporters in both North and South Vietnam.

Mid 1954, he was sent to South Korea to attend a special military training.

Vietnam War

From 1954 to the end of the 1st Republic

After the Geneva Convention that partitioned Vietnam into North and South, Đồng was appointed Commander of the Quảng Yên Military Academy to redeploy the academy and its personnel southward during Operation Passage to Freedom. In the south, Đồng was promoted to Coastal Zone Commander (Liên Khu Duyên Hải), a post he held until October 25, 1956, when President Ngô Đình Diệm, founder of the Republic, transferred him to Sông Mao (Bình Thuận) to command the 3rd Field Division, a unit made up entirely of Nùng soldiers. Lieutenant Colonel Ðỗ Mậu, Đồng's second-in-command who was Diệm's protégé and a Cần Lao party member, was promoted to replaced him. Ironically, Mậu later would betray Diệm in 1963.

In March 1958, President Diệm seeing that the 3rd Field Division was loyal to none but Colonel Đồng, transferred Nùng soldiers to other units within the Army. In 1959, some of the Nùng soldiers left the army to join Father Nguyễn Lạc Hoá, a good friend of Đồng and a fervent anti-communist priest at the newly-formed Sea Swallows enclave in Cà Mau. Đồng, who was self-taught in English, was sent to training at the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

When Đồng returned to Vietnam in 1959, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the III Corps. In this position, he was in charge of conducting campaigns against NVA and Vietcong units within the Corps's territory. During this period, he was not killed as President Diệm had hoped. Instead, due to his bravery, Đồng earned the loyalty of his new troops and the respect of many junior officers which caused Diệm to mistrust him even more. In December 1962, after an American general had advised Diệm to promote Đồng to general and after hearing other American advisers praised the colonel for his commanding skills, the president demoted Đồng to III Corps's Inspector General of Strategic Hamlets.

In August 1963, Buddhist monks with Communist ties caused a political disturbance, commonly known as the Buddhist Crisis. This turmoil led to the November 1st coup d’état that toppled Diệm's government. Shortly before the coup, President Diệm had the colonel held at Camp Lê Văn Duyệt out of suspicion that the latter was preparing to launch a coup to topple the government. Đồng was indeed one of the conspirators and his detention shifted the President's suspicion away from other senior officers, primarily General Đôn, head of a CIA-backed group of plotters. On November 2, General Dương Văn "Big" Minh, a Diệm's protégé, ordered his bodyguard Captain Nguyễn Văn Nhung and Major Dương Hiếu Nghĩa to kill President Diệm and his brother Nhu. Most Vietnamese senior officers suspected that general Minh took US Ambassador Lodge's suggestion of eliminating the brothers Ngo-Dinh "to prevent any colonel from bring them back to power".

Several ARVN generals then assumed leadership of South Vietnam. Power struggles, some of which influenced by the monk Trí Quang, would lead to a period of instability in the whole country. Political stability only came in 1967 when Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and Air Marshall Nguyễn Cao Kỳ were elected leaders of the 2nd Republic.

The Turbulent Years (1964-1967)

With the escalation of the Vietnam War and with the increased United States involvement, the role of the ARVN became more significant but was seen by the media in the West as insignificant. After the coup, Colonel Đồng served briefly as 7th Infantry Division Commander, during which time he earned the alias "Tiger of the Delta" for his twelve successful operations against Vietcong and NVA troops. Late December 1963, he was abruptly relieved command of the division and was sent to Taiwan as military attaché.

Returning from Taiwan in May 1964, he was promoted to Brigadier General by General Nguyễn Khánh. Late October 1964, he was promoted to Major General. A month later on November 27, he was appointed military governor of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and concurrently as Special Capital Military District Commander (Tư Lệnh Biệt Khu Thủ đô). During this time, Đồng formed and funded his own armed group made up almost entirely of Nùng soldiers.

Being charged with keeping the capital safe in these troubled times, he had to deal with an enemy in South Vietnam, the Buddhist Struggle Movement led by two monks, Thích Trí Quang of the Ấn Quang group and Thích Tâm Châu of Việt Nam Quốc Tự (VNQT). Both of these monks wanted to topple the government of Vietnam, or at least to render it ineffective. Prime Minister Trần Văn Hương, a Buddhist, took a firm stand against the movement to prevent the country from anarchy. During this turmoil, PM Hương fully supported General Đồng when the latter effectively handled Buddhist protests and street agitations. Arrests were limited but well chosen and almost of detainees were proven to be Communists agents within the Ấn Quang group. At one time, Đồng deployed two battalions to disband a violent and armed mob from VNQT. Tâm Châu stopped his anti-government after a meeting with Head of State Nguyễn Khánh while Trí Quang continued to cause political unrest. Recent declassified CIA documents suggest that the Buddhist movement had been penetrated by Viet Cong agents. Tâm Châu himself published a White Paper in 1993 accusing Trí Quang of harboring Communist agents. A declassified French Sûreté report showed that Trí Quang joined the Indochinese Communist Party in 1949, a fact that former SRV Deputy Prime Miniter Tố Hữu proudly confirmed in 2000.

In January 1965, Trí Quang successfully pressured Head-of-State Nguyễn Khánh into dismissing P.M. Hương. A month later, Dr. Quát, a devout Buddhist and former Minister of Defense, was chosen to form a new government. Even without Hương to support his actions, General did not hesitate in arresting communist agents, many of whom had disguised as monks in the Buddhist movement. His success in preventing Trí Quang from toppling the government led the Armed Forces Council ((Hội Đồng Quân Lực) to name the general Uỷ Viên An-Ninh (Security Commissioner) in March. Infuriated by the AFC's action, Trí Quang manipulated Quát, Thiệu and Kỳ into dismissing the general from his positions of military governor and commander of the Special Capital Military District. A recent declassified CIA memo showed Thiệu as the one who requested general "Little" Minh, the Chief of General Staff, to investigate Đồng for protecting gambling operations, a claim that Minh disputed and refused to do as asked. The same memo showed Quát wanting to dismiss the general for being a troublemaker and Kỳ claiming Đồng as corrupted.

In June 1967, Kỳ forced the general to retire, fearing the latter would stage a coup d'état. Đồng continued to serve armed forces personnel by co-founding an association for ancient and current combatants, the Hiệp Hội Chiến Sĩ Tự Do.

From the Height of a Political Career to Exile

From 1969 to 1974, General Đồng served military personnel in a different capacity, Minister of War Veterans (equivalent to the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs). During this time, he worked with West Germany to get financial and medical support for disabled veterans. His relationship with German officials in Oberhausen resulted in military orphans or children of disabled veterans going there to further their education. Most of the students came from the ministry-sponsored school Quốc Gia Nghĩa Tử. Minister Đồng's personal ties with Australian, Taiwanese and South Korean officials benefited Vietnamese veterans. During his tenure, Australia, Taiwan and Korea provided much needed funding and training to disabled veterans at vocational facilities.

President Thiệu, in power since 1967, was becoming a dictator. By 1974, he had had thousands opposition persons arrested, and had increased the number of executions. Mass protest demonstrations led by opposition leaders in Saigon caused Thiệu to reorganize his cabinet in an attempt to quiet the opposition. He also used the occasion to get rid of potential threats to his power. Minister Đồng, who was seen by Thiệu as such, was dismissed from the cabinet in February 1974 and imprisoned without trial on charge of corruption. Government-run newspapers and television channels launched a public humiliation campaign against the minister, accusing him of corruption and of plotting against the government. Đồng was only released in July after Trần Quốc Bửu, head of the Tổng Liên Đoàn Lao Công (the equivalent of the American AFL-CIO), and Father Hoàng Quỳnh of the Northern Catholics pressured Thiệu to do so.

After his release, General Đồng spent his time mentoring senior Army officers and advising civilian opposition leaders on tactics against President Thiệu. The Communist invasion in 1975 cut short of his attempt to return to political power.

During the Fall of Saigon, he and his family were able to escape on a United States Air Force C-130 Hercules that took them to Guam, and then onward to the United States where he was offered political asylum.

Personal life

In his spare time, Đồng wrote poems to relax under the pen name of Nùng Khánh Lâm. In 1944 while he was stationed in Móng Cái, he wrote poems to court a Nùng woman, Lê Thị Lý (1919-1992). They got married and eventually had five children. After coming to the States and settling in Arlington County, Virginia, Đồng would occasionally serve as a translator on special projects for the Defense Department before retiring in 1982 to take care of his wife who had suffered from a stroke.

Two years after Lý died, Đồng remarried to Mỹ-Lan Trịnh, from whom he acquired three stepdaughters. In 1996, he and his new family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he died of congestive heart failure on November 26, 2008. Major General Phạm Văn Đồng is survived by his second wife Mỹ-Lan, five children, three stepchildren, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Awards and decorations

General Đồng earned the following Vietnamese and foreign decorations and awards:

Vietnam personal military decorations

• Tương Trung Long Tinh Huy-Chương (Officier de l’Ordre du Dragon d'Annam - Order of the Dragon of Annam, Officer class)
• Đệ Tam Đẳng Bảo Quốc Huân-Chương (Commander of the National Order)
• Chương Mỹ Bội Tinh Đệ Nhất hạng (Chuong My Merit medal, 1st class)
• Đệ Tứ Đẳng Bảo Quốc Huân-Chương (Officer of the National Order)
• Lục Quân Huân-Chương Đệ Nhất hạng (Army Distinguished Service Order, 1st class)
• Anh Dũng Bội Tinh (Cross of Gallantry, with 18 citations - palms & gold stars)
• Phát Triển Sắc Tộc Bội Tinh Đệ Nhất hạng (Ethnic Development Service medal, 1st class)

Foreign decorations and awards

• French Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
• French Croix de guerre 1939-1945 avec palme de bronze (citation a l'ordre de l'Armee)
• French Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures avec 2 palmes d’argent et 4 citations de bronze
• French Croix du combattant; Medaille coloniale avec barrette Extreme Orient
• French Medaille d'honneur pour actes de courage et de devouement
• French Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1939-1945
• French Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Indochine
• French Chevalier de l’Ordre du merite du Territoire autonome Nung
• French Croix d'officier de l’Ordre du merite civil de la Federation T’ai
• Republic of Korea Field Marshall Lord Eulji Cordon, ROK 2nd highest decoration Order of Military Merit (무공훈장: 을지).
• Republic of Korea Order of Service Merit, 2nd Class (근정훈장: 황조)
• Republic of China Order of Brilliant Star, 1st Class(一等景星勳章)
• Kingdom of Thailand Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Commander class (๒๓. ตริตราภรณ์ช้างเผือก)

Glossary

• 1964-1967 = This period of political unrest caused by Communist-manipulated, CIA-backed monks was also known as the "time of the generals". During this time, senior officers often formed groups with their own armies either to stage coup d'états or to protect themselves from their rivals. Evidences can be seen in photographs or senior officers and their troops wearing non-regulated uniforms of various designs.
• ARVN = Army of the Republic of Vietnam, often incorrectly used as a collective term to refer to all South Vietnamese armed forces.
• Bùi Chu Secteur
• BVN = Bataillon Vietnamien. Officially formed in 1949 as part of the Army for the State of Vietnam, a typical battalion consisted of 829 men, armed with French weapons. Its officers could be either Vietnamese or French. BVNs were formed to replace French units. By 1954, there were 98 BVN's.
• Bataillon Léger = Light Infantry Battalion or Tiểu-đoàn Khinh-quân, formed in 1953, consisted of 638 men, armed entirely with US weapons. Its officers were Vietnamese. TDKQs were formed to pacify territories. By July, 1954, there were 81 TDKQ's.
• Corps = The Republic of Vietnam was divided into four tactical zones, each of which was a political as well as military jurisdiction.
• Field Division =
• Groupe Mobile = Largest military unit in Indochina, it consisted of approximately 6,000 men, equivalent to a brigade or a light infantry division.
• Liên Khu Duyên Hải = Military territory comprised of 4 coastal provinces: Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận
• Na-San fire-base = General Salan's brainchild against Giáp's forces assaulting the T'ai territory and Upper Laos. Located 20km from Son La, the fortified fire-base had an airstrip that could accommodate the Dakota airplanes, had "rings" of outposts with a complicated trench system enforced with barbed wires. Na-San had a defense force of 11 battalions (15,000 men) and 6 artillery batteries. In December 1952, Giáp's forces failed to capture Na San after bloody battles that cost the Vietminh 7,000 lives. In his autobiography, Salan credited the superior air-support for the French victory ("Without air-support, Na San would have been defeated").
• Quảng Yên Military Academy (NCO) = Established in 1953 as a military educational institution that prepared candidates for service in the State of Vietnam Army's non-commissioned officer corps.
• RMIC = Régiment Mixte d'Infanterie Coloniale (Mixed Colonial Infantry Regiment) consisted of 4 battalions.
• Territoire Militaire = Part of the Tonkin division that had 5 military territories, one of which was the 1er Territoire Militaire based in Mong Cái.

External Links on Medals

• "Huân & Huy Chương VNCH" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved September 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Ordre du Dragon d'Annam" (in French). Retrieved September 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Médaille commémorative de la campagne d'Indochine" (in French). Retrieved November 8, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "景星勳章" (in Chinese). Retrieved September 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "무공훈장" (in Korean). Retrieved September 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Royal Thai Orders and Decorations (from the website of Thailand's secretariat of the Cabinet)". Retrieved September 30, 2009.
• "Toutes les Decorations Civiles et Militaires" (in French). Retrieved September 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Medals of America". Retrieved September 30, 2009.

References

News of his death:

• Childs, Martin (March 16, 2009). "Pham Van Dong: South Vietnamese general who could not defend Saigon against the Communists". The Independent. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
• Holley, Joe (December 8, 2008). "Pham Van Dong; Army General In Vietnam Praised for Bravery". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
• "Obituary from Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home". Retrieved November 16, 2009.
• "Cựu Thiếu Tướng Phạm Văn Ðỗng Từ Trần Tại Philadelphia". Saigon Broadcasting Television Network (in Vietnamese). November 28, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "PHẠM VĂN ĐỖNG - Condolences from the Association of Hai Ninh Combattants, Cadres, and Civil Servants". Nguoi-viet Online (in Vietnamese). December 8, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
• "Gia dinh thieu-tuong pham van dong cam ta". Take 2 tango (in Vietnamese). February 21, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.

General:

• "ARVN Generals". www.generalhieu.com. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
• "List of French Infantry Regiments" (in French). Retrieved October 16, 2009.
• "Ordre de bataille français en Indochine entre 1940 et 1945" (in French). Retrieved October 22, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "La longue marche vers la Chine" (in French). Retrieved October 17, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Order of Liberation recipient Charles Le Cocq" (in French). Retrieved October 20, 2009.
• "Giáo Phận Bùi Chu" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved September 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Viet Minh Order of Battle, Northern Vietnam 1952-1954". Retrieved November 13, 2009.
• "Le Tonkin, laboratoire de la "pacification" en Indochine" (in French). Retrieved November 13, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Indochine:1954 L'operation "Auvergne" rapport du Sous-lieutenant JB David" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved November 14, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "BATTLE OF INDO-CHINA: Siege of Nasan". Time Magazine. December 15, 1952. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
• "Quảng Yên" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved September 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "A Brief Overview of the Vietnam National Army and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (1952-1975)" (PDF). Retrieved October 10, 2009.
• "History of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam". Retrieved October 22, 2009.
• "Decoding Pham Xuan An chapter 10, Dong is mentioned as a senior army officer plotting a coup d'etat in 1963". Retrieved October 12, 2009.
• "Foreign Relations, 1961-1963, Volume I, Vietnam 1961, Dong is mentioned as part of "a small, powerful group military officers who can control sufficient forces are prepared to launch a coup against Diem government"". Retrieved November 30, 2009.
• "South Viet Nam: End of the Glow". Time Magazine. December 13, 1963. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
• "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968,Volume II, Vietnam, January-June 1965, Document 148". US Department of States. February 20, 1965. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
• "Units in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam" (PDF). Retrieved October 12, 2009.
• "Belief of General Pham Van Dong that tribal, Viet Cong, and Buddhist disorders will take place between 17 and 20 December 1964". Retrieved October 10, 2009.
• "Situation appraisal of Buddhism as a political force". Retrieved October 10, 2009.
• "VỀ VẤN ĐỀ CHIA RẼ GIỮA ẤN QUANG VỚI VIỆT NAM QUỐC TỰ" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved October 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• "Politician from the Pagoda". Time Magazine. April 22, 1966. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
• "Catholic Exodus". Time Magazine. December 25, 1964. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
• "A talk with Thich Tri Quang". Time Magazine. April 22, 1966. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
• "Political Monks: The Militant Buddhist Movement during the Vietnam War". Retrieved October 11, 2009.
• "THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM (8 APRIL-14 APRIL 1965) released date 4/14/1965". Retrieved October 11, 2009.
• "South Viet Nam: Reprise from the Pagodas". Time Magazine. December 4, 1964. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
• "Tran van Huong and Saigon military governor Pham van Dong". UMass Boston Digital Archives. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
• "Tran van Huong discussing with Military Governor Pham van Dong". UMass Boston Digital Archives. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
• "Vietnam: History". 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
• "Declassified CIA Document on Vietnam: CIA and the Generals" (PDF). Retrieved October 22, 2009.

Bibliography

• Simpson, Howard R. (August 1992). Tiger in the Barbed Wire: An American in Vietnam, 1952-1991. Brassey’s Inc. ISBN 0788151487.
• Halberstam, David (1989). The Making of a Quagmire: The classic account of the United States in Vietnam. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-35777-9.
• Prochnau, William (1996). Once Upon a Distant War: David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Peter Arnett - Young War Correspondents and their early Vietnam Battles. New York: Random House. ISBN 0679772650.
• Moyar, Mark (October 2006). Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954-1965. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-86911-0.
• Lieutenant General Trần Văn Đôn (1989). Việt Nam Nhân Chứng (in Vietnamese). Los Angeles: Xuan Thu Publishing. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Major General "Hoành-Linh" Ðỗ Mậu (October 1986). Việt Nam Máu Lửa Quê Hương Tôi (in Vietnamese). Mission Hills, CA: Que Huong Publishing. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• AFRVN Military History Section, J-5, Strategic Planning and Policy. Quân Sử 4: Quân lực Việt Nam Cộng Hòa trong giai-đoạn hình-thành: 1946-1955 (reprinted from the 1972 edition in Taiwan, DaiNam Publishing, 1977) (in Vietnamese). {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Đoàn Thêm (1968). 1965: Việc từng ngày (in Vietnamese). Saigon: Phạm-quang-Khai. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Đoàn Thêm (1969). 1966: Việc từng ngày (in Vietnamese). Saigon: Phạm-quang-Khai. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Đoàn Thêm (1965). 1945-1964: Hai mươi nåm qua, việc từng ngày (in Vietnamese). Saigon: Phạm-quang-Khai. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Lieutenant General Huỳnh Văn Cao (1998). Một Kiếp Người (in Vietnamese). Chantilly, Virginia: Self-Published. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Liên Thành (2008). Biến Động miền Trung (in Vietnamese). California: ARVN Rangers Federation. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Robert, Miriam Gibert (2000). Our Lives Together in the 20th Century. Pennsylvania: Self-Published. pp. 250–252 General Dong's dismissal from the Cabinet and imprisonment without trial.
• Sheehan, Neil (1992). After the war was over - Hanoi and Saigon (First ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 68–70 The author's friendship with Dong who was unnamed in the book but is described as "one of my closest Vietnamese friends". ISBN 0-679-41391-X.
• Colonel Frank Foster (1998). The Decorations & Medals of the Republic of Vietnam & Her Allies 1950-1975 (First ed.). South Carolina: MOA Press. ISBN 1-884452-16-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)