Which leader of South Vietnam was known for autocratic rule and repression of Buddhists and was overthrown in a US-supported coup in 1963?

• A. Ngo Dinh Diem
• B. Ho Chi Minh
• C. Nguyen Cao Ky
• D. Nguyen Van Thieu

Answer: (A)

Ngo Dinh Diem ruled South Vietnam in an autocratic, centralized manner, keeping power in a tight circle and using security forces to squash opposition. His regime favored Catholic elites and marginalized others, which helped fuel widespread resentment. This culminated in the Buddhist crisis of 1963, when Buddhist monks protested government discrimination and the regime harshly cracked down on demonstrations, generating international outrage and eroding U.S. confidence in Diem’s leadership. Facing mounting pressure at home and abroad, South Vietnamese generals—backed by the United States—tforced his removal in 1963, and he was assassinated. Ho Chi Minh led the communist North, not South Vietnam; Nguyen Cao Ky and Nguyen Van Thieu became leaders later in the conflict, not the 1963 coup target described here.