Duong Van Minh
Duong Van Minh was educated in France. He joined the French army and rose to the rank of commander of the Saigon-Colon garrison at the end of the First Vietnam War. He supported Ngo Dinh Diem in 1954 and became one of the leading figures in the Army of South Vietnam. Diem became suspicious of his loyalty and removed him. In 1963 he was a leading member of the coup which overthrew Diem. He was popular because he was a southerner and a Buddhist. But his political capacities were limited. In January 1964 he was detained in a coup and left for exile.
In 1966 he didn't nominated in the elections. In the spring of 1975 he accepted the presidency of the Republic of Vietnam in a unsuccessful effort to obtain conciliatory terms from Hanoi. He remained in Saito and was arrested.