Nguyen Van Thieu was born in Ninh Thuan in 1923 and received his education in a Roman Catholic secondary school in Hue. He briefly joined Ho Chi Minh's organization named the Vietminh after World War II but eventually left because of its Communist background. Later Thieu attended the National Military Academy in Hue and fought for the French against the Vietminh.

After the defeat of the French in 1954, Thieu rose through the ranks of the South Vietnamese army to become a general in 1962. He was one of the leaders in the 1963 coup that overthrew President Ngo Dinh Diem. Two years later, he emerged as South Vietnam's second deputy prime minister and defense minister. From 1965 to 1967, Thieu served as chief of state and chairman of the Directory, which was a 10-member executive committee in the military government that held power over South Vietnam. During the presidential elections, Thieu abused his powers by using the military to harass people who opposed him. In 1967, Thieu won the presidency under a new constitution and was reelected in 1971 after using many unconventional methods.

An unbending anti-Communist, Thieu presided over a dictatorial regime that opposed any United States settlement with North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front. He strongly favored the increase of military actions against the Communists and supported any US action. Because of these qualities, the United States used the Thieu regime as a puppet state. However, corruption was widespread throughout the government. Shortly before the final Communist victory in 1975, Thieu resigned and went into exile in Taiwan and then in England.

Photos Courtesy of Vietnam Photos