who was the leader of south vietnam during the war
Leaders of the Vietnam War - wikipedia Leaders of the Vietnam War Jump to : navigation , search This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( January 2012 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) The Leaders of the Vietnam War listed below comprise the important political and military figures of the Vietnam War . Contents ( hide ) 1 Ho Chi Minh ( 19 May 1890 -- 2 September 1969 ) 2 Vo Nguyen Giap ( August 25 , 1911 -- October 4 , 2013 ) 3 Ngo Dinh Diem ( 3 January 1901 -- 2 November 1963 ) 4 Nguyen Cao Ky ( 8 September 1930 -- 23 July 2011 ) 5 Nguyen Van Thieu ( 5 April 1923 -- 29 September 2001 ) 6 Anti-Communist forces 6.1 South Vietnam 6.1. 1 Political 6.1. 2 Military 6.2 United States of America 6.2. 1 Political 6.2. 2 Military 6.3 Republic of Korea 6.4 Australia 6.5 New Zealand 6.6 Philippines 6.7 Thailand 6.8 Khmer Republic 6.9 Kingdom of Laos 6.10 Spain 7 Communist forces 7.1 North Vietnam 7.1. 1 Political 7.1. 2 Military 7.2 Viet Cong ( National Liberation Front ) 7.3 Khmer Rouge 7.4 Pathet Lao 7.5 People 's Republic of China 7.6 Soviet Union 7.7 North Korea Ho Chi Minh ( 19 may 1890 -- 2 september 1969 ) ( edit ) Ho Chi Minh whose real name is Nguyen Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyen Tat Thanh and Nguyen Ai Quoc was a Vietnamese revolutionary leader following the path of communism . He left his country on a French steamer in 1911 and traveled extensively around the world participating actively in the Communist International before returning to Vietnam in 1941 . He then organized and led the Viet Minh to fight for Vietnamese Independence . He became more popular for his declaration of Vietnam independence from France , which paraphrased a part of the U.S declaration of independence that says `` All men are created equal ... '' Since 1945 , he became a prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( North Vietnam ) . In the late 1950s , Ho Chi Minh organized another communist guerrilla movement widely known as Viet Cong in South Vietnam . Ho Chi Minh was the key figure and held the main leadership of North Vietnam during both wars in the country . He remained as a great source of inspiration for the Vietnamese who were fighting for a united Vietnam as in his wish after he officially stepped aside in 1965 and even after his death in 1969 . The final offensive against Saigon -- the capital of South Vietnam in 1975 was named after him ( the Ho Chi Minh Campaign ) . Vietnam was reunified under the Communist rule after the fall of Saigon in April 1975 , nearly 30 years after Ho 's declaration of independence and 6 years after his death . Soon after that , Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh city in honour of his vast contributions to Vietnam . Vo Nguyen Giáp ( august 25 , 1911 -- october 4 , 2013 ) ( edit ) Vo Nguyen Giap was a General , Commander in Chief of the Vietnam People 's Army ( VNA ) and Vietnamese politician . He played a major role as a commander in the First Indochina War ( 1946 - 1954 ) and the Vietnam War ( 1960 - 1975 ) in which he involved directly in many important campaigns such as the Border Campaign in Fall -- Winter ( 1950 ) , the Battle of Dien Bien Phu ( 1954 ) , the Tet Offensive ( 1968 ) , the Easter Offensive ( 1972 ) , the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign ( 1975 ) which led to the fall of Saigon and South Vietnam . Giap , together with Ho Chi Minh , was the most prominent figure of North Vietnam during the wars in the country . After the war , he was still the Minister of Defence until 1980 and served as a member of Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam until his retirement in 1991 . Giap celebrated his 100th birthday in 2011 and becomes the oldest Vietnam political and military figure that have ever lived . He is also considered by both his partisans and opponents as one of the greatest military commanders in history . Ngo Dinh Diem ( 3 January 1901 -- 2 November 1963 ) ( edit ) Diem was a Vietnamese politician served as an officer in the Nguyen Dynasty . Because of his drastic ideological of anti-communism , Diem received support from the United States and became the first President of the Republic of Vietnam in 1955 . However , as a Catholic , Diem pursued the persecution of Buddhists which led to many religious protests notably the self - immolation of Thich Quang Duc in 1963 . As a result , Diem gradually lost U.S support and was assassinated , together with his brother Nhu , in a coup in 1963 Nguyen Cao Ky ( 8 september 1930 -- 23 july 2011 ) ( edit ) Nguyen Cao Ky was a senior army officer and a former politician of Republic of Vietnam . He served as a prime minister ( 1965 - 1967 ) and Vice President ( 1967 - 1971 ) of the Republic of Vietnam . From an ally , he then became the opponent of President Nguyen Van Thieu and was mostly sidelined during Thieu 's presidency . Ky had been seen as an aggressive anti-Communist person in the period before 1975 and but then was regarded as a symbol of national reconciliation by the Vietnamese Communist Party since 2004 when he became the first South Vietnamese leader returning to the country . Nguyen Văn Thieu ( 5 April 1923 -- 29 september 2001 ) ( edit ) Thieu was the Leadership Committee Chairman ( 1965 - 1967 ) and President of the Republic of Vietnam ( 1967 - 1975 ) . In 1963 , Thieu joined a military coup to overthrow Diem . During his years as president , Thieu was accused of indulging in corruption . His struggle for power with Ky led to the decisions of side - lining Ky 's supporters and choosing loyalists instead of decent commanders to lead the Army of Public of Vietnam ( APVN ) forces . He strongly opposed the Paris Peace Accords ( 1973 ) and publicly blamed the U.S not keeping its promise for fall of Saigon and South Vietnam in 1975 . Anti-Communist forces ( edit ) South Vietnam ( edit ) Political ( edit ) Ngô Đình Diệm was the President of South Vietnam from 1955 until his assassination in 1963 . Ngô Đình Nhu was Diệm 's younger brother and generally regarded as the architect of the Ngô family 's rule . Dương Văn Minh led the South Vietnamese Army under President Diệm and was briefly leader of South Vietnam in 1963 and 1975 . He was the last president . Nguyễn Thành was a general who was in power from early 1964 to 1965 . Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was the President of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975 . Nguyễn Cao Kỳ was the Prime Minister of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1967 and the Vice President from 1967 to 1971 . Trần Văn Hương was the second to last President of South Vietnam before its surrender in 1975 . Military ( edit ) Hoàng Xuân Lãm was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , commander of I Corps . Lê Nguyên Khang was the commander of the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps . Ngo Quang Truong a lieutenant general and commander of the I Corps . United States of america ( edit ) Political ( edit ) Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 . John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States from 1961 until his death in 1963 . Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 . Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States from 1969 until he resigned in 1974 . Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States from 1974 to 1977 . Robert McNamara was the 8th Secretary of Defense , serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968 . Clark Clifford was the 9th Secretary of Defense , serving under President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1968 to 1969 . Melvin R. Laird was the 10th Secretary of Defense , serving under President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 . James R. Schlesinger was the 12th Secretary of Defense , serving under President Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1973 to 1975 . Henry Kissinger was the 8th National Security Advisor and the 56th Secretary of State , serving under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1969 to 1977 . Military ( edit ) Earle Wheeler was a United States Army General who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1964 to 1970 . Thomas Hinman Moorer was a U.S. admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974 . William Westmoreland was an American General who commanded American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968 . Creighton Abrams was an American General who commanded American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972 . Frederick C. Weyand was a U.S. Army General who was the last commander of American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1972 to 1973 . Elmo Zumwalt was an American naval officer and commander of American naval forces in Vietnam . William W. Momyer was commander of the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command and the commander of the 7th Air Force . John S. McCain , Jr. was an American admiral and Commander - in - Chief of the Pacific Command . George Stephen Morrison was an American Rear Navy Admiral in Command during the Gulf of Tonkin incident , which escalated the U.S involvement in Vietnam . Republic of Korea ( edit ) Park Chung - hee was the President of South Korea from 1963 until his assassination in 1979 . Chae Myung - shin was the Commander of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces in Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 . Lee Se - ho was the Commander of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces in Vietnam from 1969 to 1973 . Australia ( edit ) Sir Robert Menzies was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1949 to 1966 . Harold Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 to 1967 . John Gorton was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971 . Gough Whitlam was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975 . Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger was Chairman , Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1961 to 1966 . Lieutenant General Sir Reginald Pollard was Chief of Army from 1960 to 1963 . Ted Serong was a senior officer of the Australian Army and commander of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam from 1962 to 1965 . Donald Dunstan was an Australian Army officer , who was commander of Australian Forces in Vietnam in 1971 and 1972 . New Zealand ( edit ) Keith Holyoake was the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1960 to 1972 . Jack Marshall was the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1972 . Norman Kirk was the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 to 1974 . Philippines ( edit ) Ferdinand Marcos was the President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 . Thailand ( edit ) Sarit Thanarat prime minister of Thailand from 1958 to 1963 against the communist Pathet Lao guerrillas in the neighboring Kingdom of Laos . During his years as prime minister Sarit was a patron of his cousin , the Lao strongman General Phoumi Nosavan , against the communist Pathet Lao guerrillas in the neighboring Kingdom of Laos . Thanom Kittikachorn was the prime minister of Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and Royal Thai Armed Forces in Vietnam from 1967 to 1972 . Khmer Republic ( edit ) Lon Nol was the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1966 to 1967 and then again in 1969 to 1972 , after which he was President until 1975 . Sosthene Fernandez was the commander - in - chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces of Lon Nol 's Khmer Republic . Kingdom of Laos ( edit ) Souvanna Phouma was the prince of Laos and a political figure . Vang Pao was a major general in the Royal Lao Army and commander of the Hmong guerrilla forces that had a large impact on the war . Spain ( edit ) Francisco Franco was the Caudillo of Spain from 1939 to 1975 . Communist forces ( edit ) North Vietnam ( edit ) Political ( edit ) Hồ Chí Minh was prime minister from 1946 to 1955 and president from 1945 until his death in 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( North Vietnam ) . Lê Duẩn was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and leader of North Vietnam and later the unified Vietnam from 1969 until his death in 1986 . Tôn Đức Thắng was the second and final President of North Vietnam and the first President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam . Phạm Văn Đồng was the Prime Minister of North Vietnam from 1955 to 1976 . Lê Đức Thọ was a Vietnamese politician who , as North Vietnam 's representative , negotiated the Paris Peace Accords . Trường Chinh was ranked in the top 3 of the Vietnamese Politburo from 1941 to 1986 and both preceded and succeeded Le Duan as General Secretary . Military ( edit ) Võ Nguyên Giáp was the Vietnamese General in the Vietnam People 's Army ( NVA ) , Commander - in - Chief of PAVN and was one of the most prominent military leaders during the war . Văn Tiến Dũng was a Vietnamese general in the People 's Army of Vietnam ( PAVN ) , PAVN chief of staff ( 1954 -- 1974 ) ; PAVN commander in chief ( 1974 -- 1980 ) ; and Socialist Republic of Vietnam defense minister ( 1980 -- 1986 ) . Hoàng Văn Thái was the General Staff formed National Army , after holding The first Chief of General Staff of the People 's Army of Vietnam . Nguyễn Hữu An was a general in the Vietnamese People 's Army , commander of the 2nd Army Corps . Lê Trọng Tấn was a general and key figure of the Vietnamese People 's Army , he was the deputy commander of the Viet Cong and held senior commands in the Easter Offensive and the Ho Chi Minh campaign . Hoàng Minh Thảo was a general and military theorist of Vietnamese People 's Army and an advisor to the Viet Cong . Viet Cong ( National Liberation Front ) ( edit ) Nguyễn Hữu Thọ was the chairman of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam . Hoàng Văn Thái was one of the leading commanders of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam ( 1967 -- 1973 , during the U.S. buildup in South Vietnam ) , during the Tet Offensive he was the most senior North Vietnamese Officer in South Vietnam . Trần Văn Trà was one of the leading commanders of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and a member of the Central Committee of the Lao Dong Party . Tran Do was the deputy commander of the Viet Cong . Nguyễn Văn Linh was a political leader of the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War who served as party secretary of South Vietnam for Communist Party of Vietnam . Võ Chí Công was a Vietnamese Communist political figure who was one of the founding members of the Viet Cong . Huỳnh Tấn Phát chairman of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam from 1969 to 1976 . Khmer Rouge ( edit ) Pol Pot was the leader of the Cambodian communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge . Khieu Samphan was the head of the CPNLAF , the Khmer Rouge armed forces . Pathet Lao ( edit ) Souphanouvong was the figurehead leader of the Lao People 's Revolutionary Party , and upon its successful seizure of power in 1975 , he became the first President of the Lao People 's Democratic Republic . Phoumi Vongvichit was a leading figure of the Pathet Lao and an elder statesman of the Lao People 's Democratic Republic . Kaysone Phomvihane was the actual head of the LPRP from 1955 to his death in 1992 and Prime Minister and then President after the takeover . Khamtai Siphandon was the military commander of the Pathet Lao and Defense Minister after the takeover before succeeding Kaysone Phomvihane . People 's Republic of China ( edit ) Mao Zedong was the leader of the People 's Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1976 . Soviet Union ( edit ) Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 . He was the leader of USSR when JFK was U.S. president . Leonid Brezhnev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982 . He was leader of USSR when Lyndon B. Johnson was U.S. president . Rodion Malinovsky was the Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union in 1957 -- 1967 . Andrei Grechko was the Marshal of the Soviet Union Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union in 1967 -- 1976 . Anatoliy Hiuppinen was the commander of the Soviet forces stationed in Vietnam . North Korea ( edit ) Kim Il - sung was the leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death in 1994 . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leaders_of_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=782505274 '' Categories : People of the Vietnam War Hidden categories : Articles lacking sources from January 2012 All articles lacking sources Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 27 May 2017 , at 09 : 42 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia
1. Leaders of the Vietnam War
2. Ho Chi Minh
3. Vo Nguyen Giap
4. Ngo Dinh Diem
5. Nguyen Cao Ky