September 1964 South Vietnamese coup attempt

September 1964 South Vietnamese coup attempt
	Part of the Vietnam War
Date	September 13–14, 1964
Location	Saigon, South Vietnam
Result	Coup failed without bloodshed; Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Nguyễn Chánh Thi gained more leverage over junta leader Nguyễn Khánh
Belligerents
ARVN rebels	ARVN ruling junta
Commanders and leaders
Trần Thiện Khiêm, Lâm Văn Phát, Dương Văn Đức	Nguyễn Khánh, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, Nguyễn Chánh Thi
Strength
Ten battalions	Unclear
Casualties and losses
None	None

The September 1964 South Vietnamese coup attempt took place on September 13–14, 1964, when Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức led a coup against the ruling junta of South Vietnam, led by General Nguyễn Khánh. The coup failed without bloodshed, and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Nguyễn Chánh Thi gained more leverage over Khánh.^[1]

Background

In January 1964, General Nguyễn Khánh seized power from General Dương Văn Minh. By August, he tried to strengthen his rule by declaring a state of emergency, provoking protests led by Buddhist activists. Under pressure, Khánh made concessions, upsetting several Catholic officers.^[2]

The Coup

On September 13, 1964, Generals Phát and Đức launched a coup with support from the Đại Việt Quốc dân đảng and other officers. They captured key locations in Saigon and announced the overthrow of Khánh's regime. Khánh rallied support from his allies, including Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Nguyễn Chánh Thi, and with U.S. support, the coup collapsed the next morning.

Aftermath

Khánh exiled General Trần Thiện Khiêm and later tried to use the coup plotters as political counterweights. However, his political decline continued, and he was deposed in February 1965 with U.S. support.

References

↑ Kahin, George McTurnan (1986). Intervention : how America became involved in Vietnam. Internet Archive. New York : Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-54367-3.
↑ Mcallister, James (2008-07-01). "Only Religions Count in Vietnam': Thich Tri Quang and the Vietnam War". doi:10.1017/s0026749x07002855. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[1] Kahin, George McTurnan (1986). Intervention : how America became involved in Vietnam. Internet Archive. New York : Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-54367-3.

[2] Mcallister, James (2008-07-01). "Only Religions Count in Vietnam': Thich Tri Quang and the Vietnam War". doi:10.1017/s0026749x07002855. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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