Ngô Đình Diệm Jean Baptiste (help·info) «ngoh dihn zih-ehm» (January 3, 1901 – November 2, 1963) was the first President of the Republic of Vietnam (1955–63)

Rise to power

Ngô Đình Diệm was born in Huế, the original capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam. The Ngô family is Catholic. He was one of the highest ranking officials of the Nguyễn Dynasty under Emperor Bảo Đại before World War II but resigned after accusing the Emperor of being a "tool" of the French. He was nationalist, devoutly catholic, and anti-Communist; his elder brother, Ngô Đình Thuc, was the archbishop of Huế.