Major General Tôn Thất Đính (born 1926) is a retired officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that deposed Ngo Dinh Diem, the nation's first president. A favourite of the Ngo family, Dinh was quickly promoted up the ranks, ahead of officers who were regarded as being more capable.

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  • 1950-01-01 00:00:00 (xsd:date)
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  • 1950-01-01 00:00:00 (xsd:date)
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  • Major General Tôn Thất Đính (born 1926) is a retired officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that deposed Ngo Dinh Diem, the nation's first president. A favourite of the Ngo family, Dinh was quickly promoted up the ranks, ahead of officers who were regarded as being more capable. He converted to Roman Catholicism to curry favour with Diem, and headed the military wing of the Can Lao Party, a secret Catholic organisation that maintained the family's grip on power. At the age of 35, Dinh became the youngest ever ARVN general, but he was regarded as a dangerous, egotistical and impetuous figure with a weakness for alcohol. In 1962, he was appointed commander of the III Corps, which oversaw the region surrounding the capital Saigon, as Diem regarded him as one of his most loyal officers. This position meant that Dinh would be a critical factor in the success or failure of any coup. In late 1963, with Diem becoming increasingly unpopular, his colleagues recruited him for a coup by playing on his ego. They convinced him to ask Diem for a cabinet post, knowing that Diem would chastise him. Diem promptly rebuffed Dinh, who became upset and was lured into the plot. Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were aware of a coup plot, but did not know that Dinh was part of it. Nhu planned a fake coup of his own in an attempt to trap his opponents and generate positive publicity for his family. He put Dinh in charge of the coup, and the general promptly redeployed loyal units outside Saigon and rebel forces near the capital. On November 1, the rebel coup proceeded, and the Ngo brothers were deposed and executed. After the coup, Dinh became one of the 12 members of the Military Revolutionary Council (MRC), serving as the Interior Minister. However, the MRC lasted only three months before being ousted in a bloodless coup by General Nguyen Khanh. Dinh and his colleagues were put under house arrest and Khanh falsely accused them of promoting neutralism. The military trial collapsed and they were convicted of "lax morality" but eventually allowed to resume their military service. Dinh was appointed to command the I Corps in 1966, but Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky disapproved of his policies and militarily attacked him, forcing him to abandon his command. Ky then imprisoned Dinh. After being released, Dinh was elected to the Senate and served there until the fall of Saigon in April 1975, when he left Vietnam.
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  • Interior Minister (November 1963 – January 1964), Senator (1968–1975)
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  • 1926 –
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  • Tôn Thất Đính
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  • Major General
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  • 1950s–1966
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  • Ton
  • Tôn
  • Đính
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  • Major General Tôn Thất Đính (born 1926) is a retired officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that deposed Ngo Dinh Diem, the nation's first president. A favourite of the Ngo family, Dinh was quickly promoted up the ranks, ahead of officers who were regarded as being more capable.
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  • Ton That Dinh
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  • Tôn Thất Đính
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