Duong Hieu Nghia
Encyclopedia
Colonel Dương Hiếu Nghĩa, born in Sa Đéc in 1925, was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
. Nghia graduated from the Da Lat National Military Academy. During the Vietnam War
, he served in various infantry and armored units. His highest administrative position was Province Chief of Vinh Long
. A capable officer, Colonel Nghĩa was known not for his commanding skills, but for his role in the killing of the brothers Ngo Dinh Diem
and Ngo Dinh Nhu
.
On November 2, 1963, along with Captain Nguyen Van Nhung
, Major Nghia brutally tortured and assassinated President Diem and his younger brother and adviser Nhu after the latter were arrested at the end of an army coup
.
After the Fall of Saigon
in 1975, Colonel Nghia spent 12 years in various re-education camps. In 1992, he was allowed to immigrate to the USA under the Humanitarian Orderly Departure Program. Since then, he lives in Washington state with his family.
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
. Nghia graduated from the Da Lat National Military Academy. During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, he served in various infantry and armored units. His highest administrative position was Province Chief of Vinh Long
Vinh Long
Vĩnh Long is the capital of the Vinh Long province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The name was spelled 永隆 in the former Hán Tự writing system....
. A capable officer, Colonel Nghĩa was known not for his commanding skills, but for his role in the killing of the brothers Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...
and Ngo Dinh Nhu
Ngo Dinh Nhu
Ngô Ðình Nhu was the younger brother and chief political advisor of South Vietnam's first president, Ngô Ðình Diệm. Nhu was widely regarded as the architect of the Ngô family's nepotistic and autocratic rule over South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963...
.
On November 2, 1963, along with Captain Nguyen Van Nhung
Nguyen Van Nhung
Major Nguyễn Văn Nhung was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . After joining the French Army in 1944 during the colonial era of Vietnam, he soon met and became the aide-de-camp and bodyguard of Dương Văn Minh, and spent the rest of his career in this role as Minh rose up the ranks...
, Major Nghia brutally tortured and assassinated President Diem and his younger brother and adviser Nhu after the latter were arrested at the end of an army coup
1963 South Vietnamese coup
In November 1963, President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam was deposed by a group of Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers who disagreed with his handling of the Buddhist crisis and, in general, his increasing oppression of national groups in the name of fighting the communist Vietcong.The...
.
After the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
in 1975, Colonel Nghia spent 12 years in various re-education camps. In 1992, he was allowed to immigrate to the USA under the Humanitarian Orderly Departure Program. Since then, he lives in Washington state with his family.