Nguyen Cao Ky
(b. 1930), Vietnamese political leader. Nguyen Cao Ky was born in Son Tay Province, northwest of Hanoi, in 1930. In 1950 he was drafted into the Vietnamese National Army. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, and in 1953 he volunteered for pilot training. He trained in Algeria and France and graduated in 1954. He eventually was promoted to lieutenant general in the South Vietnamese Air Force.
Ky participated in the 1964 coup that ousted Duong Van Minh from power, and served as prime minister of the Republic of Vietnam between 1965 and 1967. While prime minister, Ky lost much support when he ordered severe repression of Buddhists, whom he believed to be Communist allies. In April 1966, with the help of General William Westmoreland, he led two Army of the Republic of Vietnam battalions against what he believed were Buddhist bases in Da Nang. His actions against the Buddhists led to numerous protests in southern Vietnamese cities.
Premier Nguyen Cao Ky in February 1966. (BETTMANN/CORBIS)Following the 1967 elections, Nguyen Cao Ky became vice president of South Vietnam. In the 1971 elections he chose not to run against Nguyen Van Thieu. He then faded from the political scene. Despite a public promise never to leave Vietnam, he fled to the United States in April 1975.
Further Reading
Duiker, William. (1981) The Communist Road to Power in Vietnam. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Kahin, George M. (1987) Intervention: How America Became Involved in Vietnam. New York: Anchor.
Karnow, Stanley. (1983) Vietnam: A History. New York: Viking.
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