Chief of the Joint General Staff (South Vietnam)

The Chief of the Joint General Staff (Vietnamese: Tổng Tham mưu trưởng) was the highest-ranking military officer of in the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, who was responsible for maintaining the operational command of the military and its three major branches.

Chief of the Joint General Staff
Tổng Tham mưu trưởng (Vietnamese)
Emblem for the Joint General Staff
Flag of the Joint General Staff
Longest serving Cao Văn Viên October 1965–26 April 1975
Ministry of Defense
Status	Abolished
Member of	Republic of Vietnam Military Forces
Reports to	Minister of Defense
Residence	Camp Trần Hưng Đạo
Seat	Joint General Staff
Appointer	President of South Vietnam
Formation	March 1952
First holder	Nguyễn Văn Hinh
Final holder	Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh
Abolished	30 April 1975

History

The position was established with the creation of the General Staff of the Vietnamese National Army, in 1952. Following Vietnam's independence from France in October 1955, the title was changed to Chief of the Joint General Staff.

List of commanders

Vietnamese National Army

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Hinh, NguyễnLieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Hinh (1915–2004)	March 1952	29 November 1954	2 years, 8 months	^[1]
2		Tỵ, LêLieutenant General Lê Văn Tỵ (1903–1964)	29 November 1954	23 March 1958	3 years, 3 months	^[2]

Republic of Vietnam Military Forces

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Tỵ, LêArmy General Lê Văn Tỵ (1903–1964)	23 March 1958	December 1962	4 years, 8 months	.
-		Khiêm, TrầnLieutenant General Trần Thiện Khiêm (1925–2021) Acting	December 1962	August 1963	8 months	^[3]
2		Đôn, TrầnLieutenant General Trần Văn Đôn (1917–1998)	August 1963	10 January 1964	5 months	.
3		Khánh, NguyễnLieutenant General Nguyễn Khánh (1927–2013)	January 1964	February 1964	5 months	.
4		Khiêm, TrầnLieutenant General Trần Thiện Khiêm (1925–2021)	February 1964	October 1964	8 months	.
(3)		Khánh, NguyễnLieutenant General Nguyễn Khánh (1927–2013)	October 1964	February 1965	4 months	.
5		Minh, TrầnLieutenant General Trần Văn Minh (1923–2009)	February 1965	July 1965	5 months	^[4]
6		Có, NguyễnLieutenant General Nguyễn Hữu Có (1925–2012)	July 1965	October 1965	3 months	.
7		Viên, CaoGeneral Cao Văn Viên (1921–2008)	October 1965	26 April 1975	9 years, 6 months	^[5]^[6]
8		Khuyên, ĐồngLieutenant General Đồng Văn Khuyên [vi] (1927–2015)	27 April 1975	28 April 1975	1 day	.
9		Lộc, NguyễnLieutenant General Nguyễn Phước Vĩnh Lộc (1923–2009)	29 April 1975	29 April 1975	0 days	.
10		Hạnh, NguyễnBrigadier General Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh (1926–2019)	30 April 1975	30 April 1975	0 days	.

References

1. Vo, Nghia M. (2011). Saigon: A History. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 128. The newly-formed 30,000-man South Vietnamese army (SVA) was led by Lieutenant-General Nguyễn Văn Hinh, a naturalized French citizen and a Bảo Đại admirer. Hinh, son of former Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Tâm, ...
2. Luận, Nguyễn Công (2012). Nationalist in the Viet Nam Wars: Memoirs of a Victim Turned Soldier. Indiana University Press. p. ?. General Lê Văn Tỵ was appointed joint general chief of staff, replacing General Nguyễn Văn Hinh. The remnants of the French supporters lost their foothold in the nationalist army.
3. Hammer, Ellen J. (1987). A Death in November: America in Vietnam, 1963. New York City: E. P. Dutton. p. 133. ISBN 0-525-24210-4.
4. FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1964–1968, VOLUME II: VIETNAM, JANUARY-JUNE 1965
5. Butterfield, Fox. "The Communists Were Stunned, Too" The New York Times May 12, 1985
6. Holley, Joe. "Cao Van Vien, South Vietnam 4-Star General" The Washington Post January 30, 2008

External links