Dư Quốc Đống (1932 – 22 April 2008) was a

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

ese

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

(ARVN).

Career

In 1965 Đống served as commander of the Airborne which together with the

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

formed the South Vietnamese general reserve and had a significant political role to play in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. Đống allied with General

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (; 5 April 1923 – 29 September 2001) was a South Vietnam, South Vietnamese military officer and politician who was the Leaders of South Vietnam, president of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975. He was a general in the Repub ...

, while General Lê Nguyên Khang commanding the Marines was an ally of Đống's rival Air Vice Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ. The general reserve troops represented the muscle of the Saigon-based Directory members and balanced power between the rival officer cliques. In 1966 US advisers reported that Đống was highly resistant to American advice. Because of his close relationship with Thiệu, Joint General Staff chief General Cao Văn Viên, his nominal superior, was reluctant to discipline Đống and instead passed on American misgivings to Thiệu. Thiệu valued the support of Đống's Saigon-based paratroopers, but, to appease his American critics, apparently reprimanded Đống in private over his lackadaisical approach. The result was a supposed "changed attitude" in Đống, but by the end of the year the Airborne senior adviser, Col. James B. Bartholomees, again reported that Đống "was still not applying himself to his job." In 1972 Thiệu moved both Đống and Khang out of their Divisions, transferring Đống to command the Capital Military District and Khang to a nebulous "special assistant" post under Viên on the Joint General Staff. He served as the commander of III Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding Saigon, from 30 October 1974 until January 1975, when he was replaced by Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Toàn.

Awards

National Honours

VPD National Order of Vietnam - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the National Order of Vietnam

Foreign honours

* : **

Silver Star Medal The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Quoc Dong 1932 births 2008 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals People from Kiên Giang province