Ngô Du (1926–1977) was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). A Catholic from

Qui Nhơn Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...

and the son of a government official, he was educated at a French Catholic boys' school in

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

. He held few combat commands and had few connections with the South Vietnamese political elite. Du held low-key planning positions on the ARVN Joint General Staff until he was propelled into the role of acting commander of the IV Corps Tactical Zone upon the accidental death of Brigadier General Nguyen Viet Thanh in 1970. In August 1970, however, Du found himself promoted to command of the II Corps Tactical Zone in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. During July 1971 allegations were raised in the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

that Du was deeply involved in the drug trade. Du's senior U.S. advisor,

John Paul Vann John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietna ...

acknowledged forthrightly that Du was corrupt and that, whatever his interest in drugs, his lifestyle far exceeded his legal income. Yet he was, said Vann, so amenable to American instruction that, to maintain respect for him within the ARVN, his American advisers had even on occasion warned him to be more independent. On that account, said Vann, "Despite some obvious shortcomings, I would rate Ngo Dzu as second ... mongthe eight corps commanders I have worked with." With Vann's rejoinder on record, the US dropped the issue and never pursued the allegations against Du. From his headquarters at

Pleiku Pleiku is a city in central Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province. Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or De ...

, he and Vann, commanded ARVN forces during the North Vietnamese

Easter Offensive The Easter Offensive, also known as the 1972 spring–summer offensive ('' vi, Chiến dịch Xuân–Hè 1972'') by North Vietnam, or the red fiery summer (') as romanticized in South Vietnamese literature, was a military campaign conducted b ...

of 1972. His command abilities during the ensuing fighting, according to his American advisors, left quite a lot to be desired. On 10 May 1972 he was replaced as corps commander by Major General Nguyễn Văn Toàn. Commenting on his replacement Vann said "All distant critics like to see a scalp fall, it makes them feel better. I am aware of criticism by members of the National Assembly from Binhdinh and Kontum Provinces of General Dzu's handling of the situation." Commenting on Toàn, Vann said "He'll either be better or worse than General Dzu or maybe similar." Du escaped from Saigon in 1975. He died in California on February 14, 1977, at age 52.

Notes

References

*Andrade, Dale, ''Trial by Fire: The 1972 Easter offensive, America's Last Vietnam Battle''. New York: Hippocrene, 1995.

External links

The Dzu Story
1926 births 1977 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals {{Vietnam-mil-bio-stub