Linh Quang Viên (November 11, 1918 – January 17, 2013) was a Vietnamese soldier who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the

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 ...

. Vien was born in

Cao Bang Cao or CAO may refer to: Mythology *Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology Companies or organizations *Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO * CA Oradea, Romanian football club *CA Osasuna, Spanish football club * Canadian As ...

, northern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. He attended Albert Sarraut High School in

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

, and graduated in 1939. In 1958, he graduated from the Command and General Staff College, ort Leavenworth Kansas. He served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General, Chief of Staff Inter-armed Forces (Tham Muu truong Lien Quan). In 1964 he commanded the 22nd Division. He participated in many military cabinets between 1965 and 1974 during the various military junta's leadership after the deposal of President

Ngo Dinh Diem Ngô Đình Diệm ( , or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician who was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955) and later the first president of South Vietnam (Republic of V ...

. Was Political Commissar in the Armed Forces Council (Uy Vien Chinh Tri Hoi Dong Quan Luc), Head of the Central Intelligence Directorate (Phu Dac Uy Trung Uong Tinh Bao), Minister of Information (Tong Truong Thong Tin), Minister of National Security (Tong Truong An Ninh Quoc Gia), and also Interior Minister (Tong Truong Noi Vu) for a short time.Spy Chief Under Fire
/ref> In 1974, he retired from the South Vietnamese Armed Forces, but was soon appointed Ambassador to the Central Africa Republic and Chad. He remained at these posts until the

fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

in 1975. He was then offered asylum by France, went to Paris and stayed there until 1978 when he immigrated to the US, where he settled in Virginia. For many years, he was actively involved in several political and community activities within the Vietnamese community in Virginia, including association with the Vietnamese National Congress (Nghi Hoi), the Movement for the Support of the Liberation of Vietnam (Phong Trao Yem Tro Khang Chien), and the

Government of Free Vietnam The Government of Free Vietnam (GFVN; ) was an anti-communist political organization that was established 30 April 1995 by Nguyen Hoang Dan. It was dissolved in 2013. It claimed to be an unrecognized government in exile of the Republic of Vietn ...

(Chinh Phu Viet Nam Tu Do).

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General Linh Quang Vien
1918 births 2013 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals Vietnamese people of the Vietnam War Vietnamese anti-communists Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College Vietnamese emigrants to the United States People from Cao Bằng province {{Vietnam-activist-stub