Lieutenant General Lê Văn Nghiêm was an officer of 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 ...

. As a colonel, he was the first commander of the 1st Division, which was based in the northernmost regions of South Vietnam near the border, from May 1 1955 until December 15, when he was replaced by Colonel

Nguyễn Khánh Nguyễn Khánh (}; 8 November 192711 January 2013) was a South Vietnamese military dictator and Army of the Republic of Vietnam general who served in various capacities as head of state and prime minister of South Vietnam while at the head o ...

, who later led the country.Tucker, pp. 526–533. He served as the commander of

III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...

, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital

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 ...

, from 5 May 1960 until 7 December 1962, when he was replaced by Major General

Tôn Thất Đính Lieutenant General Tôn Thất Đính (, ; November 20, 1926 – November 21, 2013) was an officer who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that led to the ...

. He was transferred to serve as the commander of I Corps, which oversaw the northernmost part of the country, from 7 December 1962 until August 1963 the next year, when he was replaced by Major General

Đỗ Cao Trí Lieutenant General Đỗ Cao Trí (20 November 1929 – 23 February 1971) was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) known for his fighting prowess and flamboyant style. Trí started out in the French Army before transferrin ...

. On the same night, I Corps forces took part in the

Xá Lợi Pagoda raids The Xá Lợi Pagoda raids ( ) were a series of synchronized attacks on various Buddhist pagodas in the major cities of South Vietnam shortly after midnight on 21 August 1963. The raids were executed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Speci ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Le, Van Nghiem 1912 births 1988 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals South Vietnamese military personnel of the Vietnam War People from Huế