Nguyễn Văn Chuân was a Major general 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 ...

Military career

In late 1965 Major general Lewis W. Walt, the commander of the U.S.

III Marine Amphibious Force III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

and the I Corps senior advisor said that the 1st Division under Chuân was "waging a skillful campaign" and "consistently destroying the VC in all significant encounters." On 14 March 1966 he was appointed commander of I Corps, which oversaw the northernmost part of the country, replacing

Nguyễn Chánh Thi Nguyễn Chánh Thi (; 23 February 1923 – 23 June 2007) was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). He is best known for being involved in frequent coups in the 1960s and wielding substantial influence as a key member o ...

. The replacement of the popular Thi by his military rival

Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (; 8 September 1930 – 23 July 2011) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of Sout ...

sparked the

Buddhist Uprising The Buddhist Uprising of 1966 (), or more widely known in Vietnam as the Crisis in Central Vietnam (), was a period of civil and military unrest in South Vietnam, largely focused in the I Corps area in the north of the country in central Vietna ...

and Chuẩn supported the Struggle Movement against the junta 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 ...

. On 9 April Kỳ replaced Chuẩn with Lieutenant 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 ...

in an attempt to shut down the opposition. On 9 July 1966 a special military tribunal retired Chuân, Đính, Thi and other officers involved in the uprising.

Honours

* : **

VPD National Order of Vietnam - Commander BAR

Commander of the

National Order of Vietnam The National Order of Vietnam () was a combined military-civilian decoration of South Vietnam and was considered the highest honor that could be bestowed upon an individual by the Republic of Vietnam government. The decoration was created in ...

Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order Ribbon-First Class

Army Distinguished Service Order, First Class ** Vietnam Navy Distinguished Service Order Ribbon-Second Class

Navy Distinguished Service Order, Second Class ** Vietnamese Gallantry Cross ribbon

Gallantry Cross ** Vietnam Hazardous Service Medal ribbon

Hazardous Service Medal ** Vietnam Loyalty Medal ribbon

Loyalty Medal ** Vietnam Staff Service Medal ribbon-First Class

Staff Service Medal, First Class ** Vietnam Training Service Medal ribbon-Second Class

Training Service Medal, Second Class ** Vietnam Civil Actions Medal ribbon-First Class

Civil Actions Medal The Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal () also known as the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal or Civil Actions Medal, is a military decoration of the former South Vietnamese government (1955–75). The medal was created on May 12, 1964 during t ...

, First Class **

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal (), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949 and awarded during the First Indochina War. During the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War ...

** Chuong My Medal, Second Class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Van Chuan Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals 1923 births 2002 deaths People from Huế