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Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam
1969–1976 opposition government and state in South Vietnam
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The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRG, Vietnamese: Chính phủ Cách mạng Lâm thời Cộng hòa miền Nam Việt Nam, chữ Hán: 政府革命臨時共和面南越南), was formed on 8 June 1969, by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), as an armed rival government opposing the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) under President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu. Delegates of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Viet Cong), as well as several smaller groups, participated in its creation.
Satellite state of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1975–1976)
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (1969–1975) Chính phủ Cách mạng Lâm thời Cộng hòa miền Nam Việt Nam Republic of South Vietnam (1975–1976) Cộng hòa miền Nam Việt Nam | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–1976 | |||||||||
| Motto: Độc lập – Dân chủ – Hòa bình – Trung lập[1] "Independence – Democracy – Peace – Neutrality" | |||||||||
| Anthem: Giải phóng miền Nam "Liberate the South" | |||||||||
Military emblem of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam | |||||||||
.svg) Republic of South Vietnam (dark green) after the Fall of Saigon. | |||||||||
| Status | Rival government in opposition to the Republic of Vietnam (1969–1975) Satellite state of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1975–1976) | ||||||||
| Capital | Tây Ninh (1969–1972) Lộc Ninh (1972–1973) Cam Lộ (1973–1975) Saigon – Gia Dinh (1975–1976) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Vietnamese | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary communist state under a provisional government | ||||||||
| Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Party | |||||||||
• 1962–1976 | Võ Chí Công | ||||||||
| Chairman of government | |||||||||
• 1969–1976 | Huỳnh Tấn Phát | ||||||||
| Chairman of Consultative Council | |||||||||
• 1969–1976 | Nguyễn Hữu Thọ | ||||||||
| Legislature | People's Assembly | ||||||||
| Historical era | |||||||||
• Government formed | 8 June 1969 | ||||||||
| 30 April 1975 | |||||||||
| 2 July 1976 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1975 | 173,809 km2 (67,108 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Currency | Liberation dong | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Vietnam | ||||||||
The PRG was recognized as the government of South Vietnam by most communist states and Malta.[2] It signed the 1973 Paris Peace Treaty as an independent entity, separate from both South Vietnam and North Vietnam. After the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, the PRG formally replaced the Republic of Vietnam to become the nominal and representative government of South Vietnam under the official name Republic of South Vietnam (Vietnamese: Cộng hòa miền Nam Việt Nam), assuming the properties, rights, and obligations of the former Republic of Vietnam. On 2 July 1976, the Republic of South Vietnam and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam constitutionally merged to form the current Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
History
The Provisional Revolutionary Government was preceded by the Vietnam Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peaceful Forces (VANDPF)[3][failed verification – see discussion] made up of anti-government forces and headed by Trinh Dinh Thao.[4] The Alliance was a collection of individuals who wanted a new South Vietnamese government but disagreed with the ever-present Northern Communist presence.[citation needed]
Discussions about forming an alliance had begun as early as 1966, but plans were disrupted when South Vietnamese intelligence agents apprehended a prominent anti-government figure, Ba Tra. Ba Tra gave the South Vietnamese government extensive information on anti-government forces working in the city.[5] This setback was compounded by his identification of one of the key cadre in the financial division.[5]
Under torture, Ba Tra identified more figures in the underground, who were then arrested. By 1967, the entire Saigon organization had been sent further underground.[6]
In early 1969, the then-new American president, Richard Nixon, started a process of Vietnamization to allow the United States Armed Forces to withdraw from South Vietnam.[7]
1969–1975
On 8 June 1969 delegates from the Vietcong, the VANDPF, the People's Revolutionary Party (the South Vietnamese communist party) and "the usual assortment of mass organizations, ethnic groups, and geopolitical regions" met off Route 22 in Cambodia's Fishhook region and formed the Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG).[7] Banners displayed prominently at the convention proclaimed that "South Vietnam is independent, democratic, peaceful, and neutral".[7]
Following the military and political results of the 1968 Tet Offensive and related military offensives in the South by Saigon and the United States, in which the Vietcong suffered serious military losses, the PRG was envisioned as a political counter-force that could influence international public opinion in support of reunification and in opposition to the United States and South Vietnam.[8]
The declared purpose of the PRG was to provide a formal governmental structure to the NLF and enhance its claim of representing "the Southern people".[9] Included in this strategy was the pursuit of a negotiated settlement to the war leading to reunification, organized during the initial phase of Vietnamization. According to Justice Minister Trương Như Tảng, the new group's main purpose was to help the NLF "acquire a new international stature."[8]
During 1969–70, most of the PRG's cabinet ministries operated near the Cambodian border. Starting on 29 March to late April 1970, the US and South Vietnamese offensives forced the PRG to flee deeper into Cambodia. The stressful escape caused many of the PRG officials (such as Trương Như Tạng) to need extensive medical furloughs. After Trương Như Tạng returned, he noticed that new cadres from the north were causing problems for the non-communist members of the PRG.[10] One member in particular, Ba Cap, harshly denounced most of the PRG as bourgeois.[11] Tạng complained to the higher members of the DRV government, but was rebuffed. Tạng later saw this as the point when the PRG turned from being an independent South Vietnam-based alternative government to being a mouthpiece for the communist movement.[12]
The central bodies of the PRG functioned as a provisional government. The PRG maintained diplomatic relations with many countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, such as Algeria and SFR Yugoslavia[13] as well as with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.
1975–1976
After the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, the PRG assumed power in South Vietnam and subsequently participated in the reunification of Vietnam.
According to professor Ngô Vĩnh Long (University of Maine), in mid-July 1975, the delegates of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Nguyễn Văn Lưu) and the Republic of South Vietnam (Đinh Bá Thi) applied to join the United Nations (UN) as two independent member states. However, both countries failed in joining the United Nations due to American vetoes on 11 August and 30 September 1975 as the USSR and China refused to allow South Korea to join the organization on 6 August. However, North Vietnam and North Vietnamese-occupied South Vietnam became two UN observers in 1975.[14][15] Kuwait was the last country to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of South Vietnam on 22 and 24 January 1976, before North and South Vietnam were eventually reunited on 2 July 1976.
Government and politics
The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was centralised as a part of the ideology of democratic centralism.[16]
Cabinet
| Post | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman of Consultative Council (Head of State) | Nguyễn Hữu Thọ | 6 June 1969 | 2 July 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party and Democratic Party of Vietnam |
| Chairman of Government (Prime Minister and de facto leader) | Huỳnh Tấn Phát | 8 June 1969 | 2 July 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party and Democratic Party of Vietnam |
| Vice-chairman | Phung Van Cung | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | Democratic Party of Vietnam |
| Vice-chairman | Nguyễn Văn Kiệt | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Vice-chairman | Nguyen Doa | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Minister of Presidential Palace of Government | Tran Buu Kiem | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party and Democratic Party of Vietnam |
| Minister of Defense | Trần Nam Trung | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Nguyễn Thị Bình | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party |
| Minister of the Interior | Phung Van Cung | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Minister of Justice | Trương Như Tảng | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | Cao Van Bon Duong Ky Hiep (acting from 1975) | 8 June 1969 | died 1971 | |
| Minister of Information and Culture | Lưu Hữu Phước | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Minister of Education and Youth | Nguyễn Văn Kiệt | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | |
| Minister of Health, Social Action and Disabled Soldiers | Dương Quỳnh Hoa | 8 June 1969 | 1976 | People's Revolutionary Party |
Foreign relations
Within a year of its establishment in 1969, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was recognized by 25 countries and established diplomatic relations with them.[17] By July 1976, before the formal reunification of North and South Vietnam, the Republic of South Vietnam had been recognized by 80 countries and established diplomatic relations with 71 of them.[18][19]
| Country | Date of Recognition | Date of diplomatic relations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cuba |
11 June 1969 | 11 June 1969 | |
 Algeria |
11 June 1969 | 11 June 1969 | |
 North Korea |
11 June 1969 | 11 June 1969 | |
 Poland |
12 June 1969 | 12 June 1969 | |
 Syria |
12 June 1969 | 12 June 1969 | |
 Bulgaria |
13 June 1969 | 13 June 1969 | |
 Hungary |
13 June 1969 | 13 June 1969 | |
 China |
14 June 1969 | 14 June 1969 | |
 Cambodia |
14 June 1969 | 14 June 1969 | |
 Albania |
16 June 1969 | 16 June 1969 | |
 East Germany |
29 June 1969 | 20 June 1969 | |
 Romania |
24 June 1969 | 24 June 1969 | |
 Czechoslovakia |
27 June 1969 | 27 June 1969 | |
 Soviet Union |
29 June 1969 | 29 June 1969 | |
 Mongolia |
2 July 1969 | 2 July 1969 | |
 South Yemen |
8 July 1969 | 8 July 1969 | |
 Congo |
7 August 1969 | 22 August 1969 | |
 Iraq |
7 November 1969 | 25 November 1969 | |
 Mauritania |
9 November 1969 | 29 November 1969 | |
 Sudan |
15 November 1969 | 8 December 1969 | |
 Tanzania |
24 December 1969 | 8 July 1970 | |
 United Arab Republic |
11 April 1970 | 23 April 1970 | This date marks the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of South Vietnam and the United Arab Republic. |
 Sri Lanka |
14 July 1970 | 24 June 1975 | This date marks the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of South Vietnam and Ceylon. |
 Yugoslavia |
29 April 1971 | 22 May 1971 | |
 Somalia |
10 October 1971 | 14 February 1972 | |
 Mali |
21 February 1972 | 25 February 1972 | |
 Chile |
8 September 1972 | 8 September 1972 | Following the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, the Republic of South Vietnam severed diplomatic relations with Chile on 14 September 1973 |
 Equatorial Guinea |
30 September 1972 | 17 January 1975 | |
 Guyana |
22 December 1972 | 19 April 1975 | |
 Uganda |
7 February 1973 | 9 February 1973 | |
 Dahomey |
14 March 1973 | 14 March 1973 | This date marks the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of South Vietnam and Dahomey. |
 Burundi |
22 March 1973 | 16 April 1973 | |
 Senegal |
3 July 1973 | 3 July 1973 | |
 Guinea |
24 July 1973 | 25 July 1973 | |
 Malta |
2 September 1973 | 8 September 1973 | |
 Zambia |
2 September 1973 | 8 September 1973 | |
 Guinea-Bissau |
28 September 1973 | 20 May 1974 | |
 Bangladesh |
5 October 1973 | 24 October 1973 | |
 Madagascar |
10 June 1974 | 10 June 1974 | |
 Mauritius |
14 June 1974 | ||
 North Yemen |
13 September 1974 | 13 November 1974 | |
 Gabon |
1 January 1975 | 9 January 1975 | |
 Afghanistan |
5 March 1975 | 8 March 1975 | |
 Libya |
15 March 1975 | 15 March 1975 | |
 Zaire |
5 April 1975 | 5 April 1975 | |
 Laos |
30 April 1975 | 12 August 1975 | |
 Cyprus |
1 May 1975 | ||
 Sweden |
2 May 1975 | 13 July 1975 | |
 Finland |
2 May 1975 | 4 July 1975 | |
 Thailand |
2 May 1975 | ||
 India |
2 May 1975 | 30 May 1975 | |
 Denmark |
2 May 1975 | 2 May 1975 | |
 Pakistan |
3 May 1975 | 1 July 1975 | |
 Jamaica |
11 May 1975 | ||
 Netherlands |
15 May 1975 | 20 June 1975 | |
 Niger |
14 May 1975 | ||
 Australia |
15 May 1975 | 8 August 1975 | |
 Japan |
16 May 1975 | ||
 Mexico |
22 May 1975 | 26 May 1975 | |
 Burma |
25 May 1975 | 30 May 1975 | |
 Malaysia |
26 May 1975 | 4 July 1975 | |
 Nigeria |
May 1975 | ||
 Nepal |
26 May 1975 | ||
 New Zealand |
26 May 1975 | 5 November 1975 | |
 France |
26 May 1975 | 26 May 1975 | |
 United Kingdom |
31 May 1975 | 23 June 1975 | |
 Italy |
31 May 1975 | 9 July 1975 | |
 Canada |
31 May 1975 | 25 June 1975 | |
 Mozambique |
25 June 1975 | 25 June 1975 | |
 Belgium |
27 June 1975 | 9 July 1975 | |
 Jordan |
22 June 1975 | ||
 Maldives |
20 June 1975 | 24 June 1975 | |
 Switzerland |
20 June 1975 | 26 June 1975 | |
 Norway |
2 May 1975 | 2 May 1975 | |
 Luxembourg |
3 July 1975 | 10 July 1975 | |
 Austria |
7 July 1975 | 10 July 1975 | |
 Iceland |
8 August 1975 | 15 August 1975 | |
 Panama |
28 August 1975 | 28 August 1975 | |
 Ivory Coast |
6 October 1975 | 6 October 1975 | |
 Kuwait |
22 January 1976 | 24 January 1976 |
Culture
Music
The national anthem of the Government was Liberate the South (Vietnamese: Giải phóng miền Nam). The song was written in 1961 by Lưu Hữu Phước (1921–1989) and adopted at that time as the anthem of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Viet Cong).[citation needed]
In 1966, Lưu Hữu Phước wrote a military song March on Saigon (Tiến về Sài Gòn) as an encouragement the soldiers going to attack Saigon in the Tet Offensive. The song was spread again during the fall of Saigon.[citation needed]
Photos
A youth representative of the PRG greets a young man from a Soviet-aligned unidentified African nation. Both are attending a 1973 World Youth Conference held in East Germany and organised by the Free German Youth.
1973 World Youth Conference held in East Berlin, 4 August 1973
Signes of two primers Nguyễn Duy Trinh (North) and Nguyễn Thị Bình (South) at the Paris Peace Accords, 27 January 1973
NLF soldier on 12 February 1973
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