A
nation formed by the
1954 division of
Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. The
partition was part of a
cease fire:
Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh (who had defeated the
French) ran the North;
France controlled the South. There were to be national
elections, but the
US and France were afraid Ho would win - thus, no elections. Two republics were formed. The South had a series of
CIA-sponsored despots - Ngo Dinh Diem and generals Nguyen Cao Ky and Nguyen Van Thieu - during the
Vietnam War years.