The Ballad of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ; A Republic of Vietnam List:
Presidents of the Second Republic of Vietnam [1]:
1967-1983: Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (National Social Democratic Front)
1967 (With Nguyễn Cao Kỳ) def: Trương Đình Dzu (Independent), Phan Khắc Sửu (Independent)
1971 (With Nguyễn Văn Huyền) def: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (National Front), Trần Văn Hương (Renaissance Party)
1975 (With Nguyễn Văn Huyền) def: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (National Front), Trần Văn Hương (Democratic Party)
1979 (With Nguyễn Cao Kỳ) def: Trần Văn Lắm (National Front), Trần Văn Hương (Democratic Party)
1983-1991:Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (National Social Democratic Front)
1983 (With Nguyễn Văn Huyền) def: Trương Đình Dzu (Democratic Party), Trương Như Tảng (Workers Party),Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý (Progressive People's Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
1987 (With Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi) def: Nguyễn Quốc Quân (Progressive Democratic Party), Trương Như Tảng (Workers Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
Presidents of the Third Republic of Vietnam [2]:
1991-1995: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (Reform Party)
1991 (With Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi) def: Nguyễn Quốc Quân (Progressive Party), Đoàn Văn Toại (Democratic Socialist), Trương Như Tảng (Workers Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
1995-1999: Nguyễn Quốc Quân (Progressive Party)
1995 (With Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên) def: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (Reform Party), Đoàn Văn Toại (Democratic Socialist), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
1999-2007: Đoàn Văn Toại (Democratic Socialist)
1999 (With Nguyễn Minh Triết) def: Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi (Reform Party), Nguyễn Quốc Quân (Progressive Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
2003 (With Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân) def: Ly Thai Hung (Reform Party), Nguyễn Quốc Quân (Progressive Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
2007-2008: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (Reform Party)
2007 (With Ly Thai Hung) def: Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên (Progressive Party), Đoàn Văn Toại (Democratic Socialist), Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh (Monarchist League)
2008-2011: Ly Thai Hung (Reform Party)
2011-2019: Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên (Progressive Party)
2011 (With Kiều Tiến Dũng) def: Ly Thai Hung (Reform Party), Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (Democratic Socialist), Ánh Quang Cao (New Party), Nguyễn Phúc Bảo Ân (Monarchist League)
2015 (With Liêm Hoang-Ngoc) def: Trần Tuấn Anh (Reform Party), Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (Democratic Socialist), Ánh Quang Cao (People’s Action Party), Kiều Tiến Dũng (Ecological-Labour Party)
2019-: Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (Democratic Socialist Party)
2019 (With Trần Thị Hoa Ry) def: Trần Tuấn Anh (Reform Party), Liêm Hoang-Ngoc (Progressive Party), Ánh Quang Cao (People’s Action Party), Thi Viet Huong Truong (Ecological-Labour Party)
Ideologies Political Parties of the Second Republic of Vietnam:
National Social Democratic Front: 'Survival Nationalism', Democratic Socialism, Social Democracy, Anti-Communism
National Front: Social Democracy, Liberal-Conservatism, Economic Liberalism, Populism, Anti-Communism
Democratic Party: Classical Liberalism, Liberal Democracy, Vietnamese Nationalism, Economic Liberalism
Progressive People's Party/Progressive Democratic Party: Social Liberalism, Social Democracy, Christian Democracy, Distributism
Worker's Party: Communism, Marxism-Leninism, Ho-Chi Minh Thought, Left-Wing Nationalism
Monarchist League: Monarchism, Liberal-Conservatism, Anti-Communism
Political Parties of the Third Republic of Vietnam:
Reform Party: Liberal Democracy, Reformism, Neo-liberalism, Liberal-Conservatism, Anti-Communism (Factions; Welfare Capitalism, Social Conservatism,Ultra-nationalism, Right Wing Populism)
Progressive Party: Social Liberalism, Progressivism, Social Democracy, Third Way, Anti-Communism (Factions; Christian Democracy, Guild-Socialism, Buddhist Socialism)
Democratic Socialist Party: Democratic Socialism, Secularism, Left-Wing Nationalism, Market-Socialism, (Factions; Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, EcoSocialism, Buddhist Socialism)
People's Action Party: Social Conservatism, Economic Liberalism, Vietnamese Nationalism, National Conservatism, Right Wing Populism, Anti-Communism (Factions; Monarchism, Anti-Liberalism, State-Capitalism, Ultra-Nationalism, Neoconservatism)
Ecological-Labour Party: Eco-Socialism, Green Politics, Social Democracy, Left Wing Populism, Direct Democracy (Factions; Democratic Socialism, Anarcho-Syndicalism, Libertarian socialism)
Monarchist League: Monarchism, Liberal Conservatism, Royalism, Anti-Communism
1). An largely authoritarian nation lead by representatives of a military junta, the Second Republic of Vietnam was kept afloat with American money and arms. The Presidential elections between 1967 and 1983 were really showcases of political jockeying by members of the military junta who often espoused similar if different political opinions, with some showcasing an open disdain for democracy like Nguyễn Cao Kỳ. When Nguyễn Văn Thiệu stepped down, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ assumed it would be another military junta jockeying however an investigation by the U.N. and increased pressure to seem democratic as the likelihood of a War between the Vietnam's and Cambodia became likely (the West wanting to show off how an Asian Democracy could beat back the hellish forces of the Khmer Rouge) lead to an opening being made for non-military parties to be formed with three parties being formed, the Workers Party; which was essentially a poorly disguised front for the Vietnamese Communist Party, the Progressive People's Party; a coalition of Democracy Activists, Social Democrats, Christians and Liberals and finally the Monarchist League; a Conservative Monarchist party who wanted to create a Constitutional Monarchy. Nguyễn Cao Kỳ would win power again but the grand NSDF coalition was becoming increasingly stagnant and as calls for true Democracy grew louder and louder, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ decided to jump before he was pushed (influenced by South Korea) and decided to agree to reforming and truly democratising Vietnam with the aim being the 1991 election.
The Third Republic was formed.
2). Nguyễn Cao Kỳ would win the first proper election of 1991 by a whisker, less because of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ innate charisma and more because the other parties he was up against were still settling and dealing with there new found freedoms. By 95’ things were different and with the help of political advisors from American and Britain, the Progressive Party under Nguyễn Quốc Quân would pursue a Third Way style election campaign leading to his victory. And upon his ascension to his new office Nguyễn Quốc Quân would be dealt with several killer blows.
The Republic of Vietnam’s banks were heavily tied with other Asian markets and when the Japanese Bubble aggressively burst in 1995, the rest of Asia would feel the aftershock. Vietnam which has been heavily invested in by Japanese companies would lurching into a recession overnight in early 1996. Nguyễn Quốc Quân would be forced to go to the IMF who told him to cut away any remnants of Vietnam's Welfare state that had been set up during 80s. This proved to be incredibly unpopular move and riots would break out in several cities causing the most aggressive crackdowns not seen since the quashing of the Democracy movements in the early 80s. Finally corruption that had been rampant during the NDSF years would rear its ugly head as a number of civil servants would be arrested for corruption charges. Nguyễn Quốc Quân would lose the next election decisively, but the people having tried Conservatism & Liberalism decides to try Socialism, much to the horror of many.
Đoàn Văn Toại had originally been a member of the National Liberation Front but following the organisations purge in the late 70s in the aftermath of the North Vietnam’s invasion by China (and subsequent paranoia and purging) he would distance himself from his NLF, whilst still being an active member of various Democratic Socialist organisations. His government in 1999 would set about imposing a Market-Socialist system whilst also trying rid any elements of corruption remaining in the Government. How well he managed to achieve these aims is up to the experts but enough people supported it to re-elect him in 2003, with Văn Toại announcing he would continue to reform Vietnam. However his second term was rocky with relations between his government and the Socialists Republic of Vietnam’s politburo reaching new lows, especially in the aftermath of a number shooting incidents in Cambodia. Still Đoàn Văn Toại left office genuinely rather popular but that wasn’t enough to stop forces of Reform under the resurgent leadership of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ ‘The father of Vietnamese Democracy’ from winning the 2007 election through the use of an incredibly Popualist campaign.
But Nguyễn Cao Kỳ second term as a truly Democratic elected President wouldn’t last long as a series of health crisis would lead to him stepping down. Ly Thai Hung would replace him but his blandness combined with poor attempts to revitalise the Neoliberal experiment and dealing with a party split lead by Ánh Quang Cao would lead to him being in charge of an increasingly unpopular government. In 2011 he would defeated quite massively by the revitalised Progressive Party lead by Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên. Niece to Ngô Đình Diệm, she’d been living in Italy and had gained a job as a Human Rights Lawyer before the Quân Government offered her a job as the Minister for Human Rights and Welfare in his new Government. Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên would become popular for her ability to step up for the Vietnamese people and whilst her infamous resignation in 1998 in reaction to Welfare cuts would briefly set her back it made seem like a lady of principle and courage.
Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên government would pursue a reform of the Vietnamese Welfare State, stamping down on corruption and increasing ties between South and North Vietnam. The famous series of Hanoi-Saigon conferences would strength ties between North and South and finally help deal with lingering tensions the two countries had and her Welfare policies would make her popular across all of South Vietnam. However Green issues would increasingly become a popular topic for younger generations and Ngô Đình Lệ Quyên Government’s more Conservative elements (like rolling back the small gains made for South Vietnam’s LGBT+ communities under Đoàn Văn Toại) would lead to the rise of Ecological-Labour party. Although not affecting her that much in the 2015 election when 2019 came around, the Ecological-Labour Party under the popular Thi Viet Huong Truong hoovered up much of the Youth and Middle Class support for the Progressive Party whilst others would defect to the Democratic Socialists. Some assumed that Reform would take the mantle but they had there Right Wing votes hoovered up by the (‘we’re not funded by Singapore, promise’) People’s Action Party leaving the solid bloc that was the Democratic Socialist Party to takeover.
The Democratic Socialist Party at the moment is about taking the wind out of the sails of the Ecological-Labour Party and smashing the Progressive Party. Underneath the leadership of Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân there aim is to try and bring about ecological change to Vietnam’s industries, secure and improve the countries Welfare state and to continue the countries famous system of Market Socialism. Will Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân be successful, or will her rule be short and swift?
Who know’s but it can be said that the Republic of Vietnam has come a long way since it’s Halycon days of the 60s.