Arielle: 1960

1960

In April 1960 a military draft is instituted in North Vietnam. Eighteen proud southern Vietnamese citizens showed their disapproval for President Diem's fraudulent government. Diem responded by arresting upper-class intellectuals and by discontinuing numerous opposition papers.  In November 1960, the South Vietnamese Army tried to overthrow Diem but were ultimately unsuccessful.  Many innocent, southern Vietnamese citizens were arrested soon after by the Diem government, leading to a decline in support for Diem. At this point, many "southerners" left for the North. Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Communist Vietnamese, (Viet Cong) sends many of them back with the People's Liberation Armed Forces, with the intentions of weakening Diem's government. On December 20, 1960  The National Liberation Front is created as the Communist party for Viet Cong in South Vietnam.

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1945.html