1959 in the Vietnam War
1959 saw Vietnam still divided into South (ruled by President Ngô Đình Diệm) and North (led by communist Ho Chi Minh). North Vietnam authorized the Viet Cong (VC) to undertake limited military action as well as political action to subvert the Diệm government. North Vietnam also authorized the construction of what would become known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply the VC in South Vietnam. Armed encounters between the VC and the government of South Vietnam became more frequent and with larger numbers involved. In September, 360 soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) were ambushed by a force of about 100 VC guerrillas.: 331
| 1959 in the Vietnam War | |||
|---|---|---|---|
A map of South Vietnam showing provincial boundaries and names and military zones (I, II, III, and IV Corps). | |||
| |||
| Belligerents | |||
|
Anti-Communist forces: South VietnamUnited States Kingdom of Laos |
Communist forces: North VietnamAnti-government insurgents Pathet Lao | ||
| Strength | |||
| US: 760 | 5,000: 582 | ||
| Casualties and losses | |||
|
US: 4 killed from 1956–1959 South Vietnam: 138 killed | North Vietnam: 1,132 killed | ||
In August an election chose the members of South Vietnam's National Assembly. The election was marred by intimidation and fraud by Diệm's party which won the majority of seats. Diệm's most prominent critic, Phan Quang Đán, was elected but was prevented from serving in the Assembly.
Diệm began the year seeming to be firmly in control of South Vietnam, but VC military successes began to impact his government by the end of the year.