Phạm Quốc Thuần | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-08-31)August 31, 1926 |
| Died | August 18, 2023(2023-08-18) (aged 96) |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | 5th Division III Corps |
Lieutenant GeneralPham Quoc Thuan (31 August 1926 – 18 August 2023) was an officer of theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). He served as commander of the5th Division and later ofIII Corps.
He served as commander of the5th Division from 1962 and was a protégé ofNguyễn Văn Thiệu. Following theBattle of Đồng Xoài in June 1965, when the 5th Division 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment was ambushed byViet Cong forces in the Thuận Lợi rubber plantation suffering heavy losses, the Division's US adviser reported that Thuần, had "gone to pieces" over the mauling his 7th Regiment had received.[1]: 115 [2]: 339
In 1966 US advisers regarded Thuần's 5th Division and the25th Division as the two worst units in the ARVN.[1]: 184–5 In 1967 MACV assessed that the three ARVN divisions surrounding Saigon, the 5th, 18th and the 25th Division had shown no improvement, and US advisers considered their commanders, Thuần,Đỗ Kế Giai (18th Division) andPhan Trọng Chinh (25th Division), flatly incompetent. The senior Junta generals had repeatedly agreed on the need to replace them, but for political reasons had taken no action.
Although assessed by American leaders as corrupt and incapable, Thuần had strong political ties with the Junta generals, particularly Thiệu.John Paul Vann noted the widespread public belief that Thuần controlled most of the local bars and prostitution houses and extorted protection fees for convoys moving through his Division tactical area. GeneralWilliam E. DePuy, commanding the nearby US1st Infantry Division, agreed. He made the convoy protection charge public, as did a local Vietnamese province chief, perhaps with Vann's encouragement.COMUSMACV GeneralWilliam Westmoreland could do little.
Pham had already taken up the matter previously with Chief of the Joint General Staff GeneralCao Văn Viên, to no avail. Thuần had been Thieu's chief of staff when the latter commanded the 5th Division in 1962. The division, together with GeneralDu Quoc Dong's airborne units, remained Thiệu's major power center. In the interests of political stability, nothing could be done.[1]: 245–6
In September 1968 MACV rated Thuần as inept and 5th Division advisers noted that the Division had "withdrawn into a shell" and was doing nothing constructive." Minor incidents, like Thuần's daily pot shots at birds from the second story balcony of his home and the subsequent accidental wounding of his intelligence adviser, were not uncommon and at times trivialized and mocked the entire war effort.II Field Force, Vietnam commander Lt. Gen.Walter T. Kerwin, Jr. appealed to COMUSMACV GeneralCreighton Abrams for help, and the MACV commander reportedly "raised hell" with President Thiệu over the matter, but Thiệu did nothing.[1]: 333–4
In August 1969 Thuần was removed and replaced by GeneralNguyễn Văn Hiếu.[1]: 364
Pham served as the commander ofIII Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capitalSaigon, from 29 October 1973 until 30 October 1974, when he was replaced by Lieutenant GeneralDư Quốc Đống.[3]
Phạm Quốc Thuần died inFountain Valley, California on 18 August 2023, at the age of 96.[4]
South Vietnam :
Commander of theNational Order of Vietnam
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.