JFK had a hand in the first presidential assassination of November 1963 - in Saigon

Last week, while the world was awaiting the release of classified files about John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I was reminded that November 1963 was dramatic in Saigon too. JFK wasn’t the only president to be assassinated in that fateful month. Ngo Dinh Diem, president of South Vietnam, was murdered just 20 days before JFK, on November 2. The coup against Diem was engineered with the knowledge and support of the US - including President Kennedy. Diem's murder may not have been anticipated by US officials but their complicity in the coup is well documented. President Diem fled his palace (now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum) for the Cha Tam church in Cholon - Chinatown (pictured). He was captured while seated at this pew and then murdered, along with his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu. Diem’s murder marked a turning point in the US involvement in Vietnam. The small plaque on the pew marks this crucial event in Vietnamese and US history. I revisited Cha Tam church last week. It's easily included in a visit to Cholon.