In the early 1960’s, there were many events that took place in Vietnam and the United States that qualified as turning points, critical events that changed the course of history, but the Buddhist riots of 1963 proved to be instrumental in Ngo Dinh Diem’s, Southern Vietnam’s leader, demise. For some time Diem had been ruling with a dictatorship and never gained the support of the Vietnamese people. Despite the United States best attempts, Diem was unable to succeed because he was appointed by the US, did not know or care about the Vietnamese people and their culture, and did not listen to or trust anyone but his family and himself.Washington had sent tens of thousands of “advisors” and millions of dollars in aid to attempt to help Diem win over the Vietnamese people and the war against the North but because Diem lacked desire to be independent or have approval of the majority, he failed. Meanwhile a new breed of US journalists had visited Southern Vietnam and reported that Diem was corrupt and inadequate.
They told the real truth about what was going on. For the first time, the general public in America heard the truth.Diem was outraged and banned the journalist from Vietnam. The US begged him to allow the journalist back but they were unsuccessful. By this point he was no longer even listening to his US advisors. Washington had been pressuring Diem to make reforms for a long time but he was no longer receptive.
Diem believed that it did not matter what he did or said the US had to support him or risk the south becoming communist and the domino effect occurring. Then he pushed too far.On May 8, 1963, during a celebration of Buddha’s birthday, Diem banned flying religious flags and caused a massive riot. Government troops fired into the crowd and killed nine people. Washington again pled with Diem to lift the band and he refused.
On June 11 Thich Quang Doe, a 73 year old Buddha, immolated himself in front of a large crown in the middle of a busy intersection. He made headlines around the world. According to a New York Times Correspondent David Halbertstam wrote: “I was to see that sight again, but once was enough.Flames were coming from a human being; his body was slowly withering and shrivelling up, his head blackening and charring. In the air was the smell of burning human flesh; human beings burn surprisingly quickly. Behind me I could hear the sobbing of the Vietnamese who were now gathering.
I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered to even think ... As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him"(as cited in Bowyer, 2013, para.
15). Diem never thought that the US would go against him in any way. But he was wrong. In addition to this, for the first time, the opposition of the people also shifted from the country side to the cities and from the communist to the Buddhist.
This is why the riots were a major turning point not just another event, because of the publicity of the Buddhist Riots the US was forced to take action and begin planning the coup that ultimately killed Diem and his family.
