Active October 1955 – 1975 Part of IV Corps | Country South Vietnam Garrison/HQ Mỹ Tho | |
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Branch Army of the Republic of Vietnam Engagements Vietnam War
1960 South Vietnamese coup attempt
1963 South Vietnamese coup | ||
The Seventh Division was part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was part of the IV Corps, which oversaw the Mekong Delta region of the country.
History
The Seventh Division was based in My Tho, and due to the division's close proximity to the capital Saigon was a key factor in the success or failure of the various coup attempts in the nation's history. As a result, the loyalty of the commanding officer of the division was crucial in maintaining power.
In the coup attempt of 1960, the loyalist General Huynh Van Cao used the Seventh Division, commanded by Tran Thien Khiem to storm into Saigon to save President Ngo Dinh Diem.
However, in the successful coup attempt of 1963, the plotters managed to have the Seventh Division transferred temporarily to the III Corps of Ton That Dinh, with Diem unaware that Dinh was with the rebels. Dinh then placed a rebel subordinate in command of the Seventh Division, preventing the rest of Cao's IV Corps from saving Diem.