Trần Văn Minh (diplomat)

{{Short description|Vietnamese diplomat and general (1923–2009)}}

{{family name hatnote|Trần|Minh|Tran|lang=Vietnamese}}

{{More footnotes needed|date=January 2012}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Trần Văn Minh

| office = 3rd Commander-in-chief of Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces

| termstart = 21 January 1965

| termend = July 1965

| predecessor = Nguyễn Khánh
{{small|(as Chairman of Council of Armed Forces)}}

| successor = Nguyễn Hữu Có
{{small|(as Chief of the Joint General Staff)}}

| office2 = Minister of National Defense

| primeminister2 = Trần Văn Hương

| termstart2 = 18 January 1965

| termend2 = 16 February 1965

| predecessor2 = Trần Văn Hương

| successor2 = Nguyễn Văn Thiệu

| office3 = South Vietnamese Ambassador to Chad

| termstart3 = November 1967

| termend3 = March 1974

| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|8|19|df=yes}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|5|31|1923|8|19|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Saigon, French Indochina

| death_place = Nice, France

| image = Cgs tranvanminh.jpg

| caption =

| allegiance = {{flag|France}}
{{flagicon image|Flag of South Vietnam.svg}} State of Vietnam
{{flag|South Vietnam}}

| rank = 30px Lieutenant General (Trung Tướng)

| branch = {{flag|France|name=French Army}}
{{Flagicon image|Drapeau de l'Armée Nationale Vietnamienne.png|size=23px}} Vietnamese National Army
{{Nowrap|{{Army|South Vietnam|size=23px}}}}

}}

Lieutenant General Sylvain Trần Văn Minh (19 August 1923, in Saigon, French Indochina – 31 May 2009, in Nice, France) was a Vietnamese diplomat and a general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

In 1942, he passed the entry exam for the St Cyr/St Maixent Military Academy organized in Tong, Indochina. From 1943 to 1945, Lieutenant Minh served with the 9th R.I.C. During this period, he participated in operations in Central and North Vietnam, most notably in Cha Pa. After the Japanese coup of 9 March 1945, he accompanied General Alessandri's troops in the retreat to China. In 1946, he was part of the French troops that retook Dien Bien Phu. From there, he eventually made his way to Saigon, travelling on the Mekong River through Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Deployed to the 22nd R.I.C. (1946–47), he was in charge of protecting military convoys between Saigon and Dalat.

Minh was named Directeur des Etudes (Chánh Sở Nghiên Cứu – Director of Intelligence) for the Governor of North Vietnam, Nghiêm Xuân Thiện. 1950 found him in Paris studying at the War Academy (École de Guerre à Paris). Upon his return to Vietnam, he worked at the newly formed State of Vietnam's Ministry of Defense. Two years later, he served on the Chief of Staff. During this time, he worked with General de Lattre de Tassigny in the "Vietnamization" of the Corps Expéditionnaire Français. After participating in Operation Atlante, he was promoted to Commander of the South Sector. {{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}

In 1955, Colonel Minh was one of the French delegates at the Geneva Convention. After the accords were signed, he returned home to take command of the first military region in South Vietnam. Late 1955, he was promoted to Général de brigade (Brigadier). A year later, the 33-year-old Minh was promoted to Général de division (Major General). From 1957 to 1959, he served as Commandant of the Dalat military academy. In 1960, President Ngô Đình Diệm named him Inspector General the National Defense, a post he held until 1963.[http://www.9rima.izispot.fr/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=76&sid=b702f3a7edb9c1531f8e80b91b6ecc74 Trần Văn Minh profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402061333/http://www.9rima.izispot.fr/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=76&sid=b702f3a7edb9c1531f8e80b91b6ecc74 |date=2012-04-02 }}

In 1964–65, he was the Chief of General Staff[https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v02/persons FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1964–1968, VOLUME II: VIETNAM, JANUARY-JUNE 1965] and in 1965, Minister of Defense. The last position he held was Ambassador of the Republic of Vietnam to Tunis, Tunisia from 1971 until 30 April 1975, when Saigon fell.