(Redirected from Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam)
The 'Republic of South Vietnam' (
Vietnamese: ''Cộng Hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam'') was a
communist provisional government that claimed to represent
South Vietnam following the defeat of the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam, on
April 30,
1975. This shadow government known as the PRG or Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was formed on
June 8,
1969. It remained an
underground government until the
surrender of South Vietnam. After which, it was transformed into a provisional government that had no governing authority. South Vietnam remained under the military occupation by North Vietnam for the entire duration of the provisional government.
The Republic of South Vietnam existed in South Vietnam for 15 months as a
puppet state of the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam. On
July 2,
1976, the Republic of South Vietnam and the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) were officially reunified as the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Government
The government of the Republic of South Vietnam was the 'Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam' (
Vietnamese: ''Chính Phủ Cách Mạng Lâm Thời Cộng Hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam''), often abbreviated to 'PRG'. The PRG was largely a meaningless entity as South Vietnam was under the military rule of North Vietnam. The PRG had no other role than to rubber stamp the instruments of
Vietnamese unification as written by North Vietnam. The PRG afterward attempted to explain its puppet status by claiming that it was just a provisional government and that the PRG trusted their comrades from North Vietnam to manage the affairs of the south until unification was completed.
History
The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRG) was an
provisional government formed on
June 8,
1969 in opposition to the
Nguyen Van Thieu government of the
Republic of Vietnam.
The PRG was formed by the
National Liberation Front (NLF); the
Alliance of National, Democratic and Peace Forces; and the
People's Revolutionary Party. Although theoretically non-partisan and it included a number of political viewpoints, it was really controlled by the
North Vietnamese Communist government that backed it. The NLF's losses in the
Tet Offensive had resulted in its destruction as a useful organization. The PRG was created after Tet to give the impression that the NLF was still a strong force rather than an organization whose strength was made up of soldiers from North Vietnam.
It proclaimed that its purpose was to assume power following the presumed victory of the opponents of the Republic of Vietnam (i.e. after the end of the
Vietnam War). In reality, it was formed in large part as a political maneuver to provide a vehicle that could be used to undermine support for the policy of
Vietnamization, particularly among the people of South Vietnam. It was also used for propaganda purposes as a means of claiming that opposition to South Vietnam was broadly based and not simply based around the communist party of North Vietnam.
During the period
1969-
1970, most of the PRG's cabinet ministries operated inside Cambodia. It was driven deeper into Cambodia in April of 1970 by an offensive mounted by
ARVN and US forces. For most of its existence thereafter it operated in
exile.
Although it was a government of sorts, it did not present a serious challenge to the authority of the existing South Vietnamese government, which was really vulnerable to only a direct military attack from North Vietnam that was eventually the reason for its demise.
After the
fall of Saigon on
April 30,
1975, the PRG in theory assumed power as the Republic of South Vietnam but in practice had no authority at all.
Personnel
National anthem
The
national anthem of the Government was '"To Liberate the South"' (
Vietnamese: '"Giải phóng miền Nam"'). The song was actually written in
1961 as the song of the
National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam, and it was adopted as the national anthem by the Republic of South Vietnam in
8 June,
1969. The choice of the song was seen as further proof that the Republic of South Vietnam was nothing more than the NLF under a different name. It was written and composed by '
Luu Huu Phuoc' (Vietnamese: 'Lưu Hữu Phước',
1921-
1989) after he converted to
Communism.
Vietnamese wordsGiải phóng miền Nam, chúng ta cùng quyết tiến bước.
Diệt Đế quốc Mỹ, phá tan bè lũ bán nước.
Ôi xương tan máu rơi, long hân thù ngất trời.
Sông núi bao nhiêu năm cắt rời.
Đây Cửu Long hùng tráng, Đây Trường Sơn vinh quang.
Thúc giục đoàn ta xung phong đi giết thù.
Vai sát vai chung một bóng cờ.
Vùng lên! Nhân dân miền Nam anh hùng!
Vùng lên! Xông pha vượt qua bão bùng.
Thề cứu lấy nước nhà! Thề hy sinh đến cùng!
Cầm gươm, ôm sung, xông tới!
Vận nước đã đên rồi. Bình minh chiếu khắp nơi.
Nguyện xây non nước sáng tươi muôn đời. | English TranslationTo liberate the South, we decided to advance.
To defeat the American Empire, and destroy the country sellers.
Oh bones have broken, and blood has fallen, the hatred is rising high
Our country has been separated for so long.
Here, the sacred Cuu Long river, here, glorious Truong Son Mountains
Are urging us to advance to kill the enemy,
Arm-by-arm under a common flag
Arise! ye brave people of the South
Arise! Let us go through storms.
We'll save the homeland, we'll sacrifice ourselves to the end.
Hold your swords and guns and go forward!
The chance is coming, the sun shines everywhere,
We'll build up our country shining forever. |
1. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19750512,00.html
Further reading
★ Truong Nhu Tang, David Chanoff, Doan Van Toai, ''A Viet Cong Memoir'' (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1985)
External links
Government
★
Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam (1969-1975)
Leaders
★
Rulers (Vietnam)
★
WORLD STATESMEN, Vietnam (include South Vietnam)
National anthem
★
"Ethnic Music" Room (“Words” is Japanese version only.)
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