Financial support for Diem's regime

• in 1955, the USA helped Ngo Dinh Diem set up the Republic of South Vietnam
• Ngo Dinh Diem was very anti-communist so the USA liked him
• Ngo Dinh Diem was unpopular with the Vietnamese people because:

  • he was upper class and disliked the peasants
  • he was a christian and most peasants were Buddhist
  • Diem was very corrupt