People of the Mountains
Document Type
Panel Presentation
Keywords
Montagnards, South Vietnam, Civil Rights
Biography
I'm a nontraditional, 61-year-old student in my senior year. I have a BS degree from The Ohio State University, specializing in Agriculture, and spent my civilian life landscaping. I have also spent 20 years in the US Army/National Guard. Currently, I am retired and utilizing my GI Bill benefits.
Major
HST
Advisor for this project
Chris White
Abstract
Tim Horan
This paper examines the Highland people of South Vietnam, often referred to as Montagnards. It analyzes the beginnings of Front Unifie de Lutte des Races Opprimee (United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races-FULRO). When North Vietnamese landlords began migrating south after the fall of Bien Diem Phu, they, along with the coastal South Vietnamese, were settled in the highlands by the South Vietnamese government. The highlanders had a well-defined oral land tenure system, and because there were no written records, the government instituted a Land Reform Program. Highlanders only used a small portion of their land and claimed ownership of the land they were currently using. Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam’s Prime Minister, initiated a program to assimilate the Highlanders into the Vietnamese culture by erasing theirs. The Vietnamese government forbade them from teaching their language. They formed a committee to present their demands to Ngo Dinh Diem, who had them all arrested. They are well known for their association with the Army Special forces Groups. In 1961 the CIA began the Village Defense Program (VDP), organizing Highlanders into forces assigned to Special Forces groups. The program was a success, but Ngo Dinh Nhu, the brother of the Prime Minister, complained, claiming the U.S. had put any army at his back. The complaints forced the CIA to turn the program over to the U.S. Army, which renamed the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) forces. These forces revolted in 1964, attacking 5 Special Forces camps.
People of the Mountains
Tim Horan
This paper examines the Highland people of South Vietnam, often referred to as Montagnards. It analyzes the beginnings of Front Unifie de Lutte des Races Opprimee (United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races-FULRO). When North Vietnamese landlords began migrating south after the fall of Bien Diem Phu, they, along with the coastal South Vietnamese, were settled in the highlands by the South Vietnamese government. The highlanders had a well-defined oral land tenure system, and because there were no written records, the government instituted a Land Reform Program. Highlanders only used a small portion of their land and claimed ownership of the land they were currently using. Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam’s Prime Minister, initiated a program to assimilate the Highlanders into the Vietnamese culture by erasing theirs. The Vietnamese government forbade them from teaching their language. They formed a committee to present their demands to Ngo Dinh Diem, who had them all arrested. They are well known for their association with the Army Special forces Groups. In 1961 the CIA began the Village Defense Program (VDP), organizing Highlanders into forces assigned to Special Forces groups. The program was a success, but Ngo Dinh Nhu, the brother of the Prime Minister, complained, claiming the U.S. had put any army at his back. The complaints forced the CIA to turn the program over to the U.S. Army, which renamed the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) forces. These forces revolted in 1964, attacking 5 Special Forces camps.
