A referendum was held in the State of Vietnam to determine whether the country was a republic or monarchy. It was primarily a contest between Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm, who proposed a republic, and
Colonel Edward Lansdale, who helped Diệm in his campaign
Lê Quang Vinh, popularly known as Ba Cụt, was a Vietnamese military commander of the Hòa Hảo religious sect, which operated from the Mekong Delta and controlled various parts of southern Vietnam durin