ABSTRACT
By the fall of 1963, the Republic of Vietnam, headed by President Ngo Dinh Diem, was losing its war against the Communist-led National Liberation Front. As frequently happens in war, difficulties on the battlefield brought about administrative changes. Because the situation in the area northwest of Saigon was particularly grave, Diem decided to detach four contiguous districts from three provinces and form a new province between the Saigon suburb of Gia Dinh and the Cambodian border. Diem had been anti-French, in contrast to top South Vietnamese military leaders and the completely discredited Emperor Bao Dai. In 1959, Diem launched his most intensive campaign against the Party. Whatever the merits of Diem's decision, it was purely administrative and in no way indicated a change of strategy. Consequently, the establishment of Hau Nghia was not a major event within Vietnam and went unnoticed outside the country.
