Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Nguyen Cao Ky (born 1930) is a Vietnamese politician, and was Prime Minister of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, then Vice President until his retirement 1971.
A career soldier who eventually became commander of the South Vietnamese air force, Ky had little political experience or ambition. He was appointed Prime Minister by a special joint meeting of military leaders following the voluntary resignation of civilian President Phan Khac Suu and Prime Minister Phan Huy Quat. South Vietnam's system of government shifted to that of a strong prime minister, with General Nguyen Van Thieu becoming a figurehead president. Against the expected odds, Ky proved to be a strong leader and was able to remain in power. Unlike past leaders, he was able to unite the military under his leadership and resisted coups.
Ky's primary agenda while in power was to eliminate the massive levels of corruption that had existed in all levels of Vietnamese society, especially government and the military. Several high profile business leaders accused of corrupt practices were executed during his reign, intended to serve as an example to others. For his part, Ky prided himself on being "uncorruptable" and refused to accept bribes on many occasions.
1967-1971 he served as Vice President to President Nguyen Van Thieu, although behind the scene there was a fierce rivalry between the two men, that left Ky marginalized. He considered running against Thieu in the South Vietnamese presidential elections in 1971, but instead retired from politics, convinced that the Thieu-dominated administration would never allow anything close to a fair election.
Ky´s withdrawal from the race left Thieu as the sole candidate for the elections: According to some sources, the "sham elections" of 1971 was the main reason why many - including US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger - lost any remaining illusions that credible democratic institutions could be established in South Vietnam.
After the defeat of South Vietnam by North Vietnam in 1975, Ky fled to the United States, and settled in California. He made headlines in 2004 by being the first South Vietnamese leader to visit Vietnam since the war.