Editorial Reviews - Vietnamese People by Religion From the Publisher Chapters: Vietnamese Buddhists, Vietnamese Caodaists, Vietnamese Confucianists, Vietnamese Hindus, Vietnamese Jews, Duong Van Minh, Nguy?n Cao K?, Cao Van Vien, Truong Dinh, Phan Dinh Phung, History of the Jews in Vietnam, Võ Van Ki?t, Ph?m Công T?c, T? D?c, Nguy?n Trãi, Ngô Quang Tru?ng, Tr?n Thái Tông, Trinh Minh The, Ch? B?ng Nga, Lê Van Trung, Ngô Van Chiêu, Phan Khac Suu, Tr?n Th? Hoa Ry, Lê Quát, Amu Nhan, Nguyen Thanh Phuong. Excerpt: Cao Vn Viên (December 11, 1921 January 22, 2008) was a Vietnamese soldier who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and rose to the position of Chairman of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff. Considered one of "the most gifted" of South Vietnam's military leaders, he has been called "absolutely a key figure" and of "the most important Vietnamese military leaders" in the American-led fighting during the Vietnam War. Along with Trn Thin Khiêm, he was one of only two four-star generals in the entire history of South Vietnam. Viên was born to Vietnamese parents in Vientiane, Laos, in December 1921. His father was a merchant. Hearing rumors of a gold rush in the Mekong Delta, he moved to what was then called Cochinchina to become a prospector. Although he became a follower of Ho Chi Minh and fought as a guerrilla against French colonial rule, he soon concluded that Minh's movement was more communist than nationalist and joined independent fighter groups. He was captured by the French, released, and enrolled at the University of Saigon where he obtained a bachelor's degree in French literature. His schoolmate was Lâm Quang Thi. Viên attended the French-run Cap Saint Jacques Military School, graduating with a commission in the Vietnamese National Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1949. He rose quickly... More: http://bo