Editing Ngo Dinh Diem (section)

=== Establishing control ===
[[File:VA066272 Ngô Đình Diệm, Nguyễn Văn Hinh, Nguyễn Văn Xuân and Lê Văn Viễn.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister Diệm (centre-left) meeting with General [[Nguyễn Văn Hinh]], [[Lê Văn Viễn]] and [[Nguyễn Văn Xuân]] in October 1954.|right]]
In August 1954, Diệm also had to face the "Hinh crisis" when Hinh launched a series of public attacks on Diem, proclaiming that South Vietnam needed a “strong and popular” leader, as well as threatening to coup. However, at the end of 1954, Diệm successfully forced Hinh to resign from his post. Hinh had to flee to Paris and hand over his command of the national army to General [[Nguyễn Văn Vy]].<ref name=":4">{{harvnb|Chapman|2013|p= 84}}</ref> But the National Army officers favoured Diệm's leadership over General Vy, which forced him to flee to Paris.{{sfn|Moyar|2006|p=52}} Despite the failure of Hinh's alleged coup, the French continued to encourage Diệm's enemies in an attempt to destabilize him.<ref name=":4"/>
 
On 31 December 1954, Diệm established the [[National Bank of Vietnam]] and replaced the [[French Indochinese piastre|Indochinese banknotes]] with new [[South Vietnamese đồng|Vietnamese banknotes]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HAyCDwAAQBAJ&dq=On+31+December+1954%2C+Di%E1%BB%87m+established+the+National+Bank+of+Vietnam+and+replaced+the+Indochinese+banknotes+with+new+Vietnamese+banknotes&pg=PA66|title=Beyond Political Skin: Colonial to National Economies in Indonesia and Vietnam (1910s–1960s)|page=66|publisher=[[Springer Nature]]|last=Phạm |first=Văn Thuỷ|date=2019|isbn=978-9811337116}}</ref> In early 1955, although American advisors encouraged Diệm to negotiate with the leaders of the political-religious forces who threatened to overthrow his position and to forge an anti-communist bloc, he was determined to attack his enemies to consolidate his power.{{sfn|Chapman|2013|p=75}} In April 1955, Diệm's army forces took most of Bình Xuyên's posts in Saigon after a victory in the [[Battle of Saigon (1955)|Battle of Saigon]]. Within a few months, Diệm's troops wiped out the Bình Xuyên's remnants, leaving only a few small bands, who then joined forces with the communists.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
 
The defeat of Bình Xuyên increased the authority and prestige of Diệm's government and marked the end of French efforts to remove Diệm.{{sfn|Moyar|2006|pp=51-53}} Most of the Cao Đài leaders chose to rally to Diệm's government.{{sfn|Moyar|2006|p=55}} Diệm then dismantled the private armies of the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo religious sects. By the end of 1955, Diệm had almost taken control of South Vietnam, and his government was stronger than ever before.{{sfn|Moyar|2006|p=59}} In April 1956, along with the capture of [[Ba Cụt]], the leader of the last Hòa Hảo rebels, Diệm almost subdued all of his non-communist enemies, and could focus on his Vietnamese communist opponents.{{sfn|Chapman|2013|p=128}} According to Miller, Diệm's capacity in subduing his enemies and consolidating his power strengthened U.S. support of his government, although the U.S. government had planned to withdraw its backing from Diệm during his early difficult years of leadership.{{sfn|Miller|2013|p=6}}