Editing Dương Văn Minh (section)

==Exile==
Minh went into exile in [[Bangkok]], where he occupied himself with hobbies such as gardening and playing tennis.<ref name=indep/> He still had many American friends, especially among the CIA, who gave him support during this period and paid for his dental bills. The US ambassador, [[Ellsworth Bunker]], was openly contemptuous of him and referred to him in public with obscenities. In return, he wrote a pro-war article for the respected ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'' quarterly in 1968, condemning the communists and rejecting a power-sharing agreement. This helped to end his exile, with the support of the United States.<ref name=lat/>

Minh opposed Thiệu, who as part of the so-called "Young Turks" had meanwhile put a stop to the seemingly endless power struggles and coups alongside [[Nguyễn Cao Kỳ]], Nguyễn Chánh Thi and [[Chung Tấn Cang]], by finally outmaneuvering Khánh in 1965, had been governing as constitutional president since 1967 and was permanently supported by the United States. Minh was going to run against Thiệu in the 1971 election but he withdrew because it became obvious to him (and most other observers) that the election would be rigged, due to a series of restrictions against would-be opponents.<ref name=lat/> Thiệu was then the only candidate and retained power. Minh kept a low profile after this and was relatively politically inert.<ref name=indep/>

Minh was regarded as a potential leader of a "third force" which could come to a compromise with [[North Vietnam]] that would allow eventual reunification without a military takeover by one of the parties. The North Vietnamese government carefully avoided either endorsing or condemning Minh, whose brother, [[Duong Van Nhut|Dương Văn Nhut]], was a one-star general in the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN). In 1973, Minh proposed his own political program for Vietnam, which was a middle way between the proposals of Thiệu and the communists. Thiệu, however, reportedly opposed any compromise.<ref name=lat/>