The Road to the formation of the GFVN

The Road to the Formation of

the Government of Free Vietnam

I. Significance of the Formation of the Government of Free Vietnam

A) Legal Foundation of the "Free Vietnam" Political System

1) Vietnam regained its independence since March 1945 under the leadership of His former Majesty Bao Dai and the government of Tran Trong Kim. In August 1945, as a result of special circumstances, the king abdicated. However, His former Majesty Bao Dai returned in 1947, as leader of the nation of Free Vietnam in the struggle against followers of the Comintern (the Soviet international communist network) in Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.

2) Although the Vietnamese communists had violated the 1954 Geneva Peace Accord and the 1973 Paris Peace Accord, these agreements are still legally valid under international law. Therefore, South Vietnam still belongs to the Government of the Republic of Vietnam for all Free Vietnamese.

3) The transfer of power to General Duong Van Minh as the last president of the Republic of Vietnam in April 1975 was unconstitutional. Therefore, the surrender of his government thereafter was invalid. The national resistance to regain freedom and democracy of the People of Vietnam has gone on since April 1975 until now, inside and outside of the country. Legally, the continuing existence of the "Free Vietnam" Nation and the Republican System of Government was not ended by the communist invasion.

B) Historical Continuity of the "Free Vietnam" Political System

4) The national resistance of the People of Free Vietnam has continued since the day of April 30, 1975. The need to form a Government for Free Nationalist Vietnamese has been there since April 30, 1975, after the fall of Saigon to communist invaders. The Government of Free Vietnam should have been established by former national leaders, generals, and political organizations.

5) In late 1994 and early 1995, the US lifted the trade embargo and was about to recognize the Vietnamese communists. Realizing the pressing need of the people for a resistance government, a number of young freedom fighters, together with generals from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam, as well as leaders of various religions and political organizations, started the movement to form a Government of Free Vietnam. On December 18, 1994, Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh, together with Professor Ha The Ruyet, Attorneys Doan Van Tien and Tran Danh San, Major General Phan Hoa Hiep, the Venerable Thich Quang Tan (Buddhist clergy), Reverend Ly Cu, Mr. Nghiem Phu Phat, and Dr. Le Van Giao, called a major press conference, which was attended by more than two hundreds representatives from the media and political organizations. This was the announcement of a campaign to form the Government of Free Vietnam. Although it had been an extensive and well-publicized campaign, many political leaders had been too cautious to accept the new responsibility of leadership. Therefore, the Government could not be established at that point in time.

6) "As the nation rise and fall, even a common man wakes up to his duty," says an ancient Vietnamese proverb. On April 30, 1995, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan, together with his comrades in Vietnam, responded to the wish of the people. He decided to establish the Government of Free Vietnam (GFVN), in order to protect the historical continuity of the "Free Vietnam" Political System since its beginnings in 1945, along with the legal foundation of the First and Second Republics of Vietnam. Because of special political circumstances, a national referendum could not be organized in Vietnam. Therefore, the fundamental principle of GFVN is using a revolutionary spirit to dismantle the communist regime. After the dissolution of the communist regime, this government will return sovereignty to the people, so that they themselves can organize free elections to choose a political system and future leaders for all the People of Vietnam.

II. The Continuous Struggle of Leading Freedom Fighters Before and After the Establishment of the Government of Free Viet Nam

In 1975, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan organized a resistance campaign in Vietnam under the name “Blue Dragon Liberators,” which operated throughout the Southern delta and the Central Highland regions of Viet Nam. The campaign was based in the province of Binh Dinh (Central Viet Nam).
In 1980, he chose his most trusted comrade, Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh, as his highest representative overseas. After secretly leaving Viet Nam, Mr. Chanh’s mission was to organize and lead the resistance movement overseas, as well as to build up international support for the cause of the resistance.
In 1989, Mr. Chanh initiated a major plan for the resettlement of 50,000 Vietnamese refugees, moving them from refugee camps in Southeast Asia to Santo Island, part of the Vanuatu Islands, a small nation in the South Pacific. As a result of Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh’s diplomatic skills, the plan was approved by Prime Minister Walter Lini, special envoy Leo Dero, as well as the National Legislature of Vanuatu. Unfortunately, the plan could not be carried out because of a military coup d’etat in the islands.
In 1990, there began a long-term strategy to win over the wholehearted support of people overseas, in order to build solidarity between the resistance inside and outside of Viet Nam. Mr. Chanh formed the “Federation for the Development of a Free Viet Nam,” with active support from the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations). The top young leaders of the Federation was introduced at a formal ceremony, with the presence of Reverend Nguyen Xuan Hong, (Catholic) Reverends Bui Van Tuan and Phan Van Son, the Venerable Nguyen Van Ly (representing Caodaism), the Venerables Thich Giac Son and Thich Quang Thanh (Buddhism), and Professor Ha The Ruyet, who would later become one of the top leaders of the Government of Free Viet Nam (GFVN).
In 1991, the strategic objective was to “unify the various Vietnamese political forces overseas. Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh, together with Hoang Viet Cuong, Nguyen Ton Hoan, (leaders of other organizations) formed the “Coalition Council of the People of Viet Nam.” On March 16, 1991, the Coalition Council was formally introduced in Southern California with the presence of more than 2,000 people, including representatives from various political organizations and the media.
In 1992, as part of the long-term plan to solidify the support of oversea Vietnamese, Mr. Chanh, together with a number of young medical doctors, formed the “Nhan Hoa” (Social Harmony) Medical Center in Orange County, Southern California. This medical center is still providing free medical service for the local community.
The main focus of 1992 was the plan to reestablish the strategic link between the resistance inside and outside of Viet Nam. As a result of extensive lobbying, Mr. Chanh was chosen by an organization of American intellectuals to lead a delegation to Viet Nam, along with his comrades Hoang An and Jimmy Ta. There, he held meetings with then Deputy Premier Phan Van Khai (currently premier of the communist regime), as well as other top communist officials throughout Viet Nam. Officially, the subjects of those meetings were to study the effects of “Agent Orange” in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War, and investment plans of VINAMOTO Corporation, a disguising business enterprise. However, the real objective of these trips was to secretly reestablish connections with various underground organizations formed by Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan. He also used this opportunity to distribute two millions copies of the “Labor Handbook,” informing millions of workers in Viet Nam of their basic rights of labor, in order to set the foundation for the coming labor movements of Vietnamese workers from 1992 until now.
In 1993, these secret plans were discovered by the communist regime. Mr. Chanh, along with his comrades Jimmy Ta and Hoang An, had to escape to Cambodia. There, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the new “Alliance of Resistance Forces in Indochina,” using the alias Nguyen Tay Son. In order to train new leaders, and support the resistance operations, he opened the “Pacific Technical School” in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. The school was also supported by then US ambassador to Cambodia, Mr. Charles Twinning, through his visits and donations of textbooks.
In 1994, the Alliance was introduced to the public at a major press conference in Southern California. The event generated extensive publicity and attention from the news media.
Strategically, 1994 also marked the beginning of the movement to form the Government of Free Viet Nam. A special committee was formed for this purpose in October 1994, with the participation of Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh, Attorneys Doan Van Tien and Tran Danh San, Reverend Ly Cu, the Venerable Thich Quang Tan, Major General Phan Hoa Hiep, Professor Ha The Ruyet, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Giao, and Mr. Doan Van Tien and Truong Ngoc Thu. Since many political leaders were too cautious to accept their leadership positions, this particular campaign was not successful.
In response to the urgent political situation, the Government of Free Viet Nam still came into existence on the date of April 30, 1995. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan became the first prime minister, with Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh as his highest reprentative overseas.
On December 2, 1995, a dramatic event took place in Cambodia that captured international attention. Since the communists regime in Viet Nam had become too fearful of the resistance of GFVN, they demanded the Cambodian government to deport these freedom fighters. An international press conference was organized in Phnom Penh. Ironically, it turned out to be a valuable opportunity for GFVN to present its leadership to the international news media such as BBC, VOA, CNN, …
During 1996, a high ranking delegation of GFVN carried out an extensive diplomatic campaign for support in the US. Many meetings were arranged with state governments and Vietnamese communities in the states of Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Washington. In the same year, the Central Military Council was created, with Lieutenant General Linh Quang Vien as the Chief Commissioner.
The political highlight of 1997 was the “Just Cause” Convention, which took place in January 1997. The convention was held in Orange County with the participation of more than three thousands (3,000) people, including more than two hundreds official delegates of the Government from numerous states and countries.
In August 1997, Mr. Nguyen Huu Chanh, Admiral Lam Nguon Tanh, and Major General Nguyen Duy Hinh returned to the battle field of Indochina, and thus fulfilling their promise to the people. Thereafter, they have been directly leading “Operation Peace,” a strategic campaign to train special personnel for infiltration back into Viet Nam. From there on, these special personnel will assist opposition forces in Viet Nam in their quest to dismantle the communist regime.
On April 30, 1998, the Government of Free Viet Nam held a special conference of its high ranking members from all over the world, commemorating the three-year anniversary of the existence of GFVN. The conference was held at Base KC 702, one of the military bases along the Indochina frontier.
To date, three training bases have been built in the above region of Indochina. In many countries and regions of the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, and in Asia, GFVN has formed many “Councils of Deputies” to officially represent the Government.
At the central level, the Government is directed by the National Advisory Council, National Executive Council, National Security Council, as well as the General Council of Deputies. This system of organization is based on the Charter of GFVN. This Charter, along with an Official Draft for a future constitution, as well as a plan for the future reconstruction of the country, have been ratified by the Government of Free Viet Nam.

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