Truong Dinh Dzu

Trương Đình Dzũ (1917–mid-1980s) was a Vietnamese lawyer and politician who unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for the presidency in the 1967 elections against Nguyen Van Thieu. He won 17% of the vote on a platform of negotiating with the communist Viet Cong and was arrested after the election.

Dzu had declared his intention to stand as a candidate for the 1961 South Vietnamese presidential election against President Ngo Dinh Diem, but he was intimidated into withdrawing after being accused of having engaged in illegal fund transfers out of the country.Tucker, p. 411.]

Dzu had also earned negative attention when he once put up his wife as collateral for a loan.Karnow, p. 466.]

Under the political laws of the time, political activity that promoted negotiations with the communist Viet Cong insurgents that were attempting to take over South Vietnam with the assistance of their ideological allies in North Vietnam, was forbidden. There had been previous instances where politicians that had advocated a ceasefire were disqualified from running. [Karnow, p. 465.]

As a little-known politician, he remained silent until his candidacy was approved before exhibiting his policies. After this was done, he campaigned with the dove as his emblem, urging negotiations. With 17% of the vote, he came second behind the ticket of General Nguyen Van Thieu, hitherto the figurehead chief of state, and Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky, the Prime Minister.

Along with two other failed presidential candidates, Phan Khac Suu and Hoang Co Binh, Dzu held a media conference accusing Thieu and Ky of engaging in election fraud.

Dzu's performance was regarded to be a sign of the public discontent with the military rule of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers, rather than an endorsement of his policies. Nevertheless, Thieu was embarrassed by the results and had him arrested for illicit currency transactions. Dzu was accused of illegally opening a bank account in San Francisco and was put under police surveillance.

Dzu was arrested and brought before a Special Military Court on July 26, 1968 and sentenced to five years of hard labour, but due to public pressure in South Vietnam and abroad, he was released after only five months.

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the victorious communists sent Dzu to a reeducation camp.

He died in the mid-1980s.

Notes

References

*cite book| title=Vietnam: A history| authorlink=Stanley Karnow |first=Stanley |last=Karnow |year=1997 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-670-84218-4
*cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War| first= Spencer C. |last=Tucker |year=2000 |publisher=ABC-CLIO| isbn=1-57607-040-0