 In 1964 , the political establishment in South Vietnam was still in turmoil . Following the coup that ousted Ngô Đình Diệm , the military situation quickly worsened as the National Liberation Front ( NLF , also known as Viet Cong ) gained significant ground in the countryside because the Military Revolutionary Council which governed South Vietnam , lacked direction both in terms of policy and planning . Furthermore , General Dương Văn Minh , as the Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council , and his civilian Prime Minister Nguyễn <unk> <unk> favoured a political resolution instead of using military force , which brought them into conflict with the United States over the best strategy to end the Communist threat in South Vietnam . As a result , both men became increasingly unpopular among the military generals who held real political power in Saigon . On January 30 , 1964 , General Nguyễn Khánh successfully ousted Dương Văn Minh from the Military Revolutionary Council without firing a single shot . For much of the year , Khánh spent most of his efforts on consolidating political power , instead of fighting the Viet Cong . 
