Sixty-one years ago today, on January 30, 1964 (December 16, 1963 in the lunar calendar), a military coup took place in Vietnam and the interim government was overthrown. On January 30, 1964, another military coup took place in Vietnam, which ousted the military interim government established just after the overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam on the 11th. This coup was led by Major General Nguyen Khanh, commander of the 1st Army of the Vietnamese Army. He declared himself the leader of the country, replacing Major General Yang Wenming, who led the 11th coup, and concurrently serving as the chairman of the Military Revolutionary Committee. He said he seized power to oppose the French plot to make Vietnam a neutral country.