The Vietnamese Social Democratic Party (, abbreviated as ), also translated as the Vietnamese Democratic Socialist Party, was a political party established in southern Vietnam in 1946 and active in South Vietnam until 1975.
History It was founded in 21 September 1946 by Huỳnh Phú Sổ, the founder of Vietnamese new religious movement Hòa Hảo.
The party was formed through the unity of a sector of socialist-minded people in Saigon and some provincial sect leaders. The party was persecuted by the Việt Minh, predecessor of North Vietnam. Huỳnh Phú Sổ was killed by the Việt Minh in 1947, after which the party was dissolved.
In February 1955, General Nguyễn Giác Ngộ of Hòa Hảo claimed that the party had been revived.Trager, Frank N (ed.). Marxism in Southeast Asia; A Study of Four Countries. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1959. p. 169Rose, Saul. Socialism in Southern Asia. London: Oxford University Press, 1959. p. 197 The party obtained three seats in the 1959 National Assembly election of South Vietnam.Goodman, Allan E. Politics in War; The Bases of Political Community in South Vietnam. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1973. p. 25
When the Republic of Vietnam collapsed in 1975, the Dân Xã also disintegrated. The government of the Republic of South Vietnam hunted down and arrested many members of the Dân Xã. Several leaders of the Dân Xã, such as Phan Ba Cam, Nguyen Van Ca, and Trinh Quoc Khanh, were arrested and died in prison. Some members of the Dân Xã after 1975 gathered to resume activities overseas. However, these activities did not gain much traction.
See also
Vietnam National Restoration League National Social Democratic Front
References