The Presidential Guard (Vietnamese: Lữ ÃÂoàn Liên binh phòng vá» Tá»Âng Thá»Âng Phủ Chữ Hán: æ åÂÂè¯堵é²è¡Â總統åºÂ) was a military unit of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) that was assigned to personally protect the President of the Republic of Vietnam, the nation-state that existed from 1955 to 1975. This force formed the bulwark of defences against continual coups, preventing previous coups against Ngo Dinh Diem, and would be maintained to prevent further coups in the wake of political instability following it.
During the 1960 South Vietnamese coup attempt 60 members of the Guard defended the Independence Palace when it came under attack by ARVN paratroops in the early morning of 11 November. The paratroops had been informed that the Guard had mutinied and captured Diem. Meanwhile, other rebel forces had captured most of the key sites of state control including the Cá»Âng Hòa barracks. The Guards in the palace building and grounds successfully defended the area forcing the paratroops to bring in additional men and then five armored vehicles but they were unable to overrun the Guards and the coup collapsed when Diem brought in loyalist forces.
During the 1963 South Vietnamese coup rebel forces from the ARVN 5th Division commanded by Colonel Nguyá» n VÃÂn Thiá»Âu attacked both the Cá»Âng Hòa barracks and the Gia Long Palace. At Cá»Âng Hòa barracks 5th Division armored and artillery units faced off with the Guard forces armed with tanks, artillery, mortars and machine guns. Rebel artillery soon reduced the barracks to rubble while Guards forces fired back causing damage to the surrounding area. At Gia Long Palace approximately 150 Guards defended the building with machine and antiaircraft guns from bunkers and pillboxes, and with tanks and 20-mm cannons mounted on armored vehicles. As Diá»Âm refused to surrender, after sunset, Thiá»Âu led his 7th Division in an assault on the palace. They used artillery and flamethrowers and it fell by daybreak on 2 November after Diá»Âm finally gave the order to the Guard to surrender. Guard losses in the coup were four dead and 44 injured.
During the Tet Offensive, Guard units successfully defended the Independence Palace when it was attacked by a 14-person team from the VC F100 Special Action Group. The VC attempted to blast their way through the south gate to the palace () but were engaged by Guards supported by two M41 tanks, killing four VC. The VC then retreated across the street into an unfinished apartment building where they held out for 30 hours before the seven survivors surrendered after having exhausted all their ammunition.
The headquarters and barracks of the Guard were located at the Cá»Âng Hòa barracks in close proximity to the Gia Long Palace and the Independence Palace. The former Foyer du Soldat et du Marin (now the Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum) at 2 Le Duan Boulevard became a clubhouse for the Guard until 1967 when it was transformed into the National Defense College (Truong Cao dang Quá»Âc phòng) to train ARVN officers above the rank of Colonel.
In August 1963 the Guard was commanded by Lieutenant colonel Nguyá» n Ngá»Âc Khoi and had an estimated strength of 2,500 men. Its heavy weapons included 10 M24 Chaffee tanks, six M113 armored personnel carriers, six M114 armored fighting vehicles, vehicles with M45 Quadmounts, recoilless rifles and bazookas.