High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Before dawn on January 30, 1964, General Nguyen Khanh ousted the military junta led by General Duong Van Minh from the leadership of South Vietnam without firing a shot. It came less than three months after Minh`s junta had themselves come to power in a bloody coup against then President Ngo Dinh Diem. The coup was bloodless and took less than a few hours—after power had been seized Minh`s aide and bodyguard, Major Nguyen Van Nhung was arrested and summarily executed.