Dương Văn Minh (16 February 1916 – 6 August 2001) was a former General of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He came from the first course at the French Military Academy of the Indochinese Confederation in the southeastern part of Vietnam for the purpose of training indigenous people to become officers serving the Colonial Army. During his active service, he was assigned to specialized positions in Command and General Staff. He was one of the few officers to be promoted to the rank of General of the Republic (Major General in 1955) and was also one of five soldiers who were promoted to General in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam. He was also a politician who held the position as Head of state in the period (1963 - 1964) and was the last president of the Republic of Vietnam. Although he held the throne briefly for only three days (from April 28 to April 30, 1975), he was credited with saving the city from the devastation. Called on the South Vietnamese Armed Forces to cease fire and surrender unconditionally at the request of the National Liberation Front when they began attacking the city on April 30, 1975 during the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.