The 1963 Southern Vietnamese Buddhist Struggle to Protect the Dharma and the Self-Immolation of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức

Abstract

In response to the religious oppression by the Ngô Đình Diệm regime, the Buddhist priests and followers in southern Vietnam rose up to demand legitimate rights. This movement culminated in the self-immolation of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức. The 1963 Buddhist struggle in southern Vietnam not only forged unity among various Buddhist associations, groups, and churches to defend the Dharma and safeguard religious freedom, but also generated a powerful wave of international public opinion. This pressured the Ngô Đình Diệm regime into concessions, deepened divisions within the U.S. political establishment, and eventually contributed to the collapse of the Diệm government.