The party was founded by
Trương Tử Anh, known as "Anh Cả Phương" ("Eldest Brother Phương") in 1939. Among the original members were several prominent figures in Vietnam's politics, such as Dr.
Phan Huy Quát and Dr.
Nguyễn Tôn Hoàn. During the era of
French colonialism under Japanese military occupation, the Đại Việt engaged in military attacks in an effort to gain independence. Some Đại Việt members were trained in military academies in southern China run by the
Kuomintang (KMT), before the
Chinese Communist Revolution. The party was Japanese-leaning when it joined the
Đại Việt National Alliance in 1944. As that alliance fell apart, it joined the KMT-backed
Nationalist Parties Front of Vietnam in May 1945. After the communist-led
Viet Minh sought to
consolidate power by eliminating rival nationalist parties, many Đại Việt partisans opted to support the
State of Vietnam. After the
partition of Vietnam in 1954, the Đại Việt were banned in the communist
North Vietnam. They continued to be active in
South Vietnam as an opposition to President
Ngô Đình Diệm, although internal divisions had emerged. Elitism crippled the party, preventing it from forming a broad base of support among the public. According to Edwin M. Moise, the Đại Việt were compelled to rely extensively on foreign support, which jeopardized their nationalism's legitimacy. As a result, even high-ranking members of the organizations under their authority found it difficult to inspire real devotion. They couldn't rely on the allegiance of the peasants alone; they couldn't even rely on the fidelity of their own army leaders. Notable members included: •
Bùi Diễm was Ambassador to the US from 1967 to 1975. •
Phan Huy Quát served in different capacities with several cabinets of the State of Vietnam and of the Republic of Vietnam. His highest position was Prime Minister in 1965. •
Nguyễn Tôn Hoàn briefly served as first Deputy Prime Minister in 1964. •
Trần Trung Dung served in South Vietnam's government and parliament. •
Hà Thúc Ký was Minister of Internal Affairs in 1964; in 1965, after a rift with other Đại Việt's leaders, he formed his own party, the Đại Việt Cách Mạng (Đại Việt Revolutionary Party). • Nguyễn Ngọc Huy, the party's theorist and founder of the Tân Đại Việt (New Đại Việt Party); taught at
Yale University after the
fall of Saigon. •
Dương Hiếu Nghĩa, who participated in the 1963 coup d'état, was one of the officers who deposed and assassinated President
Ngô Đình Diệm and National Adviser
Ngô Đình Nhu on 2 November 1963. ==See also==