USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The suppression of Buddhists in South Vietnam became known as the “Buddhist crisis.” President Ngo Dinh Diem did little to ease the tensions, though he later promised reforms.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Buddhist crisis (Vietnamese: Biến cố Phật giáo) was a period of political and religious tension in South Vietnam between May and November 1963, characterized by a series of repressive acts by the South Vietnamese government and a campaign of civil resistance, led mainly by Buddhist monks.

Detailed explanation-3: -Vietnam’s major religions are Buddhism and Catholicism, although the largest percentage of the population follows Vietnamese folk traditions or identifies as non-religious.

Detailed explanation-4: -Buddhism in Vietnam (Đạo Phật or Phật Giáo in Vietnamese), as practiced by the ethnic Vietnamese, is mainly of the Mahayana tradition and is the main religion. Buddhism may have first come to Vietnam as early as the 3rd or 2nd century BCE from the Indian subcontinent or from China in the 1st or 2nd century CE.

Detailed explanation-5: -During that time, suspicion and tension continued between the Buddhist and Catholic factions in Vietnamese society. The religious factor combined with a power struggle between Kỳ and General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, the commander of I Corps, a Buddhist local to the region and popular in the area.