Lê Văn Tỵ

Army General Lê Văn Tỵ was the first chief of staff of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He replaced Nguyễn Văn Hinh as Chief of the Joint General Staff. He was previously a general in the Vietnamese National Army of the State of Vietnam, which became the Republic of Vietnam in 1955 after Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm deposed Emperor Bảo Đại in a fraudulent referendum. He is the only general to be promoted to the Marshal.
During the First Indochina War, he was appointed brigadier general in the Vietnamese National Army.
Tỵ's deteriorating health forced him to retire in 1964. He succumbed to cancer in 1964. He was a recipient of the National Order of Vietnam.
He is also the only General of the Republic of Vietnam to be promoted to the 5-star rank of Army General.