Vietnamese Democratic Socialist Party

The Viet Nam Democratic Socialist Party was a political party in South Vietnam.

History

It was founded in 21 September 1946 by Huỳnh Phú Sổ, the founder of Vietnamese new religious movement Hòa Hảo.
The party was formed through the unity of a sector of socialist-minded people in Saigon and some provincial sect leaders. The party was persecuted by the Việt Minh, predecessor of North Vietnam. Huỳnh Phú Sổ was killed by the Việt Minh in 1947, after which the party was dissolved.
In February 1955, General Nguyễn Giác Ngộ of Hòa Hảo claimed that the party had been revived. The party obtained three seats in the 1959 National Assembly election of South Vietnam.
When the Republic of Vietnam collapsed in 1975, the Dan Xa also disintegrated. The government of the Republic of South Vietnam hunted down and arrested many members of the Dan Xa. Several leaders of the Dan Xa, such as Phan Ba Cam, Nguyen Van Ca, and Trinh Quoc Khanh, were arrested and died in prison. Some members of the Dan Xa after 1975 gathered to resume activities overseas. However, these activities did not gain much traction.