The 7th Division based in Mỹ Tho was a part of the IV Corps, and due to the division's close proximity to the capital Saigon was a key factor in the success or failure of the various coup attempts in the nation's history. In the coup attempt of 1960, the loyalist Colonel Huỳnh Văn Cao used the 7th Division to storm into Saigon to save President Ngô Đình Diệm.