1954
The North and South separated because the South didn't want to take the communist government. The south was a capitalist country and they wanted to stay that way because it seemed like the best option. The North was controlled by a man that took control of Hanoi and the government and they didn't want that type of man running their country as well. Ngo Dinh Diem was the President of the South and he thought that what he was doing was the best for everyone at the time.