Ho Chi Minh

(1890-1969)

   Vietnamese political, revolutionary, and nationalist leader

   Born Nguyn Tat Thanh in Nghe An, in what was then French indochina, Ho Chi Minh was the founder of the People's Republic of vietnam. After studying in Hue, he went to France (1911) and, beginning in 1917, became involved in political and patriotic activities. A young nationalist, he hoped in vain that the Paris Peace Conference (1919), which he petitioned, would apply the principle of self-determination to the colonized nations. This setback pushed him towards radical solutions and Leninism. When the French communist party (SFIO) was established at the Congress of Tours (1920), he became a member. He traveled to the Soviet Union (1923); Canton (1924), China; then again to the soviet union and western Europe (1927) and later Thailand (1928). Arrested in Hong Kong (1931) by the British, he returned to Vietnam (1941), after another sojourn in the Soviet Union (1936-1937). Taking the nom de guerre Ho Chi Minh (He Who Enlightens), and having already established the vietnamese Communist Party (1931), he formed the Viet Minh Front against the French and the Japanese during World War ii. He declared vietnam's independence at Hanoi, and became the new nation's first president (1946). He led the Viet Minh until the French retreat at dien bien phu and, in 1954, after the signing of the Geneva armistice, fought against American policy in south vietnam, attempting to unite the entire country according to socialist principles, and organized the successful resistance to the American forces.