Ho Chi Minh | Biography, Presidency, & Facts

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[{"p":3,"t":268300},{"p":12,"t":628478},{"p":2,"t":125110},{"p":3,"t":628440},{"p":1,"t":268316},{"p":1,"t":286431},{"p":8,"t":556489},{"p":1,"t":500584},{"p":14,"t":628349},{"p":1,"t":181144}], "sequence": 1, "topics": {} }); </script> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content md-expanded" data-topic-id="268300"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh">Ho Chi Minh</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3226"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh#ref3226">Early life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3227"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh#ref3227">Founding of the Indochinese Communist Party</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3229"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/World-War-II-and-the-founding-of-the-Vietnamese-state">World War II and the founding of the Vietnamese state</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3230"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/World-War-II-and-the-founding-of-the-Vietnamese-state#ref3230">The First Indochina War</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3231"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/The-Geneva-Accords-and-the-Second-Indochina-War">The Geneva Accords and the Second Indochina War</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref3232"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/The-Geneva-Accords-and-the-Second-Indochina-War#ref3232">Ho Chi Minh’s importance</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Ho-Chi-Minh">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/181202-050-0E31A25F/Ho-Chi-Minh-1957.jpg" data-href="/media/1/268300/220528" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/181202-004-4942FA64/Ho-Chi-Minh-1957.jpg" alt="Ho Chi Minh" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/World-War-II-occupation-Vietnam-Perspective-force/72048" data-href="/media/1/268300/72048" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/13/78013-138-8776FE69/World-War-II-occupation-Vietnam-Perspective-force.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Discover how the United States worked with the communist Viet Minh against the Japanese in World War II" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/64875-050-C122D8B6/Vietnam.jpg" data-href="/media/1/268300/244106" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/64875-004-21478E42/Vietnam.jpg" alt="Vietnam (1954–76)" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/00/11000-050-9B072E69/Ho-Chi-Minh-1968.jpg" data-href="/media/1/268300/11632" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/00/11000-004-E6D02E8F/Ho-Chi-Minh-1968.jpg" alt="Ho Chi Minh" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/Ngo-Dinh-Diem-South-Vietnamese-Vietnam-Perspective-1956/72051" data-href="/media/1/268300/72051" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/78016-138-52EEC9EF/Ngo-Dinh-Diem-South-Vietnamese-Vietnam-Perspective-1956.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Watch the Viet Cong's guerrilla communist forces move down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-19-things-to-know-about-the-vietnam-war"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/142841-050-7EA0678B/troops-marsh-Mekong-delta-South-Vietnam-1967.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-19-things-to-know-about-the-vietnam-war" >Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/Ho-Chi-Minh"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/00/11000-050-9B072E69/Ho-Chi-Minh-1968.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Ho Chi Minh" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/Ho-Chi-Minh" >Ho Chi Minh summary</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/the-vietnam-war"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/188221-131-8DCFBC6A/US-Marines-bombing-bunkers-tunnels-Viet-Cong-1966.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/the-vietnam-war" >The Vietnam War Quiz</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-questions"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 pb-0 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-15"> Related Questions </div> <ul> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-did-Ho-Chi-Minh-accomplish">What did Ho Chi Minh accomplish?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/How-did-Ho-Chi-Minh-grow-up">How did Ho Chi Minh grow up?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-is-communism">What is communism?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/Which-countries-are-communist">Which countries are communist?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/How-is-communism-different-from-socialism">How is communism different from socialism?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/all-119-references-in-we-didnt-start-the-fire-explained"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/79904-131-6DCAD337/Elizabeth-II-speech-throne-Parliament-state-opening-1958.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. 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The Evolution of a Self-Described ‘Professional Revolutionary</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Ho-Chi-Minh/353256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ho Chi Minh - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Ho-Chi-Minh/274964" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ho Chi Minh - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 d-none mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-header-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Ba, Ly Thuy, Nguyen Ai Quoc, Nguyen Sinh Cung, Nguyen Tat Thanh</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Jean-Lacouture/1659" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Jean Lacouture</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Former Professor, Institute for Political Studies, University of Paris. Adviser, Éditions du Seuil, Paris. Author of <i>Ho Chi Minh </i>and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Jean Lacouture</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-11T00:00:00CST" >Feb 11, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ho-Chi-Minh/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Original name: </dt> <dd>Nguyen Sinh Cung</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>Nguyen Tat Thanh or Nguyen Ai Quoc</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>May 19, 1890, Hoang Tru, <a href="/place/Vietnam">Vietnam</a>, French Indochina</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>September 2, 1969, <a href="/place/Hanoi">Hanoi</a>, North Vietnam (aged 79)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Founder: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Viet-Minh">Viet Minh</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Political Affiliation: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/French-Communist-Party">French Communist Party</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Indochinese-Communist-Party">Indochinese Communist Party</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Vietnamese-Workers-Party">Vietnamese Workers’ Party</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Role In: </dt> <dd><a href="/event/First-Indochina-War">First Indochina War</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Geneva-Accords">Geneva Accords</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Vietnam-War">Vietnam War</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Ho-Chi-Minh"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What did Ho Chi Minh accomplish?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Ho Chi Minh led a long and ultimately successful campaign to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Vietnam\">Vietnam<\/a> independent. He was president of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1969, and he was one of the most influential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/communism\">communist<\/a> leaders of the 20th century. His seminal role is reflected in the fact that Vietnam\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Ho-Chi-Minh-City\">largest city<\/a> is named for him." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How did Ho Chi Minh grow up?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Ho Chi Minh grew up in a small village in what was then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Indochina\">French Indochina<\/a>. As a teen, he attended a good school in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hue-city-Vietnam\">Hue<\/a>. As a young man, he traveled the world as a seaman, took various jobs in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/London\">London<\/a>, and moved to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/France\">France<\/a>, where he advocated for Vietnamese nationalism and became a communist. " } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What did Ho Chi Minh accomplish?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Ho Chi Minh led a long and ultimately successful campaign to make <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Vietnam" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vietnam</a> independent. He was president of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1969, and he was one of the most influential <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/communism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">communist</a> leaders of the 20th century. His seminal role is reflected in the fact that Vietnam’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ho-Chi-Minh-City" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">largest city</a> is named for him.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How did Ho Chi Minh grow up?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Ho Chi Minh grew up in a small village in what was then <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indochina" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">French Indochina</a>. As a teen, he attended a good school in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hue-city-Vietnam" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hue</a>. As a young man, he traveled the world as a seaman, took various jobs in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/London" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">London</a>, and moved to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">France</a>, where he advocated for Vietnamese nationalism and became a communist. </p></div></div></div></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref262169"></span>Ho Chi Minh</strong> (born May 19, 1890, Hoang Tru, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Vietnam" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Vietnam</a>, French Indochina—died September 2, 1969, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hanoi" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hanoi</a>, North Vietnam) was the founder of the Indochina Communist Party (1930) and its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="successor" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/successor" data-type="EB">successor</a>, the Viet-Minh (1941), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/president-government-official" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">president</a> from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). As the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement for nearly three decades, Ho was one of the prime movers of the post-World War II anti-colonial movement in Asia and one of the most influential communist leaders of the 20th century.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref3226"> <h2 class="h1">Early life</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The son of a poor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nation-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">country</a> scholar, Nguyen Sinh Huy, Ho Chi Minh was brought up in the village of Kim Lien. He had a wretched childhood, but between the ages of 14 and 18 he was able to study at a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/grammar-school-British-education" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">grammar school</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hue-city-Vietnam" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hue</a>. He is next known to have been a schoolmaster in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Phan-Thiet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Phan Thiet</a> and then was apprenticed at a technical institute in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ho-Chi-Minh-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Saigon</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1911, under the name of Ba, he found work as a cook on a French steamer. He was a seaman for more than three years, visiting various African ports and the American cities of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Boston" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Boston</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>. After living in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/London" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">London</a> from 1915 to 1917, he moved to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/France" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">France</a>, where he worked, in turn, as a gardener, sweeper, waiter, photo retoucher, and oven stoker.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">During the six years that he spent in France (1917–23), he became an active socialist under the name Nguyen Ai Quoc (“Nguyen the Patriot”). He organized a group of Vietnamese living there and in 1919 addressed an eight-point petition to the representatives of the great powers at the Versailles Peace <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Conference" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Conference" data-type="EB">Conference</a> that concluded <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War I</a>. In the petition, Ho demanded that the French colonial power grant its subjects in Indochina <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/equality-human-rights" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">equal rights</a> with the rulers. This act brought no response from the peacemakers, but it made him a hero to many politically conscious Vietnamese. The following year, inspired by the success of the communist revolution in Russia and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vladimir-Lenin" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Vladimir Lenin’s</a> anti-imperialist doctrine, Ho joined the French Communists when they withdrew from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Socialist-Party-France" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Socialist Party</a> in December 1920.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After his years of militant activity in France, where he became acquainted with most of the French working-class leaders, Ho went to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Moscow" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Moscow</a> at the end of 1923. In January 1924, following the death of Lenin, he published a moving farewell to the founder of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Soviet Union</a> in <em>Pravda.</em> Six months later, from June 17 to July 8, he took an active part in the Fifth <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Congress" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Congress" data-type="EB">Congress</a> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Third-International" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Communist International</a>, during which he criticized the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/French-Communist-Party" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">French Communist Party</a> for not opposing colonialism more vigorously. His statement to the congress is noteworthy because it contains the first formulation of his belief in the importance of the revolutionary role of oppressed peasants (as opposed to industrial workers).</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-19-things-to-know-about-the-vietnam-war" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/142841-050-7EA0678B/troops-marsh-Mekong-delta-South-Vietnam-1967.jpg" alt="U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In December 1924, under the assumed name of Ly Thuy, Ho went to Canton (Guangzhou), a communist stronghold, where he recruited the first cadres of the Vietnamese nationalist movement, organizing them into the Vietnam <span id="ref262170"></span>Thanh Nien Cach Menh Dong Chi Hoi (“Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth Association”), which became famous under the name Thanh Nien. Almost all of its members had been <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="exiled" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/exiled" data-type="EB">exiled</a> from Indochina because of their political beliefs and had gathered together in order to participate in the struggle against French rule over their country. Thus, Canton became the first home of Indochinese <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nationalism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">nationalism</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">When <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chiang-Kai-shek" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chiang Kai-shek</a>, then commander of the Chinese army, expelled the Chinese communists from Canton in April 1927, Ho again sought refuge in the Soviet Union. In 1928 he went to Brussels and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Paris" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Paris</a> and then to Siam (now Thailand), where he spent two years as a representative of the Communist International, the world organization of communist parties, in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Southeast-Asia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Southeast Asia</a>. His followers, however, remained in South China.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref3227"> <h2 class="h1">Founding of the <span id="ref262171"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indochinese-Communist-Party" class="md-crosslink ">Indochinese Communist Party</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Meeting in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hong-Kong" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hong Kong</a> in May 1929, members of the Thanh Nien decided to form the Indochinese Communist Party (PCI). Others—in the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Hue" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Hue" data-type="EB">Hue</a>, and Saigon—began the actual work of organization, but some of Ho’s lieutenants were reluctant to act in the absence of their leader, who had the confidence of Moscow. Ho was brought back from Siam, therefore, and on February 3, 1930, he presided over the founding of the party. At first it was called the Vietnamese Communist Party, but, after October 1930, Ho, acting on Soviet advice, adopted the name Indochinese Communist Party. In this phase of his career, Ho acted more as an arbiter of conflicts among the various factions, allowing the organization of revolutionary action, rather than as an initiator. His <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="prudence" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prudence" data-type="MW">prudence</a>, his awareness of what it was possible to accomplish, his care not to alienate Moscow, and the influence that he already had achieved among the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Viet-Cong" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Vietnamese Communists</a> can be seen in these actions.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The creation of the PCI coincided with a violent insurrectionary movement in Vietnam. Repression by the French was brutal; Ho himself was condemned in absentia to death as a revolutionary. He sought refuge in Hong Kong, where the French police obtained permission from the British for his extradition, but friends helped him escape, and he reached Moscow via <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Shanghai" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Shanghai</a>.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1935 the Seventh Congress of the International, meeting in Moscow, which he <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="attended" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/attended" data-type="EB">attended</a> as chief delegate for the PCI, officially sanctioned the idea of the Popular Front (an alliance with the noncommunist left against fascism)—a policy Ho had advocated for some time. In keeping with this policy, the Communists in Indochina moderated their anti-colonialist stance in 1936, allowing for cooperation with “antifascist colonialists.” The formation of Premier <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leon-Blum" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Léon Blum’s</a> Popular Front government in France in the same year allowed leftist forces in Indochina to operate more freely, although Ho, because of his condemnation in 1930, was not permitted to return from exile. Repression returned to Indochina with the fall of the Blum government in 1937, and by 1938 the Popular Front was dead.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":3,"pageId":268300,"pageLength":1046,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Ho Chi Minh | Biography, Presidency, & Facts | Britannica