Ho Chi Minh is one of the best known Vietnamese of all time because of his leading role in the conflict between North and South Vietnam, known as the Vietnam War, which happened from 1954 to 1975. Though his name is well-known, very few people know much more than a simple few facts about him.
1. Ho Chi Minh had more than one name that he was called throughout his life. The name he was given at birth was Nguyen Tat Thanh. He had another name in his life which was Nguyen Van Ba. This was the name he used when he was a steward on a ship called La Touch Treville.
2. Few people know that French was spoken in Vietnam. The area used to be a French colony and many people there still speak various forms of French. Despite what is said by his biography published by the communist regime in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh did not know how to write very well in French.
3. Ho Chi Minh is very well known for his guerilla attacks against the French and American forces that were in the area and tried to intervene in the war. He was a clever military leader and used many different strategies to undermine the efforts of the American and French forces during the conflict. He is viewed as a hero to many people in Vietnam and as a scoundrel to many in America and the West. He was also well known for his charisma and his ability to lead people in difficult decisions.
4. He was trained in Moscow, Russia from 1923 until 192 where he learn about communism and how to spread it in the countries of Asia. He adopted the ideals of communism and helped to spread the concept in the area where he was from. He also founded the communist regime in Hong Kong and helped establish the communist government in Vietnam.
5. The name Ho Chi Minh wasn’t his original name and wasn’t adopted until 1941 when he returned to Vietnam from China. Rumor has it that he got the name from the stolen ID of a Chinese man while he was there learning about communism in practice. This is his most famous name and the city Saigon was later renamed Ho Chi Minh city in his honor.
6. Ho Chi Minh wasn’t always fighting against American forces. In fact, he helped out the Americans in World War II. He didn’t like the interference of the Japanese forces in Vietnam during World War II and so helped the Americans with intelligence information to thwart the efforts of the Japanese in Vietnam.
7. Ho Chi Minh is also very well known because of his rebellion against the rule of the French in Vietnam. He didn’t like the fact that his people had been ruled by the European nation for so long and wanted to find a way to free them from France. France parted with many of their former colonies peacefully, realizing that it would be fo social and economic benefit to remain on good terms with them. This, however, was not the case with Vietnam; the transfer of power from the French to the local people was less than cordial.
8. Ho was born in Vietnam in 1890 and his father was a teacher employed by the French government. He was very intelligent but didn’t want to learn the French language and so was removed from his position as a teacher.
9. Ho Chi Minh’s sister got a position working for the French Army. She stole weapons and hoped that they would eventually be used to free her people from the rule of the French government.
10. Although he disliked the French and their rule in Vietnam, he traveled to France in 1917 and learned a great deal from the French Communist Party. While in France, he also learned the ideas of Karl Marx and other left wing writers.
Leave a Reply