Ho Chi Minh

Hồ Chí Minh (born Nguyễn Sinh Cung; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho (Bác Hồ) among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary and statesman who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 (known as North Vietnam after 1954). He served as its first president from 1946 until his death in 1969 and as its first prime minister from 1945 to 1955. A committed Marxist–Leninist, Hồ played a central role in establishing the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and later led its successor, the Workers' Party of Vietnam (renamed Communist Party of Vietnam after 1976), as chairman until his death.

The details of Hồ's life before he came to power in Vietnam are uncertain. He is known to have used between 50 and 200 pseudonyms. Information on his birth and early life is ambiguous and subject to academic debate. At least four existing official biographies vary on names, dates, places, and other hard facts while unofficial biographies vary even more widely. It is believed that Hồ was born near Vinh, Nghệ An province in Annam, French Indochina (more specifically in the village of Kim Lien) and received a French education. Starting in 1911, he worked in various countries overseas, including France where he was a founding member of the French Communist Party in 1920. After studying in the Soviet Union, Hồ moved to China where he founded the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in 1925, which became the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. In addition to being involved in politics, Hồ was a writer, poet, and journalist. He wrote several books, articles, and poems in Chinese, Vietnamese, and French.

On his return to Vietnam in 1941, Hồ founded and led the Việt Minh independence movement against the Japanese occupation of Vietnam, and in 1945 led the August Revolution against the Vietnamese monarchy and proclaimed the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After the French returned to power, Hồ's government retreated to the countryside and initiated guerrilla warfare from 1946, leading to the First Indochina War.

Between 1953 and 1956, Hồ's government implemented a land reform campaign aimed at redistributing land and consolidating power, which included the execution of landowners. In 1954, the Việt Minh defeated the French at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, ending the war.