Ho Chi Minh

Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh
Portrait, c. 1946
1st President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
In office 2 September 1945 – 2 September 1969
Preceded by	Bảo Đại (as Emperor)
Succeeded by	Tôn Đức Thắng
Chairman of the Workers' Party of Vietnam
In office 19 February 1951 – 2 September 1969
General Secretary	Trường Chinh Lê Duẩn (acting)
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam
In office 1 November 1955 – 10 September 1960
Preceded by	Trường Chinh
Succeeded by	Lê Duẩn
1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
In office 2 September 1945 – 20 September 1955
Preceded by	Trần Trọng Kim (as Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam)
Succeeded by	Phạm Văn Đồng
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 28 August 1945 – 2 March 1946
Preceded by	Trần Văn Chương (Empire of Vietnam)
Succeeded by	Nguyễn Tường Tam
In office 3 November 1946 – March 1947
Preceded by	Nguyễn Tường Tam
Succeeded by	Hoàng Minh Giám
Full Member of the 2nd and 3rd Politburo
In office 31 March 1935 – 2 September 1969
Personal details
Born	Nguyễn Sinh Cung (1890-05-19)19 May 1890 Kim Liên, French Indochina
Died	2 September 1969(1969-09-02) (aged 79) Hanoi, North Vietnam
Resting place	Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi
Political party	CPV (from 1924)
Other political affiliations	French Section of the Workers' International (1919–1921) French Communist Party (1921–1925)
Spouse	Tăng Tuyết Minh (m. 1926; estranged)
Relations	Bạch Liên (or Nguyễn Thị Thanh; sister) Nguyễn Sinh Khiêm (or Nguyễn Tất Đạt; brother) Nguyễn Sinh Xin (brother)
Parents	Nguyễn Sinh Sắc (father) Hoàng Thị Loan (mother)
Alma mater	Communist University of the Toilers of the East
Occupation	Politician revolutionary pastry chef
Signature
Ho Chi Minh's voice Ho Chi Minh declaring the independence of Vietnam from colonial powers and to be a free nation Recorded 2 September 1945

This article is part of a series about Hồ Chí Minh
Indochinese Communist Party, Việt Minh, and the struggle for independence French Indochina in World War II Viet Minh OSS Deer Team August Revolution Declaration of independence President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam War in Vietnam (1945–1946) Fontainebleau Agreements Ho–Sainteny agreement Land reform 1954 Geneva Conference North Vietnamese invasion of Laos Ho Chi Minh Trail Elections 1946 legislative election 1960 legislative election 1964 legislative election First Indochina War Prelude 1947–1950 1954 Vietnam War 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Ho Chi Minh Thought Communism Marxism–Leninism Nationalism The Path Which Led Me To Leninism President Ho Chi Minh's Testament Family Nguyễn Sinh Sắc (father) Hoàng Thị Loan (mother) Nguyễn Sinh Khiêm (older brother) Tăng Tuyết Minh (wife) Legacy Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Ho Chi Minh monument Ho Chi Minh Museum
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Hồ Chí Minh^[a][b] (né Nguyễn Sinh Cung;^{[c][d][e][3][4]} 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969),^[f] colloquially known as Uncle Ho (Bác Hồ) or just Uncle (Bác),^[g][7] and by other aliases^[h] and sobriquets,^[i] was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary, nationalist, and politician. He served as prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and as president from 1945 until his death, in 1969. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist, he was the Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam, the predecessor of the current Communist Party of Vietnam.

Hồ Chí Minh was born in Nghệ An province in the French protectorate of Annam. From 1911, he left French Indochina to continue his revolutionary activities. He was also one of the founding members of the French Communist Party. In 1930, he founded the Communist Party of Vietnam and in 1941, he returned to Vietnam and founded the Việt Minh independence movement, an umbrella group. Then, Hồ led the August Revolution against the Japanese in August 1945, which resulted in the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After the French returned to power the following month, Hồ's government retreated to the Việt Bắc region and began guerrilla warfare. The Việt Minh defeated the French Union in 1954 at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, ending the First Indochina War, and resulting in the division of Vietnam, with the Việt Minh in control of North Vietnam, and anti-communists in control of South Vietnam. He was a key figure in the People's Army of Vietnam during the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975. Hồ officially stepped down from power in 1965 due to health problems and died in 1969. North Vietnam was ultimately victorious against South Vietnam and its allies. Vietnam was officially unified in 1976. Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor.

The details of Hồ Chí Minh's life before he came to power in Vietnam are uncertain. He is known to have used between 50^[10]: 582 and 200 pseudonyms.^[11] 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.^[12]

Aside from being a politician, Hồ was a writer, poet, and journalist. He wrote several books, articles, and poems in Chinese, Vietnamese, and French.

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