Pham Van Dong << fahm vahn dong >> (1906-2000) became premier of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) in 1955. He was the first person to hold the office after its separation from the presidency. Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese Communist, had become the new country’s first president and premier in 1954. Ho appointed Dong premier. In 1976, North and South Vietnam were united into the single nation of Vietnam. Dong became Vietnam’s premier.
Dong was born on March 1, 1906, in central Vietnam. After leading student strikes in Vietnam in 1925, he went to China. There, he joined Ho Chi Minh, who instructed him in the methods of Communist revolution.
Dong served as his country’s leading spokesman on foreign affairs for many years. He led the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the 1954 Geneva conference. This conference officially ended French control in Southeast Asia and temporarily divided Vietnam into two parts.
Dong signed agreements with China, the Soviet Union, and other Communist nations, providing financial and military aid for North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He died on April 29, 2000.
