Ho Chi Minh, << hoh chee mihn >> (1890-1969), a Vietnamese Communist leader, served as president of North Vietnam from 1954 until his death. Ho helped Vietnam gain independence from France, which had ruled the country since the 1800’s.
Ho was born on May 19, 1890, in central Vietnam. He used many names during his life, including Nguyen Ai Quoc (Nguyen the Patriot). In the early 1900’s, Ho traveled and worked in Europe. He joined the French Communist Party at its founding in 1920.
At the end of World War II (1939-1945), Ho became head of a Vietnamese government that declared independence from France. In 1946, fighting broke out between the French and Ho’s troops, known as the Vietminh. After the Vietminh defeated the French in 1954, an international conference divided Vietnam into two parts. Ho became president of North Vietnam.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Ho’s Communist government sent troops to aid rebels in South Vietnam who were trying to overthrow the anti-Communist government there. Ho died on Sept. 3, 1969. His followers continued to aid the rebels after his death and, in 1975, the Communist forces won control of South Vietnam.
