Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum in Hanoi: Founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party and President of Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ho’s body lies here in a glass sarcophagus and visitors pay their respects.

Who was Uncle Ho? Ho Chi Minh (bringer of light) , was the son of a working class fiercely nationalistic scholar. He traveled as a cook’s apprentice at age 21 and made his way to Paris, learning four languages and speaking out for Indochinese independence. Indochina was under French rule at the time. He wrote to Woodrow Wilson with a plan for independence of Vietnam to no avail. He was called to Russia in 1923 for training in communism and founded the Revolutionary Youth League - Vietnam. He was imprisoned by colonial powers for this activity.

Ho in Vietnam Ho returned to Vietnam after 30 years and, at age 51 helped to form the Viet Minh which fought the Japanese occupiers until 1945, French colonial rule until 1954, and the Americans from 1955 – 1973 for independent rule. He led North Vietnam until his death in 1969, not living to see victory and independence. He was affectionately called Uncle Ho by admirers.

Ho Chi Minh’s house 1958 – 1969 Preserved just as he left it.

Plaque commemorating Ho and the people’s struggle for independence

Ho Ci Minh was extremely patriotic.

Ho was revered by many all over Southeast Asia and in N & S Vietnam

The US and Ho Chi Minh Vietnam had been struggling to rid itself of foreign domination for centuries. After surviving 1,000 years of Chinese domination, Saigon was seized by the French in 1859 and the Indochinese Union was proclaimed as a French colony in When France fell to the Nazis in WWII, they lost their hold on Indochina but the Japanese took advantage of their weakness and invaded Vietnam, occupying it from 1940 until During the Vietnam war ( ) the US helped capitalist South Vietnam fight communist North Vietnam to keep communism from spreading. Ho Chi Minh, as the communist leader of North Vietnam, was the US’s arch enemy. This had not always been the case. In fact, for the last 6 months of WWII, the US had befriended and trained Ho and the Viet Minh in an effort to fight Japanese fascism.

Cooperation between the US and the Viet Minh during last 6 months of WWII.

Although Ho never lived to see the day, N. Vietnam won the civil war and thus gained independence for all of Vietnam in 1975.