Ho Chi Minh
Bringer of Light
Ho, The Myth And The Legend
What do we think when we hear the name Ho Chi Minh?
A leader?
A man who was willing to fight for his country?
Or a radical and corrupt communist?
Different attitudes and stories surrounded Ho as he rose to become one of the most powerful and influential political figures in the world, and now, even today, Ho remains a wholly mysterious character in the eyes of many.
Ho Chi Minh, 1946
The Formative Years
Ho Chi Minh grew up in the village of Kim Lien. Leaving his hometown in his early teens, Ho attended grammar school in Hue. From there his political awareness and keenness to travel grew.
Using his wit and remarkable intellect, Ho travelled across the globe, holding various professions from a cook on a French steam boat, to a gardener in France, to a pastry chef in London. His extensive travel gained him valuable firsthand experiences of world events at the time. He was lucky enough to be well educated and to travel, as most of his fellow Vietnamese never had the opportunity to see what was beyond their district or village.
But for Ho, this was only the prelude to what he was about to achieve.
The Dragon Within
After traveling for many years, Ho took up residence in France, living there for six years. Whilst in France, Ho had become something of a hero to the few politically mindful Vietnamese. Ho had demanded equal rights for his people under the French colonial rule at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919. Speaking out so publicly against the authoritative Western powers was a feat of bravery.
Spurred by his country and his few followers, Ho decided to travel to Moscow. This is where he learned the ways of the newly successful ideology; communism.
Soon after his stay in Russia, Ho journeyed to Canton, Southern China. There he formed the beginnings of the ' Vietnamese Revolutionary Association ' or more famously known as the Thanh Nien. The majority of his followers were Vietnamese exiles hiding in China for their political beliefs and disdain over the French colonial rule in Vietnam. The formation of the party was not taken lightly.
In the early stages of the 1930's, the Thanh Nien orgnaised and reshaped itself into the PCI (Indochinese Communist Party). Ho had the full and unwavering support of Russia and he took all the invaluable advice the experienced communists offered him. Ho's reputation had been growing steadily among the Vietnamese and the French. The creation of the PCI brought with it the ruthless repression of the French and Ho was hastily labelled as a traitor and given a death sentence for his revolutionary actions. Ho had no other choice but to seek refuge in the Soviet Union.
In 1940 when Germany defeated France, Ho took this as an opportunity to return to Vietnam and lead his people without the total strength of the brutal French rule. Around this time, Ho adopted the name Ho Chi Minh meaning 'Bringer of Light'. In 1941, Ho and his comrades formed the League of Independence or the Viet Minh.
In the years World War Two raged, two extraordinary events occurred which would ultimately help pave the way to a revolutionary Vietnam. When the Japanese invaded Vietnam and its surrounding countries, the majority of French officials still stationed at their dominions were executed by the Japanese, effectively eradicating the revolutionaries' opposition. But now it was the Japanese that claimed Vietnam their own and the Vietnamese people were once again stripped of their freedom.
Then, on August 6th and 9th, 1945, the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, forcing surrender. The Japanese forces withdrew and finally, for the first time in many, many years, Vietnam was free of any outside powers.
Ho Chi Minh declared an Independent Vietnam.
The Fight For Independence
France, now aware of Vietnam's announcement, hastily tried to assert its original authoritative control over the people of Vietnam. Battalions were brought in, their presence emphasising the point France was desperately trying to make; it wanted to dominate Vietnam again. South Vietnam put up little to no fight and the French gained control within a matter of months.
There was a foreboding sense of war.
Ho was faced with two difficult choices: fight or negotiate.
But it was near impossible to convince the French to allow independence or to withdraw their colonial ownership over Vietnam. Although this was a major problem, Ho made strained agreements with the French to work together to move the remaining Chinese troops from Vietnam who had helped remove any Japanese still in Vietnam.
Tension eased slightly, and France allowed Vietnam to be known as a free country with its own government and army. France still maintained a strong social and political presence despite Vietnam supposedly being a free state.
The First Indochina War
Unfortunately, the neutrality between the French and Vietnamese ended when French and Vietnamese soldiers started fighting. The situation escalated rapidly as a French warship fired upon them. Thousands of Vietnamese were killed in the process.
There was no hope for any peace settlement at this point. Only war.
Ho, in the midst of the fighting, sought refuge in North Vietnam where he tried to negotiate with France, only to be presented with unsatisfactory terms.
Ho present at one of the first major battles, Dong Khe, in the First Indochina War.
The war rolled over into the early 1950's and France's military was losing its powerful presence and grip on Vietnam. The Vietnamese who opposed the French were members of the Viet Minh. The small army relied on guerilla and fear tactics to defeat the French.
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a battle the French believed they would win, ended the First Indochina War. The Viet Minh's decisive victory over the French lead to the Geneva Accords; negotiations and discussion on the future of Vietnam between the powers of the globe. It was agreed that France would remove its colonial forces and that Vietnam would be divided into the North and South. This was purposely done to prevent Ho from ruling over the whole of Vietnam. America was becoming increasingly wary of the growing strength of the North Vietnamese communists.
Viet Minh troops parade victoriously through the streets after defeating France, ending the First Indochina War.
French prisoners of war are marched to a prisoner of war camp after their loss in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Victorious Viet Minh wave the North Vietnam flag after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Two French machine gunners engage in a fire fight with ambushing Viet Minh.
The division of the North and the South only led to more tension. The South, having vast, fertile agricultural regions, prospered while the North, isolated and impoverished, was incapable of meeting the basic needs required for the population to survive. Ho looked to China and the Soviet Union for aid but little aid they gave helped the situation Ho and his country were in. Ho, desperate to obtain some sort of stability, turned to using terrorism and repression to gain control. Throughout this time though, Ho's determination to unite Vietnam under a communist regime never faltered.
Not long after the elections were postponed in Hanoi by the U.S, preventing any move forward to a united country, Ho's supporters in the South began attacking U.S. backed regimes and military stations in the South. The U.S. feared that if the election was won by the communists, communism would spread throughout South East Asia.These guerrillas fighting for Ho came to be known as the Viet Cong or the Vietnamese Communists.
The Geneva Accords, 1953.
The Viet Cong flag.
Ho and Mao laugh and discuss matters as both friends and powerful allies.
The War Of Many Names
The Second Indochina War or the Vietnam War, officially began on the 1st of November 1955. America had begun sending aid to the South Vietnamese along with a small number of military officials. Meanwhile, in North Vietnam, huge amounts of provisions, weapons and supplies were sent by both China and the Soviet Union, both of which supported North Vietnam in its war efforts. Ho took the valuable guidance and advice offered from both country's seasoned political and military leaders as the North and the South fell into an all out war.
By 1961, American and other anti-communist countries' soldiers were flowing in to Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese. Ho had stepped back from the political spotlight and major leadership roles, opting to instead play a more background and ceremonial role, due to his failing health. Despite this, Ho still maintained a powerful and inspiring influence over his people.
America commenced a bombardment of air strikes in the years of 1965 and 66 against the North. The mass bombings carried out by the U.S. were done not only to halt the supply routes running through Vietnam but to completely crush the morale of the North Vietnamese.
In the year of 1967, Ho responds to a letter written to him by the current U.S. President, Presidnet Lyndon. Lyndon asks for peace negotiations and an end to the conflict but Ho refused. Ho would not speak of peace until America halted its air strikes. Ho clearly defined this term, respectfully saying that the Vietnamese had never done anything to harm the U.S. and all they deeply wanted was a chance for independence and freedom.
He wrote, " The Vietnamese people will never submit to force, they will never accept talks under threat of bombs. Our cause is absolutely just."
The Final Saga
Ho Chi Minh died at the age of seventy nine. Ho passed as the first negotiations for peace began. Without his powerful and influential presence in governing the peace talks, the war raged on far longer than it should have. The loss of the great leader was mourned by people worldwide.
Ho's Legacy
Ho, it seems, was the driving force, the determined revolutionary fighting for his country's freedom.
Ho's early political career highlighted his idealistic mindset. He believed he could gain back the rights and freedoms of the Vietnamese and unite the country under a socialist government. He was young, passionate and determined.
However, as the years progressed, Ho found the country even more divided.
As a result of the constant rejection and lack of support from foreign countries, the common disregard for the freedom and rights of the Vietnamese people and their wishes for independence and autonomy, Ho radicalised his regime. Western or anti-communist societies used this change against him, vilifying Ho, comparing him to the hard line, radical communists of that time. Ho's true story and persona became skewed amidst the propaganda, stories and myths.
After his death, Ho remained the symbol of peace, courage and determination to thousands of Vietnamese. Even today, with his photograph hanging in classrooms and homes, Ho continues to watch over his people. From the those who bitterly resent Ho, to the those who revere him, to those who lost their family fighting with or against him, his mark he has left on the people of this world is profound. We cannot know what sort of man Ho truly was and he'll never know that his hard fought for dream of uniting Vietnam was achieved.
Hero, leader, freedom fighter, radical - opinions are varied and divided but regardless of all these different perspectives, Vietnam would not be where it is today without Ho Chi Minh, The Bringer of Light.
Ho Chi Minh
The Bringer Of Light
Bibliography
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