Ho Chi Minh
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Early Life.
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Born Nguyen Sinh Cung on May 19, 1890 in central
Vietnam (very rebellious area).
Son of a minor mandarin who had lost his job due to
nationalist articles.
Attended school in Hue in order to prepare for role in
government service.
Young Adult.
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Left school in 1911 without graduating and signed
aboard a French freighter under the name of Van Ba
(Ba=3rd child).
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1913, signed aboard a different ship and sailed to the
U.S.
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Visited Boston and San Francisco.
Settled in Brooklyn.
Year later sailed to London, changed name to Nguyen
Tat Thanh.
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Met with nationalists from all areas.
Added English to list of fluent languages (Russian, French,
English, Vietnamese, and 3 dialects of Chinese).
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WW I.
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Arrived in Paris.
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Adopted militant name Nguyen Ai Quoc (Nguyen the
patriot).
Wrote articles and nationalistic plays.
Became acquainted with Jules Raveau, a Marxist who
worked with Lenin before the Russian Revolution.
Began to study Soviet writings.
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End of War.
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Was at the peace talks in Versailles.
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Hoped to meet Woodrow Wilson.
Had drafted a statement relating to Wilson’s 14 Points,
specifically referring to the doctrine of self-determination.
Did not see Wilson, but attracted the attention of French
socialists, they invited him to join as “representative from
Indochina”.
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Attended party
congress in
December 1920.
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Encouraged by
Russian revolution,
a majority of
socialists break off
and form
Communist Party
(Ho among them).
Wrote for French communist daily paper and edited Le Paria
(Journal for Asian and African nationalists).
Writings spread throughout Vietnam, spreads Lenin’s thesis
that revolution and anti-colonialism were inseparable.
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Communist.
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1924 moved to
Moscow under the
name of Linh.
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Attended the
University of Oriental
Workers (an academy
for Asian
revolutionaries).
Turned him from a
propagandist to an
organizer.
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Traveled to southern China with a Russian
advisor and began to mobilize Vietnamese
students.
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Created Revolutionary Youth League.
Taught students to form small cells to avoid
detection and write tracts for specific audiences
(peasants).
1927, returned to Moscow and Europe,
considered himself a professional
revolutionary.
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1928, traveled to Bangkok, a center for Vietnamese
exiles.
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June 1929, traveled to Hong Kong and used
depression to organize Indochinese Communist Party.
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Worked from a Buddhist monastery, mastered Thai language,
opened a school and published a newspaper.
Called for independence and a proletarian government.
Arrested by the British, escaped to China and reported dead.
Throughout the 30’s, constantly on the move
throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe.
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In 1941, returned to
Vietnam and aligned himself
with the Allies (opposed to
Japanese Imperialism as
well as French).
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With fellow communists, Pham
Van Dong and Vo Nguyen
Giap, formed the communist
organization Viet Nam Doc
Lap Dong Minh (Vietnam
Independence League).
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Simply Viet Minh.
Took the name Ho Chi Minh
(Bringer of Light).