Ho Chi Minh : Ask Biography

Portrait c. 1946

Personal data

Date of birth

19 May 1890

Place of birth

Nghệ An Province, French Indochina

Date of death

2 September 1969(age 79)

Place of death

Hanoi, Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Nationality

Vietnam Vietnamese

Political party

Workers’ Party of Vietnam

Chairman of the Workers' Party of Vietnam

In office

19 February 1951 - 2 September 1969

Succeeded by

Post abolished

Preceded by

Position established

First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam

In office

1 November 1956 - 10 September 1960

Succeeded by

Lê Duẩn

Preceded by

Trường Chinh

President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

In office

2 September 1945 - 2 September 1969

Succeeded by

Tôn Đức Thắng

Preceded by

Position established

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

In office

2 September 1945 - 20 September 1955

Succeeded by

Phạm Văn Đồng

Preceded by

Position established

Home | Office Holder | Ho Chi Minh

Hồ Chí Minh (-vihô̤ tɕǐmɪŋ-HoChiMinh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 � 2 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1945 � 1955) and president (1945 � 1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He was a key figure in the formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, as well as the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Vietcong during the Vietnam War until his death in 1969.

Hồ led the Việt Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Điện Biên Phủ. He lost political power in 1955-when he was replaced as prime minister-but remained the highly visible figurehead of North Vietnam-through the presidency-until his death. The capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, after the Fall of Saigon, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor.