ABSTRACT
Ho Chi Minh was a native of the village of Kim Lein, in the province of Nghe An, in central Vietnam, an area long noted for its poverty, rebellious spirit, antiforeign leaders, and anticolonial activity. He was originally named Nguyen Sinh Cung and called by several others, before adopting the name Ho Chi Minh in the early 1940's. Ho's life was dedicated to improving conditions in his own country, working to force colonial regimes to introduce reform, and promoting revolution against imperialism. Ho was the chief architect, founder, and leader of the Indochinese Communist Party (1930), an organizer of the Viet Minh (1941), and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 until his death. An ardent proponent of his country's independence, Ho was recognized as one of the twentieth century's greatest anticolonial revolutionaries and most influential Communist leaders. Ho was one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century.
