Ho Chi Minh: Major Events in the Life of a Revolutionary Leader

Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969): Major Events in the Life of a Revolutionary Leader 1890 On May 19, HO Chi Minh was born the second son to a family of farmers living in Kim Lien, a small village in Annam (Central Vietnam). He was born NGUYEN Sinh Cung but later adopted the name Ho Chi Minh (“He who enlightens”). When Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890, Vietnam was under French control. The French had split what is known today as Vietnam into three separate states — Cochin China (South Vietnam), Annam (Central Vietnam), and Tonkin (North Vietnam). In 1887, France combined these three states with Cambodia, also under French control, to form a federation of states called Indochina. Later, in 1893, Laos would also be incorporated into Indochina. Of the four states, France directly governed only Cochin China, but it indirectly controlled the other regions of Vietnam through a colonial administration that governed the entirety of Indochina as a single unit. The people living in French Indochina had little influence in the administration of their government and few rights. Vietnam was the jewel of the French colonial crown, providing ample natural resources and abundant cheap labor. 1907 After receiving a primary education at a local school, Ho and his brother traveled to the city of Hué to attend a prestigious Franco-Vietnamese academy. Three years later, Ho left the academy before graduating and worked briefly as a schoolteacher in the town of Phan Thiet. 1911 Ho traveled to Saigon and obtained a job as a cook aboard a French steam ship bound for the French city of Marseille. Although the details of his journey are not well documented, Ho spent the next two years traveling around the world, visiting cities in Europe, Asia, North America, and, according to some accounts, Africa and South America as well. Ho eventually settled in London. 1917 Ho moved to Paris during

References: and Further Reading Duiker, William J. Ho Chi Minh. New York: Hyperion, 2000. Fenn, Charles. Ho Chi Minh: A Biographical Introduction. New York: Scribner, 1973. Kobelev, Yevgeny. Ho Chi Minh. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2000. Lacouture, Jean. Ho Chi Minh: A Political Biography. Trans. Peter Wiles. New York: Random House, 1968.