The Rise of Ho Chi Minh
Tags: Dictatorship, Ho Chi Minh, Communism

Ho Chi Minh addresses art students in Hanoi, November 25, 1961.

“Only communism can save mankind, bring people — regardless of their races and origins — freedom, equality, humanity, solidarity and prosperity, create jobs for everyone, and look after everyone’s benefits, joy, peace and happiness…” -Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh, born Nguyen Sinh Cung, was born in colonial Vietnam or French Indochina in 1890. French Indochina was the pride of France, their colonial power, and as such its citizens were given little self-determination as well as little rights. As a youth, Ho took on a job as a cook on a French liner and was able to travel the world, visiting countries in Africa, Europe, and North America. From his ventures, he was able to examine the different political and economic systems adopted by western countries. At last, Ho decided to reject the present Vietnamese society in favor of democracy, popular sovereignty, and the creation of a republic.

Ho Chi Minh, an Indochinese representative in the French Socialist Party, December 1920.

Ho Chi Minh was officially introduced into the world of politics with the 1919 peace conference at Versailles. With the hope of a positive change for French Indochina, Ho created a program highlighting greater self-determination as well as equality and freedoms for the Vietnamese. Unfortunately for him, he could not gain a hearing and went to the French Socialist Party, where he had membership, instead to be heard. When the communists agreed that colonies should be decolonized, he decided to support them, as that was his ultimate goal for French Indochina, and as such, he became a founder of the French Communist Party.

In December of 1924, Ho traveled to Canton and recruited exiles of Indochina to create the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth Association or the Thanh Nien Cach Menh Dong Chi Hoi. The purpose of this newly created group was to free their country from its colonial power. On February 3rd of 1930, the Indochinese Communist Party was created out of the Thanh Nien, with the advice of the Soviets. Because of this, Ho was exiled from Indochina but in 1940, when France faced a defeat in World War II, Ho decided to use this event to his advantage. He changed his name to Ho Chi Minh or “bringer of light” and in January of 1941, he entered Vietnam. Later in the year, he created the Viet Minh, for which he turned to China for help but the then government, Chiang Kai-shek, imprisoned him for 18 months.

Ho Chi Minh reads the Vietnam Declaration of Independence, September 2, 1945.

I n 1945 after his release from prison, Ho was given multiple advantages in his fight to take over Indochina. First, French officials living in French Indochina were executed or put in prison by the Japanese who had invaded the country. Second, just half a year later, the Japanese were defeated by the US with the release of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two events eliminated the enemies of the Viet Minh and cleared Ho Chi Minh’s path to power. He soon began a cooperation with the US to fight against the Japanese in French Indochina and at the same time, instructed commandos to capture the Vietnamese city of Hanoi. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation.

The French though did not accept this turn of events and in the span of three months, regained control over Vietnam. This resulted in many negotiations between Ho Chi Minh and the French and at last, Vietnam became a free state. Unfortunately for the Vietnamese, although Vietnam theoretically now had autonomy, it was still a part of the French Union. Unhappy with this, Ho Chi Minh began negotiating again with the French government but in November of 1946 when about 6,000 Vietnamese were killed by the French, the French Indochina War could not be stopped. Ho Chi Minh, although small and seemingly harmless, encouraged the sacrifice of the Vietnamese to keep their country safe. In a speech to the people, he said that the people of Vietnam should “sacrifice even our last drop of blood to safeguard our country”. On December 19, 1946, the war began and it ended in 1954 with Vietnamese victory. The victory resulted in the decolonization of Vietnam but also in its divide. Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam but he wanted both North and South Vietnam to be united, therefore creating another war between the US supported South Vietnam.

Vietnamese propaganda poster saying “Victory will be ours”.

Through his dictatorship, Ho used many different strategies to maintain authoritarian control. One of these strategies was the use of propaganda. Ho Chi Minh strongly agreed with the words of Lenin: “art is not art unless it becomes propaganda”. As such, he used Vietnamese art as a way to broadcast communist policies to the people of Vietnam. During the war, he also used propaganda posters as a call to arms. Many of these posters portrayed women as strong and independent people who needed to protect Vietnam. During this time, they were called “long-haired warriors”. Many of the posters also pictured Ho Chi Minh with his popular phrases like, “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”. Communists also employed the use of radios during the war effort. Hannah Hanoi was a popular radio personality who was instructed by the Vietnamese Army to broadcast propaganda to American soldiers. She spoke English and her broadcasts consisted of her listing recently killed and imprisoned American soldiers and trying to persuade Americans that they should not be a part of the Vietnam War.

Another strategy he used to maintain control was the direction of popular discontent. On numerous occasions, Ho Chi Minh highlighted that many of the problems that Vietnam was facing were due to the French. On December 21, 1946, just a few days after the war began, he addressed the people of Vietnam, telling them that “the Vietnamese had an affection for France because they both held common ideals of freedom, equality, and independence. But that relationship was ruined by the French colonialists who took profit from Vietnam and treated the natives as inferiors”(Kindrick, 2019, para. 32). This idea was brought up multiple times during Ho’s rule and although true, he used the abuse of French colonialists to keep him in power and keep the Vietnamese fighting in the war for freedom.

Ho Chi Minh signs an order to put the constitution of 1959 into effect, January 1, 1960.

Ho’s leadership had a great and positive effect on the rights and freedoms of individuals in Vietnam. His goal in gaining control over Vietnam was not to impose communism but to grant the Vietnamese people the rights and freedoms that they had been lacking under colonial rule. Prior to his rise to power, Ho Chi Minh stated: “In [France’s] selfish interests, it conquered our country with bayonets. Since then we have not only been oppressed… shamelessly, but also…poisoned pitilessly…. We have neither freedom of press nor freedom of speech…. We are forced to live in utter ignorance and obscurity because we have no right to study…. Such is the treatment inflicted upon more that 20 million Vietnamese.” This statement highlighted the need of the Vietnamese for freedom from the French as well as individual rights and freedoms. He also stated that, “what [was] important to [him was] the independence and the freedom of [his] country, not communism.”

After the Vietnamese Revolution that put Ho in power, a Declaration of Independence was created. The declaration praised the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Ho Chi Minh also stated that freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are “undeniable truths” and he attacked the French on numerous occasions for their violation of the rights of the Vietnamese during colonial rule. In 1946, after the independence of Vietnam, a constitution was created which clearly stated the rights and freedoms of the Vietnamese people and foreigners and ensured that they were protected by the law. The Viet Minh program further outlined the economic, cultural, and social rights of the Vietnamese; establishing eight-hour workdays, minimum wage, lower land taxes for peasants, freedom of religion, free healthcare and equality between women and men, etc. Ho Chi Minh spent his life fighting for the freedom and unity of Vietnam in order to grant his people the rights and freedoms that they deserved.