| Hồ Chí Minh | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrait of Hồ, c. 1946 | |
| State Elder of Indochina as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Indochina | |
| In office 22 July 1955 – 2 September 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Chairman of the Joint Consultative Council) |
| Succeeded by | Nguyễn Xiển (acting) Phạm Văn Đồng (as Chairman of the Federal Council of State) |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Indochina | |
| In office 22 July 1955 – 2 September 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Souphanouvong |
| Chairman of the Joint Consultative Council for the Democratic Republics of Laos, Kampuchea and Vietnam | |
| In office 2 September 1945 – 20 July 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Mieczysław Maneli (as Head of the UN Authority in Indochina) |
| President and Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam | |
| In office 2 September 1945 – 20 July 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Bảo Đại (as Emperor) Trần Trọng Kim (as Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam) |
| Succeeded by | Trường Chinh (as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the DR Vietnam) |
| Chairman of the Workers' Party of Indochina | |
| In office 1 May 1954 – 2 September 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Leader of the Việt Minh, 1945–1954) |
| Succeeded by | Lê Duẩn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nguyễn Sinh Cung 19 May 1890 Nghệ An, Annam, French Indochina |
| Died | 2 September 1979 (aged 89) Hanoi, DR Vietnam, Indochina |
| Resting place | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi |
| Nationality | Vietnamese |
| Political party | Communist Party of Vietnam (1924–1930) Indochinese Communist Party (1930–1945) Viet Minh (1945–1955) Workers' Party of Indochina (1955–1979) |
| Other political affiliations |
French Section of the Workers' International (1919–1921) French Communist Party (1921–1925) |
| Alma mater | Communist University of the Toilers of the East |
| Occupation |
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| Signature | 
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Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1979), commonly known as Uncle Hồ, Elder Hồ or Chairman Hồ, was an Indochinese and Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as both the Head of State and Head of Government of Indochina, being granted the honorary title of State Elder of Indochina (de facto Supreme Leader) from 1945 until his death in 1979. Ideologically a Socialist and pan-Indochinese Nationalist, he was the Chairman of the Worker's Party of Indochina.
Hồ Chí Minh was born in Nghệ An province in the French protectorate of Annam. From 1941 onward, He led the Việt Minh independence movement, an umbrella group for all parties fighting for Vietnam's independence. In the immediate aftermath of WW2, Hồ led the August Revolution and founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September 1945. Between 1945 and 1955, he served as the Chairman of the Joint Consultative Council for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (de facto head of state of Indochina) and led the Indochinese struggle against France, ending with victory at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. With the 1954 Geneva Conference, Indochina was occupied by UN forces, which organized the 1955 general election that saw a landslide victory for the Worker's Party of Indochina. With the establishment of the Union of Democratic Republics of Indochina, Hồ became its first Head of State (as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet) and first Head of Government (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers) from 1955 until his death in 1979.
Huế, the capital of Indochina, was renamed the Capital District of Ho Chi Minh in his honor. Aside from being a politician, Hồ was also a writer, a poet, and a journalist. He wrote several books, articles and poems in Chinese, Vietnamese and French.