How did Ho Chi Minh impact the Vietnam War?

Ho Chi Minh means “Bringer of Light”, and he was a North Vietnamese communist leader, who wanted to spread communism to the rest of Vietnam.

He started by creating his own guerrilla, known as the Viet Cong, and seized the Southern Vietnamese city of Hanoi. That was his first conquest and he read words from the Declaration of Independence and declared a “Democratic State of Vietnam” in September of 1945. However, the French regained control of the city quickly after and forced Ho Chi Minh’s forces to relocate. Ho Chi Minh  negotiated with the French to achieve independence for the North and South Vietnam, as that is all he wanted from the beginning. Despite the negotiation, the French attacked the town of Haiphong shortly afterwards, in October 1946, leading to the First Indochina War.

During the First Indochina War, the French and the North Vietnam’s Viet Minh forces fought at Dien Bien Phu in 1949. The result ended with a French defeat and called for another negotiation, partitioning an Election for reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam in 1956. The United States and the French put off the elections and of course, another conflict broke out in South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was the face of Vietnam’s unification until his death, in 1969.

The Tet Offensive lasted until then and finally the United States decided to give up as they weren’t going anywhere.

“You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and we will win.”

-Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh’s forces eventually overcame and regained control of Saigon, and named it Ho Chi Minh City.

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