Actions and Legacies

" I only follow one party: the Vietnamese Party."

- Ho Chi Minh

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ACTIONS

Ho Chi Minh is best known as a hero to the Vietnamese people. He was a Vietnamese Communist leader, one of the best-known Vietnamese presidents, and one of the key factors in Vietnam’s struggle to gain independence from French colonial rule. He lived most of his life in Vietnam, but also traveled all over the world to places such as France, the United States, Indonesia, and even China. Also he led Vietnam through times of war and destruction, and is best known for his devotion to Vietnam. The freedom and independence of Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh’s obsession.

Freed Vietnam from French rule, gave Vietnam their independence.
Established the Viet Minh/ Viet Cong in the 1940.

Brought Communism into Vietnam.
Helped Vietnam withstand The United States
1925, founded the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League
Led a guerilla campaign against the Japanese.
Devoted his life to the national liberation of the Vietnamese people.

LEGACIES

There are many people that see Ho Chi Minh as a hero, because he gave Vietnam their independence.

For those who see him as a murderer, they remember him as a man who caused the deaths of many innocent people. There are many people, mainly people from South Vietnam, who despise Ho Chi Minh for bringing a tremendous amount of chaos into the country, by creating the war between North and South Vietnam, and bringing Communism into the country. Many innocent Southern Vietnamese people were killed. Communism is an ideology where there are no social classes; everybody is created equal. In reality, this type of government cannot work. The people are controlled by the government, and therefore, classes in society do exist.

Known as a hero for giving Vietnam the freedom it deserves.
People were angered that he brought communism into Vietnam.
Hated because many Southern Vietnamese people were killed. (unification of Vietnam)
Left a sense of nationhood in Vietnam that has lasted through to today.
Became known as "Bac Ho"- Uncle Ho, for his devotion to Vietnam.
Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1975.
The Japanese surrendered.
Vietnam War: many people were killed. Ho Chi Minh is seen as a murderer/traitor who ruined Vietnam. Others see him as a hero.
Ho Chi Minh was a skilled politician and leader with great charisma. After the end of the Vietnam War, in 1975, a mausoleum was built in Hanoi to honor him.
In the late 1980's, Ho Chi Minh museum was built directly behind his mausoleum in northwest Hanoi.

"As far as I have come to understand, there are many people who dislike Ho Chi Minh, and there are also people who appreciate what he has done for Vietnam. And although I can see both sides to the story, I have nothing against Ho Chi Minh, nor do I like him. He was a man who did both good and bad things for Vietnam, and I believe that he will always be remembered and seen, as either a man who helped the country, or as a murderer."

- Ve Van Le, October 28, 2008.

"I have been fighting the Communists all my life... Ho Chi Minh is a murderer. We cannot forget."

"I've never heard of any president being so close to his people."

"I don't like him... his ideas."

- Ms. Lan Phan, November 8, 2008

"What he did affected everybody in and around Vietnam, in both a good and bad way... Despite this, he was a very good leader."

- Thieu Vuong, November 9, 2008.

"Even though during the war he was an enemy of the United States, he was a patriot of Vietnam and a great leader of the Vietnamese people."

- Tri Vuong, November 9, 2008.

"I despise Ho Chi Minh. I never believed in communism; but, I admire his courage throughout the Vietnam War."

- Hoan Nguyen, November 10, 2008.

"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. He caused so much pain and suffering to our family. You have no idea how many of our loved ones were killed while Ho Chi Minh was the leader of Vietnam. We can never forgive him."

- Binh Nguyen, November 11, 2008.

"He is the worst murderer I have seen in all of my life. The time during which he led Vietnam was a painful period of time. I was lucky to survive. The memory of all those people who were killed, all those bombs, our country in ruins, it is something nobody can express through words. Many people try and promote Ho Chi Minh as a Vietnamese hero, but I see nothing but evil and hatred in him. When I was in sixth grade, in around 1975, I remember the school teachers; they forced us to sing songs about Ho Chi Minh. All of the songs were about how wonderful he was, how he saved Vietnam. I absolutely hated it."

- Dai Nguyen, November 12, 2008.

"He has a very great thinking of the future to change the country."

- Vien Nguyen, November 14, 2008.

"He was a man that led the Vietnamese people to independence. Yet, at the same time he caused such great agony and pain for all of the Vietnamese people. He broke our family apart, and for that reason, I hate him and I will never forgive him."

- Ro Le, November 15, 2008.

"Ho Chi Minh was most certainly a man who loved Vietnam very deeply. However, I feel that he led Vietnam down the wrong path by ignoring capitalist ideas, and bringing in communism. I believe that he not only caused the war, but also caused Vietnam to be a very poor country."

- Thuy Nguyen, November 16, 2008.

"I'm standing in line, waiting to pay my respects to a man I once hugely admired. And it all feels horribly wrong."

- Jonathan Head. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3059717.stm. November 16, 2008.

"He was a great man. What he did still affects me now. I always think about his story when I hear the news on television. The city of Saigon deserves to be Ho Chi Minh City."

- Thai Lao, November 18, 2008.

Ho Chi Minh's Actions and Legacies