Timeline
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Ho Chi Minh's Life
After many years away, Ho Chi Minh traveled back to Vietnam. He founded a group known as the Vietminh (Vietcong); the Vietminh was a fighting force for North Vietnam to keep the Japanese and French out of Vietnam. The Japanese invaded the North and controlled Vietnam the way the French had. However, they gave orders to the emperor, by force, from behind the scenes. The French regained control of Indochina and unsucessfully attempted to fight back against the Japanese. The Japanese finally surrendered and granted the Vietnamese their independence.
In August, Bo Dai abdicated his place as emperor. Later, Ho Chi Minh became the President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
A peace treaty was signed by Vietnam and France that allowed 25,000 French troops to re-enter northern Vietnam for 5 years. The Vietminh were still on guard in the event that the French attempted to break the agreement. A fight broke out in Haiphong, the French attacked after the Vietminh ignored their order to evacuate their people from Haiphong.
The war between North and South Vietnam erupted because Ho Chi Minh wanted to unite the country. The South Vietnamese were afraid that Ho would unite Vietnam under a communist rule so their ruler, Diem, government fought back at the Vietminh.
He died from heart failure. His wish that Vietnam was united was granted after his death, when the rest of the Vietminh defeated the south forces. In Ho Chi Minh's honor, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
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Photograph of Ho Chi Minh