Vietnam

Content:

• General Information
• Ho Chi Minh
• The Rise of "Uncle Ho"
• The Two Wars
• Vietnam today

General Information

• One of five remaining communist states
• Marxist-Leninist ideology
• Hanoi - Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City
• Independence from France - War -->Vietnam War (North v South)

Ho Chi Minh

• Leader of North Vietnam
• Communist, but with nationalistic ideals
• Extremely popular in Vietnam, personality cult comparable to Mao and Lenin

THE RISE OF "UNCLE HO" - EARLY YEARS

• Born in 1890 in central Vietnam
• Got a job on a liner to Marseille (France) in 1912, introduced to European politics and how France was really oppressive towards the Vietnamese
• Moves around in Europe and the US, develops anti-capitalist ideas/opinions and gains a more communistic approach
• 1919 Ho enters politics through the Versailles Treaty on the behalf of the Vietnamese

THE RISE OF “UNCLE HO” - 20’S TO END OF WW2

• 1920-21 Ho sides with the communist side of the French Socialist Party because of their desire for independence for all colonies
• Ho moves to Russia and gets very associated with Soviet communism and leaders, and then to China between 1925 and 1927
• Moves around the world until he ends up back in China in 1938
• Returns to Vietnam in 1941 and helps the communists form the Viet Minh movement

THE RISE OF “UNCLE HO” - POST WW2

• After the end of WW2 in 1945 Ho declares independence and seeks recognition from the US, UK, Chinese and Soviets. The French oppose independence and war breaks out
• According to the Geneva Accords in 1954 a national election should decide the fate of Vietnam. Ho is expected to win comfortably, but the South refuses to cooperate. Ho then triggers a second phase of warfare, this time against the South (commonly referred to as the Vietnam War)

THE END OF HO

• Ho Chi Minh died 3 September 1969
• He was very determined to end French overlordship and is remembered as a communist with nationalistic influences that formed a country out of a colonial territory that remains communist to this date.

THE TWO WARS

• The independence of Vietnam was won through a military conflict against their overlord France
• After the war Vietnam split into North and South. Ho Chi Minh was in control of the north and managed to win the war
• After 20 years of constant warfare Uncle Ho was in control of a war torn country

INDEPENDENCE FROM FRANCE

• France was struggling politically right after WW2 because of the German occupation
• Japan had occupied Vietnam during the war as well
• This meant that the Vietnamese didn’t really have any connection to France, and therefore they desired an independent state. But France still wanted Vietnam and opposed the declaration of independence and that escalated into a 9 year long war leading to an independent Vietnam

NORTH V SOUTH

• North Vietnam was communist, South was not
• A lot of political tension as both the US and Soviet/China backed opposing sides
• A part of the Cold War between two ideologies: capitalism and communism
• Casualties are estimated at around 3-3,5 million people, mainly civilians
• Many huge cities are utterly destroyed by US bombings, including Hanoi, but North Vietnam still claims victory and annexes South Vietnam

TODAY’S VIETNAM

• More liberal society and politics because of the tourism in the country
• Receiving economical aid from other countries (US helps rebuilding society after the war)
• One party political system with the communists as the only eligible party, with huge corruption issues and censorships