Ho 胡志明 Chi-Minh

Ho Chi-Minh was born on May 19, 1890and died on September 2, 1969. He was thePresident (1945-1969) of the DemocraticRepublic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). Hefounded the Indochina Communist Party in1930 and its successor, the Viet Minh, in1941. In 1945, Japan overran Indochina,overthrowing its French colonial rulers.When the Japanese surrendered to theAllies six months later, Ho and his Viet Minhforces seized the opportunity, occupiedHanoi ( 河內), and proclaimed ( 宣告)Vietnamese independence. France refusedto relinquish ( 交出) its former colony, andthe First Indochina War broke out in 1946.Ho's forces defeated the French in 1954,after which the country was partitioned ( 分割) into North and South Vietnam. Ho, whoruled in the north, was soon embroiled (被捲入) in the US-backed regime of Ngo DinhDiem (吳廷琰) in the south in what becameknown as the Vietnam War. NorthVietnamese forces prevailed (戰勝) over thesouth six years after Ho's death.

Leaders & Legends: Ho Chi Minh, a TVprogramme that shows how Ho Chi Minhliberated a country and humbled Westernsuperpowers, premieres tonight at 9pm on Bio Channel (now TV Channel 222)