Ho Chí Minh

(hoʊ_tʃiː_mɪn; hò cǐ mīŋ̟, hò cǐ mɨ̄n; : ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), born , also known as , , , or simply ('Uncle', ʔɓaːk̚˦˥), was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and President from 1945 to 1969. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist, he served as Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam. led the independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the Communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at the Battle of , ending the First Indochina War. He was a key figure in the People's Army of Vietnam and the during the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975. Democratic Republic of Vietnam was victorious against the United States and was reunified with the Republic of South Vietnam in 1976. Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. Ho officially stepped down from power in 1965 due to health problems and died in 1969. 's life before he came to power in Vietnam is ambiguous. He is known to have used between 50 to 200 pseudonyms. His birth is subject to academic debate. At least four existing official biographies vary on names, dates, places and other hard facts while unofficial biographies vary even more widely. Aside from being a politician, Ho was also a writer, a poet and a journalist. He wrote several books, articles and poems in French, Chinese and Vietnamese.