Ho Chi Minh (born Nguyễn Sinh Cung on May 19, 1890 – September 2, 1969) was a Vietnamese revolutionary leader and politician who played a central role in Vietnam's struggle for independence and unification. He was the founder and first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 until his death in 1969, and served as its first prime minister from 1945 to 1955. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist, he founded the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and later the Workers' Party of Vietnam, leading the communist movement in Vietnam

. Born in Nghệ An province in French Indochina, Ho Chi Minh traveled widely in his youth, living in France, the UK, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. He became a founding member of the French Communist Party in 1920 and was trained in Moscow. Returning to Vietnam in 1941, he founded the Việt Minh independence movement to fight Japanese occupation and later French colonial rule. He led the August Revolution in 1945, declaring Vietnam's independence and becoming president of the new republic

. Ho Chi Minh led North Vietnam through the First Indochina War against French forces and then the Vietnam War against the US-backed South Vietnam, aiming to reunify the country under communist rule. Despite his communist ideology, he emphasized patriotism as his primary motivation. His leadership was marked by guerrilla warfare tactics and a totalitarian regime in the North. He died in 1969, before Vietnamese reunification was achieved in 1975

. He is affectionately known as "Uncle Ho" by the Vietnamese people and remains a highly influential figure in Vietnam's history as the symbol of Vietnamese independence and communist leadership