Ho Chi Minh, one of the greatest leaders that Vietnam has ever produced over the course of more than 1000 years of building and defending our country, the person who is not only venerable to me but also to millions of Vietnamese people and other people all over the world.He was born on May, 19th 1890 in Sen Village, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province, a province located in the middle part of Vietnam, which is about 6 hours driving from Hanoi. He had many different names during the course of his life; his birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung; he was also known as Nguyen Tat Thanh and Nguyen Ai Quoc, which literally means a country lover or a patriot).He used to be a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was the prime minister (1945-1955) and president (1945-1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He was a central figure in the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, as well as the People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong during Vietnam War.He led the Viet Minh 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 Dien Bien Phu. He officially stepped down from power in 1965 due to health problems, but remained a highly visible figurehead and inspiration for those Vietnamese fighting for his cause—a united, communist Vietnam—until his death. After the war, Saigon, the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh.

Despite being the prime minister-cum-the president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, he lived a frugal and humble life. He didn’t choose to live in the Presidential Palace but a stilt house at the back of the palace, which is today known as the Presidential Palace Historical Site. His hobbies included reading, gardening, feeding fishes (many of which are still living) and visiting schools and children’s homes. He’s such a good role model for me to learn from.