Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh (19 May 1890-2 September 1969), born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, was an Indochinese socialist revolutionary and politician, who is considered to be one of the Founding Fathers of the Indochinese Federation. Though far from the sole personality involved in modern Indochina's formation, his legacy looms large over the nation, its history and its people.

Born in his mother's village of Hoàng Trù (now known as Làng Sen, where his birth home was made into a museum), Minh was a precocious child, learning both Chinese writing and traditional Indochinese writing during his childhood, while also having a fondness for adventure and enjoying activities like kite flying and fishing. His father was a scholar and an imperial magistrate for the region of Binh Khe (now Qui Nhơn), and it was through him he was not only taught these essential skills, but also a notable rebellious streak; his father loathed the French Empire, and refused to take a position in the Imperial Bureaucracy for this very reason.

Exactly when Minh's revolutionary career began is not clear. Due to the illegal nature of his revolutionary activates, Minh is believed to have used as many as fifty aliases and pseudonyms during his life. What is known however is that in 1911, he took a position as a kitchen helper on the French steamer, the Amiral de Latouche-Tréville, using the alias Văn Ba. Whether via this ship or another, Minh would arrive at New York Harbor (now Metropolis) in 1912. This would prove to be a fateful event, for it was here that Minh would come in contact with members of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Commune, and the ideology of Marxism-DeLeonism.