Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969), became president of North Vietnam in 1954. Ho gained popularity when his forces defeated the French rulers of Vietnam in 1954. In the 1950's and 1960's, Ho's Communist government sent supplies and troops to aid rebels in South Vietnam who were trying to overthrow the anti-Communist government there.
Ho was born Nguyen Van Thanh in central Vietnam. He became a Communist in 1920, and helped found the French Communist Party. Near the end of World War II, Ho became head of a Vietnamese government that opposed France's rule. In 1946, fighting broke out between the French and Ho's troops, the Vietminh.
After the Vietminh defeated the French in 1954, an international conference divided Vietnam into two nations. Ho then became president of North Vietnam.
