He took on France, Japan and America in turn to win Vietnam's independence
“Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.” — wartime radio address, 1966
Vietnamese revolutionary. After three decades of exile, including helping found the French Communist Party and the Communist Party of Vietnam, he led the Viet Minh to declare Vietnam's independence in 1945. He led North Vietnam through wars against France and the United States, becoming the symbol of Vietnamese independence.
Career timeline
- 1911–1920Wanders the world as sailor and laborer; founding member of the French Communist Party
- 1925Published French Colonialism on Trial
- 1927Published the revolutionary training text The Revolutionary Path
- 1930Founds the Communist Party of Vietnam
- 1941–1945Founds the Viet Minh against Japanese and French rule
- 1945.9Declares independence; first President of the DRV
- 1946–1954First Indochina War; victory at Dien Bien Phu
- 1955–1969Leads the unification war as North Vietnam's president
The longest-serving General Secretary who reunified Vietnam and invaded Cambodia in his 26-year rule
“Our party is the unique and single leader that organised… the entire struggle of the Vietnamese people from the first day of the revolution.” — reunification victory speech, 1976
A Vietnamese communist politician and theorist. A founding member of the Indochina Communist Party in 1930, he endured two French prison terms before earning Ho Chi Minh's trust and taking charge of the southern revolutionary apparatus. In 1956 he authored The Road to the South, providing the theoretical basis for the armed liberation struggle against the Saigon regime, and at the 3rd National Congress in 1960 he was elected First Secretary, becoming the party's supreme leader after Ho's death in 1969. He completed Vietnam's reunification in 1975, ordered the invasion of Cambodia to overthrow the Khmer Rouge in 1978, and held power through the Sino-Vietnamese War (1979) until his death in 1986.
Career timeline
- 1928–1930Joined Revolutionary Youth League; co-founded Indochina Communist Party
- 1931–1945Imprisoned twice; freed by August Revolution, gained Ho Chi Minh's trust
- 1951–1954Headed COSVN, directing southern front of anti-French war
- 1956Authored The Road to the South — theoretical basis for armed struggle in the South
- 1960–1969First Secretary, Vietnam Workers' Party — de facto war leader against the US
- 1969–1986Supreme leader — reunification (1975), Cambodia invasion (1978), Sino-Vietnam War (1979)
Vietnam's chief theoretician, demoted for the land reform disaster and returned to launch Đổi Mới
His revolutionary name 'Trường Chinh' — 'Long March' — was a deliberate homage to Mao Zedong's epic retreat, marking him from the start as the party's pro-Chinese theoretician.
Vietnamese communist revolutionary and chief theoretician. He joined the Revolutionary Youth League in 1928 and helped found the Indochina Communist Party, becoming its General Secretary in 1940 and leading the party through the August Revolution and the anti-French war. He was the architect of the 1953–1956 land reform campaign, whose violent excesses forced his demotion. Yet he returned to power as Chairman of the National Assembly (1960–1981) and President (1981–1987). After Lê Duẩn's death in 1986, he again became General Secretary and, in his final act, steered the party toward the Đổi Mới reforms that reshaped Vietnam.
Career timeline
- 1928–1930Joined Revolutionary Youth League; co-founded Indochina Communist Party
- 1930–1936Arrested by French colonial authorities, sentenced to 12 years; released 1936
- 1940–1945General Secretary, ICP — led the August Revolution
- 1946–1947Published The August Revolution (1946) and The Resistance Will Win (1947)
- 1951–1956First Secretary, Workers' Party — led land reform; dismissed after its failure
- 1960–1981Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee
- 1981–1987President of Vietnam
- 1986.7–12General Secretary again — launched the Đổi Mới reforms
