Strive for Independence
"It may take three years, it may take five, it may take ten, but that will be the war of Indo-china."
- Ho Chi Minh. hsse.nie.edu.sg.
- Ho Chi Minh. hsse.nie.edu.sg.
Ho marked the birth of the country with the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence and officially became president.
Ho settled French and Vietnamese disputes first with negotiation:
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“We have actually been independent since August 1945 but so far no power has recognized our independence. The agreement with France opens the way to international recognition... French troops and they will only stay here for five years... It is a show of political intelligence to negotiate rather than fight. Why should we sacrifice fifty or one hundred thousand men when we can attain independence through negotiation...
-Ho Chi Minh on the reasoning behind the agreement. enwikisource.org. |
He went to France for the 1946 Fountainebleau Conference. At France, he befriended many and participated in public events.
"It is just a small anecdote but it is enough to show that the French, in France, are courteous and respectful of foreigners." |
"We had an intimate lunch with Ho Chi Minh. One has to admire the mastery of this self-taught man, his language skills,his ability to make his views accessible, to make his intentions seem moderate, and his politeness. His entourage is nervous, fanatical, and reckless, while he plays the wise and insightful one."
-Jaques Dumaine, Director of Protocal on Foreign Affairs, who held high esteem for Ho. The Biography of Julia Child.
-Jaques Dumaine, Director of Protocal on Foreign Affairs, who held high esteem for Ho. The Biography of Julia Child.
The Franco-Viet. decision was unpopular to the Vietnamese and France continued to retake the country. Inevitably, the First Indochina War sparked Dec. 19, 1946.
I do not want it to happen, but French women and children will be killed. I will not be able to hold back the masses. It is too bad but I will not be able to do anything about it. It is simply the reaction of people who do not want to be enslaved.” |
Ho's strategy in war was more being there for the people by visiting civilians, soldiers, and war prisoners.
“... did not fail to notice, under the complexity of their reactions, an intimate note of sentimentality... for the youth, the ultimate reference was not in the warrior heroes and heroines of Vietnamese history but in the benediction that Ho, the guide and doyen of the nation, bestowed upon all of them.” -Paul Mus, a negotiator sent by the French, on Ho's role for the people. Ho Chi Minh: A Biography. |
"Uncle Ho did not interrupt him [Colonel Charton] and invited him to smoke a cigarette; then he gradually got him to speak more. In the end, Charton had to admit that the war of conquest was immoral... he added: "Because of your attitude, I can talk to you, but how could your young cadres have convinced me?" "...your son gave his life for the nation. You know that I have no family and no children. Vietnam is my family. The youth of Vietnam are my children. Losing a young man is like someone ripping out my entrails. Our children and younger brothers are dying so that our country may live. They are the pious children of God, who have put into practice the words "God and Country..."
-Ho Chi Minh's respect for Dr. Vu Dinh Tung whose son died in battle. history.net. |
Ho believed the Viet Minh's guerrilla tactics had a chance against French superior forces, along with Mao's military aid.
"If the tiger ever stands still the elephant will crush him with his mighty tusks. But the tiger does not stand still. He lurks in the jungle by day and emerges by night. He will leap upon the back of the elephant, tearing huge chunks from his hide, and then he will leap back into the dark jungle. And slowly the elephant will bleed to death. That will be the war of Indochina." |
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France surrendered after losing Dienbienphu. By now, the Vietnamese accepted Ho as their true leader.
"I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held at the time of the fighting, possibly 80 percent of the population would have voted for Communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader rather then Chief of State Bao Dai."
- President Eisenhower on Vietnam leaders, 1954. rational revolution.net. |