It is unusual for a nation to discover its essence in a man. It is rare for humanity in their millions across continents, to be inspired; to fight seemingly unwinnable wars for freedom. Ho Chi Minh, one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century, fitted into both.
Famously known as Uncle Ho, and speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, English, French, Russian and Vietnamese, the fragile-looking Vietnamese who stood at 1.6 meters (5 feet, 5 inches) led his people to defeat two super powers 30 years apart. In both cases, he took up arms only as the last resort. He tried persuasion, resorted to diplomacy and offered compromises. But first, the French, and later, the United States, US, spurned his offers. They could not fathom how such a fragile, smallish man, and his poorly armed followers, could put up any serious fight.
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They were to learn bitter lessons: that their power could not conquer the will of a people ready to die for their freedom. The French poured 470,000 troops to fight the poor Vietnamese people. A total of 2.7 million Americans were sent to fight the Vietnamese; in April 1969, a total of 543,000 American soldiers were in active combat in that country. Fifty eight thousand American soldiers never made it back home. They perished in Vietnam.
The French and US troops fought with the intention to survive and return to their loved ones. They did not want to die in some thick forests and be buried in unmarked graves far from their homes. Therefore, they fought conventional battles, and retreated when necessary. On the other hand, the Vietnamese patriots led by Uncle Ho, fought unconventional battles, especially guerilla warfare. They were ready to die anywhere on their ancestral soil. Their choices were limited; while the French and American invaders could retreat and return to their protected homes, the Vietnamese had no such choice; to retreat was to lose their freedom. Ho used to impress on them that there is nothing more precious than independence and liberty.
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Before the wars, he had put the powerful enemies of the Vietnamese on notice as to the determination of the Vietnamese and the type of war to be fought. At the onset of the war with France, he told the representative of the French government: “You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.”
When he set out in 1911 to seek salvation for his fellow compatriots, Ho stated that it was “with the ultimate desire of making our country fully independent, giving every one of our people complete freedom, and for every one of them to have rice to eat, clothes to wear and, opportunities to study.”
When 34 years later he made the 2 September, 1945 Declaration of Independence, he paraphrased the US Declaration of Independence by stating: “All men are born equal: the Creator has given us inviolable rights, life, liberty and happiness”. The Declaration asserted Vietnam’s self-determination and, also rejected attempts by France to restore its colonial rule.
Ho, after spending three decades outside Vietnam, living, studying and working in various countries, including China and the defunct Soviet Union, concluded that the best option for the Vietnamese was a Proletarian Revolution. To realise this, he established the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1931.
Ho did not witness the end of the wars of independence. He passed away on September 2, 1969. Ironically, it was then American President Gerald Ford who in 1975, signalled the end of those wars, the reunification of Vietnam and complete independence when he indirectly announced the American defeat. Ford said: “Today, Americans can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by re-fighting a war.” That statement by the US Commander-in-Chief was the signal needed for American troops to flee Vietnam. It was one of the most disorderly and shameful retreats in military history.
The 1975 victory over the US marked the end of Vietnam’s occupation by various powers. It had been occupied for over one thousand years by the Chinese; six decades by the French, including a brief occupation by the Japanese, and three decades by the US. It is noteworthy that for 20 years after it was forced out, the US imposed sanctions against the country.
This 19 May, 2025 was the 135th Anniversary of Uncle Ho’s birth. In Abuja, Nigeria, a Round Table was held to honour him. Diplomats, politicians, including representatives of the Ruling All Peoples Congress, APC, led by Mr Ini Akpan, and the opposition, civil servants, journalists and a cross section of society attended.
Bui Quoc Hung, the Vietnamese Ambassador, who posited that Uncle Ho founded modern Vietnam, said his dedication was so total that Ho had no wife, children or social life outside the struggle for liberation.
The Acting High Commissioner of Ghana, Eddison Agbenyegah, told the Round Table that his country’s founding President, Kwame Nkrumah, was headed for Hanoi, Vietnam on a peace mission when during a stopover in China, he was overthrown.
The Nigerian Government said the legacy of Uncle Ho transcended borders and generations, inspiring nations to seek freedom and independence. Ambassador Mohammed Haidara, Deputy Director, Asia and Pacific of the Foreign Ministry who delivered the government’s message, noted that Uncle Ho travelled out of Vietnam for 30 years but never forgot home. He added that Nigerians who are some of the most travelled peoples in the world should learn from Uncle Ho to return and serve the country. He added that Ho had what it took to live a good life abroad but choose to return and serve his people.
Cuban Ambassador Miriam Morales Palmero said Uncle Ho’s revolutionary vision, humility and perseverance made him not just a hero of Vietnam, “but also a moral and political reference for all peoples striving for self-determination and social justice.”
She said legendary Cuban leader, Fidel Castro had so much respect for Ho and commitment to the Vietnamese struggles that he once said: “For Vietnam, we are ready to shed even our own blood.” Cuba, she said, is committed to keeping the ideals of Uncle Ho alive.
Ambassador Sani Bako, the Chair of the Nigeria-Vietnam Economic, Trade and Culture Association recalled Ho’s positive role in the 1955 Afro-Asian Bandung Conference for global peace, economic development and decolonisation. The vision of Ho, he said, inspired various peoples to seek freedom.
Retired civil servant Suleiman Haliru Malumfashi said Uncle Ho belonged to the pantheon of global revolutionary leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Mao Tsetung, Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela. He said while followership is very important, leadership, as Ho showed, is fundamental for transformation and development.
Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
