PDP7- Selected Writings

PDP7- Selected Readings


Author Bio: The author, Ho Chi Minh, has many accolades regarding Vietnam. Minh was the president of Vietnam and the leader of the revolutionary movement of Vietnam. Minh converted to communism and studied politics. He also organized some Indochinese revolutionary parties from a variety of places throughout Asia and Europe. Ho Chi Minh also issued the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam and was a leader of the Vietnamese nationalist struggle. Clearly, Ho Chi Minh’s bias was in favor of Vietnam and put down other countries.


Date/Context: This document fits our understanding of Southeast Asia because it discusses imperialism from the Europeans. Although we did not focus on Vietnam and European imperialism specifically, we have talked about imperialism in almost every single unit, if not all of them. The European imperialists not only affected the Vietnamese and their culture, but they also affected African culture as well as China, India, other small Southeast Asian countries, and many other countries and regions. The European imperialists have changed the culture of many of the areas that they had invaded in the past, which has impacted these countries forever.


Summary: This document contains selected speeches and writings that Ho Chi Minh has given/written. The main focus throughout the document was that the Vietnamese wanted to be free from other countries such as the French and treated equally by all countries. In the Declaration of Independence, Minh says that the French have pretty much destroyed the country. The French did many harsh things such as enforcing inhumane laws, building an excessive amount of prisons, and depriving the Vietnamese of their natural resources. Minh then claimed that the Vietnamese have always been tolerant and compassionate towards the French. Minh also said in one of his speeches that Vietnam wanted to end all relationships with the French, including treaties. Vietnam has also had a problem with the United States. According to the speech, the United States demolished Vietnam. After Vietnam had started winning some battles, the United States was forced to stop antagonizing Vietnam. The United States was talking of “peace and negotiation”, but according to Minh, their actions did not support this. All in all, Ho Chi Minh supported Vietnam and wanted independence and peace for his country.


Key Quotation: “Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and in fact has become a free and independent country.”