Ho Chi Minh, born Nguyen Sinh Cung in 1890, was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary and politician. He led the Viet Minh independence movement against French colonial rule and later against the Japanese occupation during World War II. Ho Chi Minh founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and declared independence from French rule. He served as President of North Vietnam from 1945 until his death in 1969. Ho Chi Minh was a key figure in the Vietnam War, fighting against the US-backed South Vietnamese government. He is remembered as a nationalist hero and a symbol of Vietnamese independence.