Ho Chi MinhOne of the most influential individuals throughout the Second Indochina War was Ho Chi Minh, who was the driving force behind the communist takeover of Vietnam as well as the formation of the Viet Cong during the Second Indochina War. Ho Chi Minh was born on the 19th of May 1890. In his lifetime, Ho Chi Minh founded the Indochina Communist Party in 1930, as well as its successor the Viet Minh and acted as President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 to 1969. Ho Chi Minh was passionate about achieving independence for Vietnam, which he believed could be achieved through the introduction of communism to Vietnam. His life was dedicated to working towards achieving independence for his country, as he demonstrated the strong sense of nationalism that had been developed amongst the Vietnamese for centuries. However ‘Uncle Ho’, as he was known, died in September 1969 resulting in Ho being unable to witness Vietnam becoming an independent country in 1975. Ho remained a prevalent source of inspiration for the people of North Vietnam as they suffered from adverse conditions, and inspired his people to rebel against the French and Japanese rule during the First Indochina War which continued throughout the battle against the anti-communist regime of South Vietnam which was supported by foreign allies such as the United States of America and countries that were members of various treaties and alliances in a bid to see Vietnam become an independent country which led to Ho’s recognition as one of the most important figures throughout the Second Indochina War and in the fight for independence for Vietnam.
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Ngo Dihn Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem was born in the Quang Binh Province, near Hue in Vietnam on the 3rd of January in 1901. Diem was of noble birth as his ancestors had been amongst some of the first Vietnamese to convert to Roman Catholicism which occurred in the 17th Century. Diem remained connected to the Vietnamese imperial family throughout his lifetime, and in 1933 Diem worked as the emperor Bao Dai’s Minister of the Interior before resigning in the following year due to issues with the French. In 1945, in an effort to gain Catholic support, Ho Chi Minh’s forces captured Diem in an attempt to invite him to join Ho’s newly formed Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) which Diem refused. After a decade spent abroad, the emperor Bao Dai summoned Diem to serve in Vietnam as the Prime Minister. Diem served in Vietnam as a political leader acting as Prime Minister with dictatorial powers over the US backed South Vietnam government from the 7th of July, 1954 when he first assumed power. In October 1955 in a government controlled referendum, Diem defeated Bao Dai to appoint himself President of South Vietnam. In assistance with the US military and government, Diem and his government aided the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees from North Vietnam however his treatment of Catholics and Roman Catholics made him an oppressive totalitarian to the Buddhists that made up the majority of the South Vietnamese religious beliefs. Diem’s oppressive regime resulted in the US's decision to discontinue their support for the South Vietnamese government and however Diem remained in control until his assassination.
Keith HolyokeKeith Holyoake was the Prime Minister of New Zealand throughout the main time period of the Second Indochina War, from 1960 - 1972 and was an important individual in the involvement of New Zealand in the Second Indochina War. Holyoake was initially reluctant to send NZ troops to Vietnam however due to obligations that were in place due to the signing of the SEATO and ANZUS treaties, New Zealand was responsible to take action to combat the spread of communism in Vietnam and South-East Asia. As the pressure increased for New Zealand to contribute to the war efforts against North Vietnam, Holyoake’s government sent limited military aid to fight with the US and the South Vietnamese in 1966. However unlike the American and Australian governments decision to employ the use of mandatory conscription, New Zealand did not and all troops were volunteers. Although the contribution of New Zealand’s military aid to Vietnam was limited (3,500 at the peak), their actions generated huge public uproar and protest movements that were inspired by the anti-Vietnam war actions of protest groups internationally. Under Holyoake’s control, New Zealand continued to support the South Vietnamese until 1972.
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