Ho Chi Minh: A Life
byWilliam J Duiker
Format: Hardcover
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PrivatBen
5.0 out of 5 stars BravoReviewed in Germany on 2 September 2009
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...die bereits bekannten geschichtlichen Geschehnisse wurden in einer fast durchgehenden Geschichte niedergeschrieben, von der Geburt bis zum Tod Ho Chi Minh's. Man lernt vieles zu verstehen und erkennt die politischen und persönlichen Hintergründe aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht.
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I love it, i think that is a obligated lecture to anyone who wanted to be a real revolutionary not only a gutless communist who think all revolutions are like Cuba
A brilliant bio that improved my understanding of the other side's viewpoint. A war that didn't need to happen!
I have a basic gripe that applies to most biographies and certainly applies here -- the author spent far too much time on the minute details of Ho Chi Minh's early life. The basic story line is important, but I don't need to know how often Ho had rice for breakfast.
Gripe aside, this was otherwise an excellent biography. My focus here wasn't to become better acquainted with the modern history of French Indo-China. My focus was to understand something of what motivated Ho and his colleagues in their efforts leading up to and through America's involvement in the Vietnam War. If this topic is of interest, then this book is a must read.
The one inescapable conclusion from this book is that, one way or another, eventually, the north would prevail in reuniting north and south Vietnam. It didn't matter how long it took. It didn't matter whether China sent in its own troops or not. The north was well-motivated and politically united, and the north had time. No matter what success the U.S. enjoyed military, the north would adapt, would wait if necessary, attack if possible, and eventually the U.S. would quit. Ho and his colleagues always understood it was only a matter of time.
The size of this book may appear daunting at first, but the easy style of writing and the exacting detail of the research made it one of the best books I have had occasion to read. Mr. Duiker provides us with meticulous detail on the life of this enigimatic figure, I am amazed that so much information on a life can be gleaned at such a distance in time and from so many countries. Never did I feel lost or ever loose track of the salient character in the twists and turns of the history of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh's persistence in his ulimate goal, the independence of Vietnam always at the forefront of his actions, his dealings with the major players on the international scene, his unique travels, so well documented, and the authors interpretations of Ho Chi Minh's actions kept to a minimum, because of the detail in which his work was described. One very small critisim I would have liked a few more dates especially the years of events in the last part of the book when events moved very quickly. I came away from Ho Chi Minh with great admiration of his patience, tolerance and vigilance, qualities of which I suspect his biographer also pocesses.
Kostal
5.0 out of 5 stars Très instructifReviewed in France on 14 January 2023
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Compte tenu du parcours d'Ho Chi Minh durant de nombreuses années dans la clandestinité, et ce dans plusieurs pays, ainsi que de son statut de héros national d'un pays communiste, écrire une telle biographie était un objectif redoutable. L'auteur est parvenu à faire un portrait honnête et nuancé, où il pointe les zones d'ombres au lieu de les dissimuler. Au bout d'une recherche considérable les zones d'ombres sont réduites autant qu'il semble possible. Est-il davantage nationaliste que communiste ? C'est une question récurrente, induite par son pragmatisme qui l'oppose naturellement au dogmatisme. La vie de cet homme est une épopée, et le personnage est beaucoup plus modéré que je ne l'imaginais. Un homme doté d'une énergie et d'une force de conviction hors du commun. Que d'occasions manquées pour la France, et quel dommage que notre pratique de la colonisation en Indochine ait fait de lui notre ennemi. Ce livre est aussi l'histoire du Vietnam et j'ai trouvé l'ensemble passionnant.
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This book provides a detailed look at one of the most interesting leaders of the modern era. Before picking it up I had no idea just how significant Vietnam has been in modern history and the huge part Ho Chi Minh had to play in it. Compared with other leaders of the same period, Ho Chi Minh is not what you expect him to be. His insight and understanding of human politics and ability to forsee events as they would eventually unfold is remarkable. The warmth and respect of those who met him was also a great surprise and his personal charisma is a re-occurring theme throughout. As far as wise men are concerned, this biography left the same impression on me as Nelson Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom' and has many interesting parallels. Under different circumstances Ho Chi Minh may have become a more widely celebrated figure in World History.
Ho Chi Minh is one of those figures who lend support to the "great man" theory of history. "Not only was Ho the founder of his party and later the president of the country, but he was its chief strategist and its most inspiring symbol. * * * Ho Chi Minh was half Lenin and half Gandhi." He is a man of myth and legend, and therefore a good subject for a responsible biography that demystifies him.
Only in part, however, is HO CHI MINH: A LIFE a biography of Ho Chi Minh -- a/k/a, among others, Nguyen Sinh Cong, Nguyen Tat Thanh, and Nguyen Ai Quoc. The book also is a history of Vietnam over HCM's lifetime (1890-1969). Furthermore, it includes extensive accounts of the internal politics and machinations of various Communist parties (Vietnamese, Indochinese, French, Chinese, and Comintern) -- the necessity of which I question, at least in such mind-numbing detail. As glad as I am that I read this full-blown biography-plus, I would have preferred a shorter biography of Ho Chi Minh aimed simply at providing the generalist reader with a responsible picture of the man. And while it goes quite a ways towards demystifying HCM, I'm not sure it succeeds altogether. Perhaps that's not possible.
The overriding question concerning HCM is whether he was a Vietnamese patriot and nationalist or, instead, a communist/socialist revolutionary. Duiker's HCM is not exclusively either. According to Duiker, HCM certainly was a patriot and nationalist. Beyond that, he was implacably opposed to imperialism and colonialism, not just in Indochina but around the world. That mindset predisposed him against capitalism, as practiced worldwide, and, derivatively, against democracy and republican government. The alternative was socialism/communism, and he provided much evidence of subscribing to the teachings of Lenin. It does not appear, however, that HCM was a "true believer" (or, a fellow traveler).
Even Stalin and Mao at times were skeptical of HCM's bona fides as a Communist. There is an anecdote -- "probably, but not certainly, apocryphal" -- that when HCM went to Moscow to meet with Stalin in 1952, the latter pointed to two chairs in the meeting room and said, "Comrade Ho Chi Minh, there are two chairs here, one for nationalists and one for internationalists. On which do you wish to sit?", and HCM replied, "Comrade Stalin, I would like to sit on both chairs".
That points to what probably was HCM's principal trait as a man of politics: he was a pragmatist. The book contains many tales exemplifying that "Ho Chi Minh was a believer in the art of the possible, of adjusting his ideals to the conditions of the moment."
One point (of many) that was forcefully brought home to me concerns the almost one-hundred-year-long French rule of Vietnam. My high-school world history course emphasized the French "mission to civilize", and since then I have encountered numerous instances in which Frenchmen subscribed to that rationale for the French colonial empire. This book contains much that exposes that grandiose illusion. For example, by the early twentieth century the French had established monopolies on the sale of salt, opium, and alcohol in Vietnam. The salt sold to the peasants brought a 1,000 per cent profit. Around 1915, the Governor-General of Indochina, Albert Sarraut (who later became Prime Minister of France) complained that some Vietnamese villages were free of spirits and opium, and urged French provincial residents to arrange for the construction of alcohol and opium houses throughout Vietnam, so "that we shall obtain the best results, in the best interests of the Treasury".
As for a different sort of perfidy, there is the tale of what the Vietnamese did concerning HCM's wish to be cremated, as expressed in his last testament. Instead, Party leaders embalmed him and then built an elaborate mausoleum (reminiscent of the Lenin mausoleum in Red Square), and when they published HCM's last testament, they deleted those sections that dealt with the disposal of his body.
In a sense William J. Duiker spent nearly his entire career on this book. As he relates in the Preface, he first became fascinated with HCM in the mid-60s while serving as a young foreign service officer at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. He ended up pursuing an academic career, over the course of which he wrote around a dozen books on Vietnam and China. He finally was persuaded that enough information concerning HCM had been released to make a biography possible, and he spent the 1990s researching and writing this book. There are ninety pages of detailed and extensive endnotes, as well as what seems to be a very good index. There also are two sections of photographs. Duiker's HO CHI MINH is reputed to be the best biography of its subject, and after reading it I have no reason to doubt that. Still, the book reflects that it is the work of an historian venturing into the realm of biography.
By the way, I had bought a paperback edition of the book shortly after it was published. When I recently unshelved it to read, it quickly fell apart. I then ordered a new copy of the book in hardcover, but after three hours or so the cover of it detached from the rest of the binding. Thankfully, the 700-plus pages stayed together in one piece. Still, at a price north of $40.00, one should get a sturdier product.
Jacques ARNOL-STEPHAN
5.0 out of 5 stars Un excellent ouvrageReviewed in France on 27 August 2019
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Complet, équilibré, solidement argumenté et informé, cet ouvrage est plus qu’une biographie d’Ho Chi Minh. Il nous guide dans l’histoire contemporaine du Vietnam et les occasions perdues tant à Paris qu’à Washington. Il nous éclaire sur la personnalité complexe du père (ou de l’oncle ?) de la libération du Vietnam. L’auteur est américain, mais reste équilibré dans son analyse de la guerre. Pour les non anglophones, une traduction serait la bienvenue. Cet ouvrage est à mes yeux nettement au-dessus de ce qu’on peut trouver aujourd’hui en Français. Seul petit point noir : il y a parfois une profusion de détails qui peut être un peu fastidieuse.
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Very well documented and interesting book. The biography describes well how HCM was a really exceptionnal man with only one goal : liberation and well-being for the Vietnamese people. Everything else were means for this end.
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Joe
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and detailed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2024
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A forensic and fascinating account of one of history's most mercurial leaders.
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N. Price
5.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher who changed the world
Reviewed in the United States on 15 June 2020
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After a 35 year journey of discovery I am thrilled to have the opportunity to read and study several works of William J Duiker, including this excellent compilation and exhaustive study of Ho Chi Minh, perhaps one of the stellar figures of the 20th Century. Ho Chi Minh was a Political Warrior and a master clandestine agent among many things however perhaps his most characteristic role was that of teacher. Duiker takes the detailed path in understanding the man and the history that many Americans, due to our typical xenophobic outlook on the world, often disregard. When Stalin responded to Sun Yatsen's request for help in casting off Colonialism in China, he sent two teachers, Mikhail Borodin and his Deputy, Ho Chi Minh. Druiker weaves the web of the fabric of the 20th Century in the world as he follows the footsteps left by this enigmatic figure. Born in Central Vietnam, Annam to a minor level Confucian. Ho was educated and literate with the fire of youth in a time when colonialism was ravaging Indochina. In response he chose a path of learning and teaching to build and develop political warfare into the most devastating form of political action the world has yet seen or will likely ever see. To accomplish this in a single lifetime Ho's exploits stand alone as an exceptional man contributing significantly to the causes, he most pursued. However, it is not nearly as simple as declaring Ho a superman. Druiker digs through the incredibly dense propaganda, cover stories, conflicting accounts of events, and the context of Ho's actions to reveal the intellectual depth that far exceeded those of his contemporaries and rivals alike. Consider that for well over 30 years Ho, as Nguyen Ai Quoc, eluded capture and almost certain execution by not just the French, but quite literally every secret police force in the entire world. He travelled the world meeting with the most significant leaders of the 20th century developing and perfecting his approach to bring about results from a situation considered hopeless. His presence in these key world forums did much to alter the course of history though in small steps. the Successful conclusion was built over a lifetime ending in a result he was not present to witness but which his devoted followers and students carried through to the final victory. Often overlooked was Ho's participation in the early Soviet Revolution's system of education wrought by Lenin to solidify and unite the Revolutionary factions that had come together to create the Soviet Union. Ho took the lessons from that intellectual pursuit to China where he helped lay the seeds of the success of the Kuomintang, the Communist Chinese Party, the Korean Communist Party, and a number of other growing revolutionary organizations in the factionalized colonial empires. Frequently, researchers disregard Ho's ability to move within the top levels of the circles of the Comintern. Such conclusions do not bear out when a study of Druiker's work is taken into the context. Druiker's work is a must for any serious scholar's bookshelf and as a source of reference for any serious discussion on the times and events of the 20th Century in Asia.
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John Weathers
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent look at a fascinating life
Reviewed in the United States on 5 July 2010
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Excellent look at the life of a fascinating man whose life played a defining role in the history of Vietnam in the 20th century. Thoroughly researched and exemplary in terms of attempting to tell the history without trying to tell the reader too much what to think about the history. No biographer can fully escape his or her own attitude towards the subject, the best biographers attempt to minimize its influence and present as faithful a portrait as possible. I suspect that the author admires Ho Chi Minh the man while disapproving of his politics, but if this is the case we are not reminded of it with every turn of the page. The prose is fluid, the details engrossing and the end-notes extensive. I found this point a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it to fans of biography and to those interested in the history of Vietnam.
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Laura79
5.0 out of 5 stars The history of Ho Chi Minh is just so well documented and written in this book which I find so beautiful. The way Duiker writes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2016
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This book it's a masterpiece. The history of Ho Chi Minh is just so well documented and written in this book which I find so beautiful. The way Duiker writes is just the way I like it. Straight to the point and really easy to read, not fuss around. Furthermore whenever some of the facts are unclear, these are specified in the notes and he doesn't try to give any point of view or personal opinion. Absolutely love this book
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Sonshi
5.0 out of 5 stars Most reliable and balanced biography of Ho Chi Minh
Reviewed in the United States on 8 March 2004
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Dr. William Duiker's book is exceptional. A five-star book with an asterisk for special consideration. It is arguably the most reliable and balanced biography of Ho Chi Minh ever published. First of all, please note the book was dedicated "To the Vietnamese people," similar in many ways as to how Ho Chi Minh himself, amid critics, dedicated his life's work to the Vietnamese people. Regardless of how you feel about this important 20th century political leader, Duiker correctly places him from the most significant point of view -- that is to say, from the Vietnamese people's perspective first, and only then the world.
The biography beautifully melds historical gaps with hard facts. Anyone who was ever presented with such a dilemma would truly appreciate the genius with which the author was able to craft Ho Chi Minh's character and personality. Simply outstanding. Duiker does not deceive the reader into believing that his biography will answer all questions, but it does indeed illuminate one's understanding of how Ho Chi Minh operated and perhaps how he would have acted under different circumstances. A mysterious person becomes less mysterious, albeit not completely understood. As readers, we can't help but be grateful for the opportunity to learn and benefit from 30 years of research.
So impressive was Dr. Duiker's biography that we at Sonshi.com asked the author for an interview. He was open to any and all questions about Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh. From our experience, this is a mark of a true expert, someone who is on top of his or her field of study. Anyone who would like to learn more about Vietnam or Ho Chi Minh will certainly benefit from Duiker. In fact, anyone who is interested in how the 20th century was shaped should read this book, for Ho Chi Minh's influence was not relegated to only Indochina, but it was felt in the top industrialized nations as well.
We highly recommend William Duiker's Ho Chi Minh: A Life.
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Christopher J. Collier
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Scholarly and balanced
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 February 2021
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I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to get beneath the surface of the figure of Ho Chi Minh and discover the character beneath.
Read the book, if you can having left your ideology and attitude at the door.
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David Edgar
3.0 out of 5 stars Highly detailed academic biography
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2020
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I was hoping for something that gave me an insight into the man, his life and times. An enjoyable read I guess but it's actually very detailed and perfect for researchers who want to know every committee HCM sat on.
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Hugo Vaes
5.0 out of 5 stars best biography about the grounding father of Vietnam
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2019
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I read this book before. It was for me a real eye opener of this amazing beautiful country.
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Joseph R. Calamia
5.0 out of 5 stars "UNCLE HO"
Reviewed in the United States on 5 May 2009
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"HO CHI MINH" by William J. Duiker is without a doubt, an abysmal and fathomless study of Vietnam the country, Vietnam the people, Vietnam the times, and... "Uncle Ho", who was...Vietnam.
Admittedly, the sheer magnitude of this work was intimidating to me, and there were parts that I simply... found myself skipping over due to various time constraints within my own life. However, Duiker apparently left "no stone unturned" in his relentless biographical study and post-mortem of this very interesting and controversial individual.
There seems to be some question as to whether "HO" was really a Communist, or more of a Patriot with socialistic leanings. From reading this book, I would say; "Uncle Ho" was "anything" and "everything" he needed to be in order to follow his visions and ...his insatiable ego.
"Ho Chi Minh" (not his true name), was/is to Vietnam what Ernesto "Che" Guevara was/is to Latin America. They have each become "political saints" and cultish icons to those who worship their life style and ideologies.
The author indicated that the name "Ho Chi Minh"was a pseudonym adopted from the Chinese language. I believe the word "Ho" in Vietnamese (depending upon its accent) can also mean "Tiger." No matter what "Ho Chi Minh" was, or stood for, no one can deny that he was ..."The Tiger!"
My only regret from reading this historical biography was: "where was all of this superb information when I shipped out to Vietnam in 1967?" That's the problem with history, it's always too late!
Mr. Duiker has accomplished a classic piece of work that will remain unrivaled in the realm of biographical research and writing. Duiker has fashioned a "Rosetta Stone" for those interested in the history of Vietnam and its people.
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Joe 90
4.0 out of 5 stars and probably the best on the subject that I have read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2015
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A big, big book, and probably the best on the subject that I have read. It could have done with perhaps a postscript, or at least a little more on Minh's death and the immediate and later aftermath.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow read
Reviewed in the United States on 6 May 2015
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This book is painstakingly detailed and thoroughly researched. Definitely a great source on the context and details of Ho Chi Minh's life and role in the evolution of his country. It is riddled with distracting typographical errors that are very distracting though. And I found it digressed too much on surrounding events instead of focusing on the primary subject.
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Vincent Gardner
4.0 out of 5 stars Part biography, part history lesson
Reviewed in the United States on 3 April 2013
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Your reaction To William J. Duiker's biography of Hồ Chí Minh will likely depend on the depth of your knowledge about Vietnam's history over the last one hundred years. If you're already deeply familiar with the history, and simply want the book to concentrate on Hồ Chí Minh's life, you'll likely be somewhat disappointed. Because this isn't a typical biography. Or rather, it is for the first half, but then it turns into an entirely different book, and recounts the story of Vietnam's independence from 1930 on, starring Hồ Chí Minh, Lê Duẩn, Võ Nguyên Giáp, Phạm Văn Đồng, Jean Sainteny and a host of others. Hồ Chí Minh is just one of the central figures in the second half of the book. It really is no longer about Hồ Chí Minh.
Duiker and his editors were obviously well aware of the dual nature of the book and were comfortable with it. The vast majority of people (myself included) are not sufficiently knowledgeable about Vietnam's fight for independence and very much appreciate the history lesson. Most of us need the lesson before we need the biography, and this book provides some of both.
I give the book four stars, but I can understand how someone looking purely for biography would be unhappy. Whole sections in the second half go by without a mention of Hồ Chí Minh, and the reader often has to wonder exactly how and to what extent Hồ Chí Minh participated in various events. Partially, Duiker explains, it's because of a simple lack of verifiable information. He notes several times in the book that he stuck to information that was relatively verifiable and believable. There are plenty of doubtful sources, there is plenty of speculation, there are glowing, sanitized Viet accounts, and Hồ Chí Minh himself led a chameleon-like existence, changing names and look and writing under assumed identities. For long periods, various security forces (especially the French) weren't even sure exactly who or where he was. Duiker sifted through it all, in American, French, Viet, Russian and Chinese archives (to the limited extent he was allowed), not to mention hundreds of other sources, and pulled together as much as he was willing to believe.
It's a staggering feat of research, and it's doubtful anyone will ever do better, but it still leaves one wanting. There is so very little about his personal life after he leaves France for Russia, and so little about the very small day-to-day decisions that a man like Hồ Chí Minh must have made. The big decisions, the decisive moves -- those are all there, but anything smaller is mostly lost. Presumably Duiker gave us everything he could, and extra detail is available in the excellent 90 pages of end notes, but it still seems as though essential aspects of the man were left uncovered.
The only other red flag, for me, was the fact that Duiker seemed genuinely smitten with his subject. At times, he's practically cheerleading for Hồ Chí Minh. You can almost hear him wishing that American authorities would have taken Hồ more seriously as WWII was winding down. You obviously have to be wary of a biographer who seems overly taken with his subject, and it bothers me that Hồ Chí Minh comes off too clean in this work. In the post-1954 North Vietnam, Hồ Chí Minh is always presented by Duiker as the voice of reason, moderation and compassion. The others carry out the purges, while kindly Uncle Ho tries to redress wrongs and temper the vengeful spirits and the rabid communist revolutionaries. It wasn't that simple. This is why the lack of day-to-day info makes this book a sometimes frustrating read.
One other thing: no diacritics used in Vietnamese names. This is disappointing. Duiker covers this with a quick note, stating that the casual reader would be put off by them, and any reader already familiar with the Vietnamese language doesn't really need them. This is a standard cop-out used by most publishers, and I wish they'd cut it out. It's a bit like saying you don't need to write the letter 'e' in English names, because every English speaker already knows all those words and can fill in the blanks easily enough.
Overall, however, I was very impressed, and came away far more knowledegable about both Hồ Chí Minh and Vietnam. Again, four stars.
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Dana Garrett
4.0 out of 5 stars It's a book that will break your heart
Reviewed in the United States on 28 July 2007
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Although the author, William Duiker, a former foreign services officer for the USA in Saigon during the 1960s, takes no side in the scholarly dispute about Ho Chi Minh's essential orientation as either a nationalist or an ideologically pure Marxist, there is little doubt from the evidence set forth in the book that Ho was first and foremost a nationalist. The evidence couldn't be clearer given the numerous occasions Ho recommended elected coalition governments to rule an undivided Viet Nam, recommendations he made to several USA officials well before the onset of the war with the USA.
I couldn't keep from wondering about the multiple millions of lives that might have been spared if the USA had only listened to its sober analysts in the region who believed Ho instead of hearkening to those caught up in the red scare.
Ho was essentially a pragmatist whose burning passion was for an independent and sovereign Viet Nam. Even his ascription to Marxist Leninism was born from his pragmatism since Marxist Leninism alone purported to provide a model by which the imperialist control of nations could be understood, resisted and broken. Accordingly, it also provided a vision through which ordinary Vietnamese citizens could foresee an end to the French imperialist occupation of their nation. Marxist Leninism was for Ho a means by which Viet Nam could become independent and self-governing.
Duiker's work provides an excellent analysis of Ho's early years leading up to his return to Viet Nam. I felt it was a bit short on content during the last years of Ho's life before the war with the USA ended. But Duiker's depiction of how the USSR and China played Viet Nam off against each other is not to be missed.
This book is worth reading.
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Ruben Chandler
5.0 out of 5 stars If You Choose Someone In Life And Act Accordingly, You Can't Go Wrong With Ho.
Reviewed in the United States on 11 April 2022
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The Vietnamese people's struggle was the actual most heroic accomplishment of the 20th century. Ending America's pointless occupation following the awesome French defeat at Dien Bien Phu finally freed Viet Nam from over 500 years of oppression. The US lied to the Vietnamese to enlist their help against the Japanese and said when the war was over Viet Nam would be an independent nation. Instead, the US lied, like it ALWAYS does, and after the Japanese having been disarmed by the Vietnamese people, the guns were given back to the Japanese to hold the people hostage until those colonialist C words from France could be brought back to continue with the country's regularly scheduled enslavement.
They say one should select a person one respects and then use what that person's personality represents to you and run your difficulties through those people. I use Ho Chi Minh. A true hero but very humble man. I still miss him. Americans would probably use Ted Kennedy. Take off pants and mingle was his entre into any situation. Just doesn't work for me.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A tome, a text, a reference, an explanation.
Reviewed in the United States on 31 March 2014
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Long, interesting. The fallibility. The constant negotiation and compromise. How exhausting.
So much said, and still so much unsaid. For instance, the book doesn't say much about HCM actually having a ruthless side. Though the book makes reference to a few political assassinations done or not done, did he ever really order wide spread elimination of his political opponents? I wonder if that is just legend, or the work of others.
We didn't know much about HCM, or the Vietnamese. I wonder what would have happened if we had. Would we have left them to make their own choices, to do things their own way?
Did we drive them into the arms of the PRC?
Did their communist party want a bloody war, insist on it, as part of their revolution? If so, did they get more than they bargained for?
If we hadn't gone in would the other dominos have fallen into a Vietnamese hegemony?
This book doesn't answer these questions, but gives hints, and to me they are worth the read.
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Rickyb
4.0 out of 5 stars foto 1
Reviewed in the United States on 17 March 2013
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William Duiker reads into this book a great detail of Ho's life. Ho has lived and worked in many countries and Duiker has pursued most of the available files to bring the haunting life of Ho into the light of realism. As a peasant Ho mines the trails of poverty that bring him and some of his sons to realize that their agrarian background is not the life. The names of the Vietnamese families that Duiker associates with Ho and his sons, reminds one of the changes that are made for the Imperialists that not only dominate Asian culture but also occurr in today's world.. As a recent visiter to Vietnam, I can now see many differant shades of light and life as to the history of Vietnam and its people. The book is not an easy read unless one has a sense of being there in the culture. The book means much more when you have lived in Vietnam for even a short period of time.
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J R Lankford
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable
Reviewed in the United States on 24 March 2009
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This is one of those remarkable biographies that makes history come alive. I bought it as part of my research for a novel. It confirmed my belief that most wars result from either a tragic misunderstanding, or truly monstrous mistreatment of one group by another (or both). Such was the case with The American War, as the Vietnamese call it. We ignorantly backed the French in a heartless brand of colonialism that made slavery look good in comparison. Then America shut its ears to Ho Chi Minh's repeated pleas for our friendship. How many precious lives were lost as a result, no one can accurately count. I only know I can't walk the length of the Viet Nam memorial in D.C. without crying as I see the more than 58,000 names and I'll surely do the same when I go to Viet Nam, the bamboo country, where perhaps 3 million died. Hy sinh, the Vietnamese still call them -- sacrificed. I highly recommend William Duiker's Ho Chi Minh.
J R Lankford
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Anthony
4.0 out of 5 stars An impartial & detailed account
Reviewed in the United States on 15 December 2019
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An objective, well-documented biography that provides a an in-depth account of Ho Chi Minh's political activities. Although I had read roughly 10 books about the Vietnam War before reading this book, I knew very little about Ho Chi Minh. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its information concerning the extent of Ho Chi Minh's power within the communist party when the United States had completely taken over the role of France in attempting to reassert colonial domination of Vietnam when WWII had ended. The book also provides a detailed account of conditions when Vietnam had been a French colony.
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Nicholas S. Ackerman
5.0 out of 5 stars As thorough a look with currently accessible documents
Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2023
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A very intensive look at what is known about Ho Chih Minh's life, with a good framework of what went on around him over the course of decades. If you're interested this is great; if not this will be a slog, especially with the large number of aliases he used, and the nature of Marxist-Leninist theory along with it's changes over the century.
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DaveF
2.0 out of 5 stars Look for a more readable biography
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2023
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2 to 2.5 stars. To me, this biography appears to be written by a scholar for scholars. It contains a wealth of information and seems to be well documented.
But I have several issues. First is the writing. This is the driest book I've read in a long time and it made for a struggle to stick with it. The hundreds of names, places, and events are poorly explained or not explained at all - a clear indication to me that the target audience is the specialist. The second issue is simply the title. Yes, the book contains a lot of biographical information about Ho Chi Minh. But it's really a modern history of the independence struggle of Vietnam. And as a result, the book is much too long. It is also repetitive and quite speculative at times. Cannot recommend, there must be more concise, easier to read biographies of Ho Chi Minh.
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From other countries
Burfam
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're wanting an in-depth account, order this book for sure!
Reviewed in the United States on 13 February 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
My dad really likes history and wanted a book about Ho Chi Minh. I ordered this book for Christmas as it seemed to have the highest reviews and they were not wrong. He says the book is extremely well documented. The pictures in it are great, and the amount of info from many different places helps to make sure that what you're reading is accurate. The author really did an amazingly thorough job and you will not be disappointed by this book if you're wanting a lot of facts and a lot of information. If you're looking more for like an easy-read novel, this is most likely a little too technical for you, though it is not too hard to read, just a little dry to me since I was only interested in skimming a few pages. If you're wanting an in-depth account, order this book for sure!
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Nguye n Va n Huy
1.0 out of 5 stars Duiker's fanatical admiration of Ho ruins his own book
Reviewed in the United States on 8 July 2015
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1. Duiker's fanatical admiration of Ho Chi Minh leads to biassed judgments throughout the book, and in the end his book is ruined.
2. In 1953 Ho created the killing fields through the land reform campaign, under the guidance of Mao's men. Hundred thousands of people were executed and their properties were confiscated. The article "Land reform in North Vietnam" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_reform_in_North_Vietnam) gives a much less number of around 100 thousand people executed. That is understandable when not every proof is available, especially the Vietnamese Communist Party has never opened the archives for scholars to examine.
3. Look, whatever number, it is human lives, not animal lives. In America if one innocent man was killed, the man who caused the killing must face justice. If the same genocide had happened in the America, would Duiker try to defend the man who ordered the killings? If the order of the killing of an innocent man is injustice in the America, so was it in North Vietnam in 1953. It is wrong to consider Vietnamese at the time had no feeling of justice. Or perhaps Duiker thinks that there are two classes of justice: one for Western countries and another one for developing countries. The My Lai massacre was condemned by the world, but it was nothing compared with the 1968 Tet Offensive massacre in Hue, of which more than 5000 South Vietnamese men, women and children were buried alive by Ho's troops. Would Duiker spare him of that crime as well?
4. In 1975, another evil man, Pol Pot, under the guidance of Mao's men again, executed more than one million Cambodians. Both men were Mao's dogs and no more. But Duiker disregarded all the facts, and just tried to defend Ho by all speculations.
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H. lemcke
4.0 out of 5 stars Read this book - long but can be skimmed
Reviewed in the United States on 27 January 2015
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Too bad this wasn't written in about 1958. Maybe Eisenhower and Kennedy and Johnston and Nixon would have known not to even get involved. A long but very good read. What I suggest is skimming it to pick out his development and that of Vietnam, Cambodia, China and the errors made by the west. Vietnam wasn't about communism at all, it was about imperialism. Ho Chi Minh had little interest in communism except as a vehicle toward their independence. The book also confirms what I have read elsewhere, that the USSR really wanted a peaceful relationship with the west - something our military did not want.
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James P O'Hara
5.0 out of 5 stars Understand the man
Reviewed in the United States on 14 March 2020
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
We get a lot of superficial information about Ho from a lot of sources and we find a lot of it in the work of authors we’ve followed for years. But this biography gives us insights into his development, personal and political, over the course of his life, and we learn why history could have taken no other course. No biographical examination of the man is complete without this book.
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Family Paxton
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex Look at a Complex Man
Reviewed in the United States on 1 September 2014
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Duiker tries to cut through all the mystique built up around Ho Chi Minh, and does a fair job. Clearly, figuring out the facts of a man who spent his life deceiving everyone in regards to his past is a a challenge. Ho wasn't the saint Vietnam wants him to be, but he wasn't the monster many westerners think of him as. Duiker's response to the question of whether Ho was a communist first or a nationalist first is perfect; he was both, but more than anything he was a pragmatic leader of a country he sacrificed greatly for.
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Sharon S
5.0 out of 5 stars This book was great preparation for me
Reviewed in the United States on 21 January 2016
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Started reading this book before a trip to Southeast Asia; first stop Ho Chi Minh city. After traveling up the Mekong River and eventually making my way to Hanoi this book helped me understand much of the people's attitude and hardship I was observing. This book was great preparation for me; long and sometimes very laden with details but some of those details had me more informed of this man than our guide. If you like details then you will enjoy this book; if you want to understand the Vietnamese culture this book is a must.
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Michael Amir Heidari
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on 22 April 2015
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The book was pretty descriptive and it contained a vast amount of details about Uncle Ho. What I really liked was how the author used different events and political figures to illustrate Ho Chi Minh's life. A great read for someone who wants to learn about Uncle Ho, especially if you have been to Vietnam or plan on visiting it.
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Hunyadi
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book
Reviewed in the United States on 12 April 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A good book about the very intelligent Ho Chi Minh and his revolution against the French and how he came to be. This book opens the door into his world and removes the mystery so many of us have of him. A must read for anyone interested in Pre-Colonial Indochina and the Vietnamese uprising against the French regime.
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Sandra
4.0 out of 5 stars and this book answered that question and gave me a great sense of the dreadful war and what it cost ...
Reviewed in the United States on 2 March 2016
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This name evokes lots of emotions in the US. I wanted to know who he was, and this book answered that question and gave me a great sense of the dreadful war and what it cost the Vietnamese. We all know about US losses - they were minuscule relative to Vietnam.
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Allen Weintraub
5.0 out of 5 stars A biography everyone should read. The book describes the ...
Reviewed in the United States on 15 March 2016
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A biography everyone should read. The book describes the complex life of Ho Chi MInh. Almost as an aside, the author introduces us to Ho Chi Minh's relationship with the United States starting with the Treaty of Versailles ending World War,I his contracts with Americans in fighting the Japanese in World War II, and the eventual failure between the two countries starting with the withdrawal of the French in 1954.
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