Happy National Day to Vietnam. On this day in 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence from French and Japanese occupation, four years after he had returned from his epic overseas adventure.
This statue of Uncle Ho stands outside the museum which documents his life, his work and campaigns. From this point by the Saigon River in May 1911, 21 year old Nguyen Tat Thanh, as he was known at that time, set out to find the way to save his country. He was away from Vietnam for 20 years, travelling to many countries including America, France, Russia and China. He worked as a chef in London, he was a founding member of the communist party in Paris and was arrested in Hong Kong.
So this statue commemorates the young man leaving his country to take on the world, which from all accounts he did with great zeal. These days though, he’s stepping out into a very different world.
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