Ho Chi Minh was now elderly and in ill health. His role and influence on the war was reduced to a more ceremonial position. He died in 1969 in Hanoi, some six years before his battalions surged into Saigon and his dream of unified Vietnam was realised.
It is unquestionable that Ho Chi Minh was one of the most influential personalities in history. His actions sowed the seed that brought about the independence of Vietnam, and the years of bloodshed to an end. His determination and allegiance to Vietnam not only brought a change within Vietnam, but also humiliated Allied powers such as France and the USA. He twice faced unsurmountable odds, and both times gave his people the strength and pride to fight, die and overcome the impossible.
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