Le Duan
(1908–1986), Vietnamese politician and nationalist. Le Duan was born in Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam. In 1928 he joined the Revolutionary Youth League (Thanh Nien), and in 1930 he helped found the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP). Following the 1931 uprisings in northern Vietnam, he was arrested and convicted of sedition. He received a twenty-year prison sentence but was pardoned and released in 1936 after the Popular Front's victory in France.
Le Duan rose in the ranks of the ICP, but he was arrested again in 1940 and sent to Poulo Condore prison (Con Dao Island) until 1945. Following his release, he briefly worked with the Ho Chi Minh government in Hanoi. In 1946 he was sent to southern Vietnam, where he became secretary of the Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN). While in southern Vietnam, Le Duan led the Viet Minh military in its efforts against the French.
Le Duan, on the right, with Pham Van Dong, prime minister of North Vietnam, in 1969. (BETTMANN/CORBIS)In 1957 he returned to Hanoi as a prominent member of the Politburo. He became secretary-general of the Lao Dong (Workers') Party in 1959. Following Ho Chi Minh's death in 1969, Le Duan became one of the most influential members of the Lao Dong Party. He became secretary-general of Vietnam's Communist Party in 1976 and served in that position until his death in 1986.
Further Reading
Duiker, William. (1981) The Communist Road to Power in Vietnam. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Karnow, Stanley. (1983) Vietnam: A History. New York: Viking.
Le Duan. (1994) Selected Writings. Hanoi, Vietnam: The Gioi Publishers.
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