Hồ Chí Minh , Southern Vietnamese pronunciation : ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), born Nguyễn Sinh Côn, or Nguyễn Sinh Cung, also known as Nguyễn Tất Thành and Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam . He was a key figure in the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, as well as the People's Army of Vietnam and the Việt Cộng during the Vietnam War.