On the 80th anniversary of the United Nations (October 24, 1945 - 2025) and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States, Ambassador Ha Huy Thong, former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee (13th Legislature, 2011-2016), shared insights highlighting President Ho Chi Minh’s visionary approach to Vietnam's ties with the U.S. and the UN.

Ambassador Ha Huy Thong was assigned to accompany Archimedes Patti, former intelligence major of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS – the forerunner of the CIA), during his visit to Vietnam in 1982. Patti was a historic eyewitness to Vietnam’s Independence Day on September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square, attending at President Ho Chi Minh’s invitation.

Patti was tasked with monitoring Japanese activities in Indochina from 1943 to 1944 and first met Ho Chi Minh in August 1945.

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Patti visiting Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Photo courtesy of Ambassador Ha Huy Thong

Story 1: Gaining Allied support against fascism

According to Patti, after the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), Indochina became a strategic base for fascist forces to launch offensives against the Allies.

From 1942 to 1944, independence and freedom for oppressed nations became a key focus as the U.S. actively promoted the issue. However, intelligence operations in Southeast Asia were challenging, prompting efforts to build an effective covert network.

Patti recalled that on August 28, 1942, American officials in China first heard about Ho Chi Minh being arrested by the Kuomintang authorities. The news appeared in Chongqing newspapers on December 18, 1942, and was relayed by the U.S. agency United Press to New York and Washington, catching American, Chinese, and French diplomats off guard. A Reuters reporter even protested the arrest.

Patti mentioned reading a confidential telegram dated December 31, 1942, from U.S. Ambassador Gauss in Chongqing reporting Ho Chi Minh’s capture. This was Patti’s first time seeing Ho’s name in official U.S. diplomatic cables.

In the summer of 1943, through diplomatic and military channels, OSS negotiated with the Kuomintang for Ho Chi Minh’s release. Meanwhile, Chinese General Zhang Fakui sought to recruit Ho, even as his communist allies were largely unaware of his fate. The International Anti-Aggression Association received two petitions calling for Ho’s release.

In September 1943, after 1 year and 14 days in detention, Ho Chi Minh regained his freedom. In 1944, U.S. Consul General Langdon in Kunming even proposed the U.S. State Department issue a visa for Ho to visit the U.S.

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U.S. intelligence officer Patti visiting Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house. Photo courtesy of Ambassador Ha Huy Thong

Story 2: The post-war era begins

Following Japan’s surrender announcement on August 10, 1945, in line with the Potsdam Conference conditions, World War II came to a close. According to Patti, a new era began in a little-known village called Tan Trao.

After the National Congress held in Tan Trao (August 13–16, 1945), Patti remembered Ho Chi Minh declaring: “If the French return to exploit and harm my people, I assure them and the world that from north to south, Vietnam’s policy will be to destroy all in resistance until independence is achieved.”

Patti emphasized that this was no idle threat but a declaration from a master strategist engaged in clandestine diplomacy. At the same time, Ho showed concern for the safety of French nationals in cities like Hanoi and Hai Phong.

Patti also recalled that Ho stressed the importance of gaining U.S. support for Vietnam’s independence. While this could not be resolved immediately, Ho noted it should be addressed between Hanoi and Paris, potentially through the United Nations after the war.

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Ha Huy Thong (center) takes notes during a conversation between Archimedes L.A. Patti and Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach on September 9, 1982. Photo courtesy of Ambassador Ha Huy Thong

Story 3: A man of peace who preferred dialogue over war

Before attending Vietnam’s Independence Day ceremony on September 2, 1945, Patti met with French High Commissioner Sainteny, who asked whether Ho Chi Minh was open to dialogue with France.

Patti responded that Ho was a peaceful, conciliatory, and realistic nationalist leader.

Through his interactions with Ho, Patti observed that Ho recognized the limitations of his young government: lack of international recognition, inadequate technical expertise, and domestic hardship. However, Ho also understood his strengths – disciplined followers, an efficient political organization, and a shared goal of independence uniting workers, farmers, and intellectuals.

Patti saw Ho as someone deeply committed to peace and reconciliation. When choosing between conflict and negotiation, Ho would always favor dialogue to minimize sacrifice. Sainteny, impressed by Patti’s perspective, promised to speak directly with Ho – a meeting that later helped lay the groundwork for early diplomatic agreements.

On August 22, 1945, Patti arrived in Hanoi and met local leaders Khuat Duy Tien and Vu Van Minh, who proudly recounted how the Viet Minh seized power without bloodshed or gunfire. Public services remained uninterrupted in Hanoi throughout the transition.

On August 26, 1945, Patti met Ho Chi Minh again in Hanoi.

Story 4: A message to President Truman

On August 16, 1945, the Tan Trao Congress approved resolutions on national uprising, a ten-point program, and adopted the national flag and anthem. Patti noted that Ho Chi Minh signed a call to the people that read: “The fateful hour of our nation has struck. Many oppressed nations have risen for independence. We must not be left behind. Under the Viet Minh banner, let our people courageously rise!”

Ho signed the call using the name “Nguyen Ai Quoc,” the pseudonym he had used while abroad to inspire patriotism among the Vietnamese people.

After arriving in Hanoi on August 22, 1945, Patti observed growing public interest in the formation of a new government. Soon after, Ho Chi Minh was announced as President of the Provisional Government and also served as its first Foreign Minister.

On August 30, 1945, Emperor Bao Dai abdicated. That same day, General Vo Nguyen Giap asked Patti to deliver a letter from Ho Chi Minh to U.S. President Harry Truman. The letter, on behalf of the Provisional Government, requested that American delegates join the Allied Commission and recognize the Vietnamese government’s legitimacy in decisions concerning the country’s sovereignty.

Patti declined to forward the letter without first discussing it with Ho, explaining it fell outside his authority.

Upon meeting, Ho Chi Minh gently reassured Patti and had Hoang Minh Giam explain in fluent French that the letter’s intent was to urge major Allied nations to recognize the Provisional Government as the sole legitimate representative of the Vietnamese people in matters affecting national sovereignty.

Thirty-two years later, on September 20, 1977, Vietnam officially joined the United Nations.

In 2025, as President Luong Cuong and his spouse lead a high-level delegation to attend the 80th UN General Assembly and conduct bilateral engagements in the United States (September 21–24), Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, shared an interview with the media.

He noted that the 80th UN General Assembly takes place during a historic milestone, as 2025 also marks the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s founding. Both the United Nations and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, were born from shared aspirations for peace, national independence, and human progress.

From the nation’s earliest days, President Ho Chi Minh expressed a desire for Vietnam to join the United Nations. However, the country had to endure three decades of war before that dream became reality in 1977. Since then, Vietnam and the UN have been close partners, united by common goals and joint efforts toward sustainable development.

Thai An