Vietnam: Viet Minh, 1945 Dossier Chair: Alex Smith-Scales Crisis Director: Frank Keat
Dear Delegates, It is an honor to invite you to the 21st Virginia International Crisis Simulation, the University of Virginia s annual collegiate Model United Nations conference. VICS XXI will be held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville from March 31 to April 3, 2016. VICS offers nineteen innovative and interactive crisis committees, both historical and contemporary. We are committed to expanding the scope of what a crisis committee can do. As I write this letter in early November, our chairs are crafting their committees around topics ranging from the Space Race of the 1950s to a Summit of the American Gun Lobby. We are committed to expanding the scope of what a crisis committee can do, especially in our famous ad-hoc, the Secretary General s Good Offices, and in our pilot ad-hoc, the Directors General's Good Offices. I can think of no better setting for the conference than the Grounds of the University of Virginia. VICS provides you with opportunities to interact with the University s rich history and with the many resources it has to offer. For example, on Friday morning, VICS encourages delegates to explore Charlottesville. VICS offers a series of tours of the city's attractions. These events extend discussion outside of committee and they give you the chance to meet members of the International Relations Organization and of the university community. We also invite you to explore Charlottesville, one of the country s most exciting college towns. VICS hosts four social events in the city, which take you beyond a typical Model UN experience and provide opportunities to get to know delegates outside of committee. I look forward to welcoming you to the University of Virginia and Charlottesville in March. If you have any questions, please reach out to me or the Chargé d Affaires, Leah Day, atvics.charge@gmail.com or by phone at (703) 344-4275. Sincerely, Michael Treves Secretary General VICS XXI
1. Vo Nguyen Giap - Minister of the Interior A key commander and political figure in the Viet Minh, Giap joined the movement in 1944. He rose to prominence in the fight against the Japanese, who concentrated forces in the Mekong Delta around the rubber and mineral reserves. A personal friend of Ho, Giap was pivotal in building popular support for the Viet Minh, and in forming the guerilla doctrine that minimized casualties and maximized opportunistic strikes. Giap emerged as a communist student activist in 1938, and faced persecution from French colonial authorities. His exile and radicalization resulted in a crass, hardened but politically savvy military officer. 2. Truong Chinh - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam The Vietnamese Communist Party s second in command, Chinh is a long standing political operative who plays a pivotal role in maintaining the communist sociopolitical network. A student who joined the communist movement in 1930, he was briefly imprisoned before becoming the first party secretary of the communist party in 1941. He now runs the Party National Conference in Tuyen Quang Province, a key area building support in the north. 3. Hoang Van Thai - Chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People s Army A career communist party member and soldier, he attended a premiere French military school before joining the resistance against the Japanese occupation. Rising to prominence as a confident and aggressive tactical level military commander, he gained prestige by attacking Japanese frontline units in addition to their supply bases and lines of communication. In 1944 he founded the Armed Propaganda Unit for National Liberation-- and was appointed Chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People s Army. He will play an important role in determining the doctrine and strategy of the Vietnamese military in the future. 4. Pham Van Dong - Minister of Finance A close associate and friend of Ho, Pham was a well-educated and nationalistic young man. He met Ho in 1926, attending a military training camp in Southern China-- and was central to the establishment of the Indochina Communist Party in Saigon. After being imprisoned by the French colonial authorities, which only improved his standing, Pham became a key diplomatic figure in establishing the legitimacy of the state. As Minister of Finance, he must carefully allocate limited resources to support the revolutionary movement-- where the French are better equipped and financed.
5. Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach - Minister of Health A French educated doctor of aristocratic birth, Pham ran the limited public/private clinic system that provided much of the countryside with medical care. Personally wealthy, he nonetheless lent his support to the growing communist cause in the 1930s. He participated in revolutionary activities during the Second World War, and helped the revolutionary movement establish control over social services. To maintain support and legitimacy, it is important that the predominantly rural population have access to healthcare and basic amenities. As Minister of Health, Pham will play a crucial role in wresting control from colonial powers. 6. Chu Van Tan - Minister of Defense Homeschooled on a small rural northern farm, Chu Van Tan entered politics with student activists dissatisfied with the growing inequity over colonial tax collectors. The early self-defense militias forming in the countryside in the 1930s allowed Chu to gain valuable lessons, formulating doctrine that served him well leading the resistance against Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Famous for the uprising in Bac Son, he seized a French Garrison in 1940-- confiscating their arms and gaining a foothold along crucial rail lines. As Minister of Defense, he will help form and deploy forces to oppose French colonial rule. 7. Tran Huy Lieu - Minister of Information and Propaganda Propaganda plays a crucial role in galvanizing support for any national liberation movement. When recruiting support for something as complex as communism shaping the public debate can mean the difference between an academic movement and a successful revolution. Tran Huy Lieu was a historian and journalist who joined the political process by condemning the French rule and serving a prison sentence. Gaining standing in the party after his release in 1935, he was again imprisoned by the Japanese. Returning to help consolidate the revolutionary movement in 1945, he will have to build support internationally and abroad by describing the struggle. 8. Duong Duc Hien - Minister of Youth Born in 1916 in Bac Ninh Province, outside of Hanoi, Duong Duc Hien Duong would become an important leader in the Vietnamese revolutionary movement. He graduated with a degree in law from the Indochinese University in 1940. In 1944, he helped found the Democratic Party of Vietnam, which aligned itself with the Viet Minh, and became its first General Secretary. In this role, he aided in the cooperation of Vietnamese revolutionaries with the Allies against the Japanese. With the August revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Duong has been appointed to the office of Minister of Youth.
9. Nguyen Manh Ha - Minister of the National Economy Born in 1913 in Hung Yen province, Nguyen Manh Ha went to France at the age of 13 for study. He spent the majority of his early life in France and Switzerland studying law and political science at the University of Paris, and eventually earning his doctorate in law in 1937. After returning to Vietnam, Nguyen became involved in public service, becoming a labor inspector in the North, and by 1945, was the head of the Tonkin Economic Service in Hanoi. As the only individual in Ho Chi Minh s cabinet with significant economic experience, Nguyen has been appointed Minister of the National Economy, under the new DRV government. In this role, he will oversee the economy of a state which seeks to relinquish itself from its colonial past. 10. Vu Dinh Hoe - Minister of National Education Prior to his involvement in politics, Vu Dinh Hoe was a lawyer and educator. After graduating with a degree in law from the Indochinese University, Vu taught at several prestigious private schools. He was also an influential member of the Vietnamese intelligentsia, acting as chairman of the economic and political literary magazine, Thanh Nghi. On June 30, 1944, Vu became one of the founding members of the Vietnamese Democratic Party, supporting Vietnamese independence and aligning itself with the Viet Minh. Following the DRV s declaration of independence, Vu has taken the role of Minister of National Education. 11. Vu Truong Khanh - Minister of Justice A French-trained lawyer, Vu has been appointed the DRV s first Minister of Justice. Despite western training he is committed to the DRV s cause. He advocates for a zero tolerance policy for anything that might hinder the movement s progression. Khanh wants to establish a centralized court system that has very little flexibility for convictions and sentencing. 12. Le Van Hien - Minister of Labor Born in 1904 Le Van Hien has spent most of his life in fighting for Vietnamese Independence. His leadership in the movement began in 1927, when he helped found the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League branch in Danang. In 1930, he joined the Indochinese Communist Party. Following a five-year jail sentence from the French, Le and his wife opened up a bookstore, which would serve as a meeting place for many of the ICP s highest ranking officials and a publishing house for the organizations revolutionary books and materials. During the August Revolution, Le participated in the uprising in Danang. For his lifelong efforts in upholding the revolutionary cause, Le Van Hiem has been assigned the role of Minister of Labor in the newly formed Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
13. Nguyen Van To - Minister of Social Relief Nguyen Van To was a Vietnamese literary scholar, working at the École française d'extrême-orient, and specializing in ancient Vietnamese literature. A prominent Vietnamese intellectual, Nguyen also served as the chairman of the Hoi Tri Tri, a leading organization in Vietnam s modernization movement. He sought to promote education in and the propagation of new ideas in the natural sciences, medicine, and other fields. His experience makes him well suited for his new position as Minister of Social Relief. 14. Cu Huy Can - Minister of Agriculture Cu Huy Can was born on May 31, 1919, in Ha Tinh province. Although, he obtained his bachelor s degree from Hanoi Agricultural College, his greatest passion was in poetry. He published his first collection of poetry, Lua thieng or Sacred Fire, in 1940. It s themes about sadness, human life, and his Vietnamese homeland, would be one of the most important works of the Vietnamese New Poetry Movement. Of course, he was also an important player in the Vietnamese revolutionary movement, joining the Viet Minh in 1942. He has been appointed Minister of Agriculture, thanks to his prior education in this field. 15. Dao Trong Kim - Minister of Communications and Public Works A respected civil and agricultural engineer, Dao Trong Kim has a daunting task as Minister of Communications and Public Works. Despite wholly inadequate amounts of materials and funding, the Ministry seeks to improve the new nation s socioeconomic development through the construction and maintenance of crucial infrastructure. 16. Vinh Thuy (Bao Dại) - Supreme Advisor The former Emperor of Vietnam, Vinh Thuy was nothing more than a puppet ruler. His abdication of the throne in 1945, however, has helped pave legitimacy for the newly established Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In an expression of gratitude, Vinh has been appointed to Supreme Advisor to the DRV. 17. Le Huu Tu - Supreme Advisor Born in 1896 in Quang Tri province, Le Huu Tu became a Catholic priest. In 1945, he was ordained as a Bishop by Pope Pius XII, becoming one of the most important figures in the Vietnamese Catholic hierarchy, and representing the over one and a half million Vietnamese Catholics. Of the Vietnamese Catholic leaders, Le has been one of the most political, adamantly supporting Vietnamese independence. Because of this, he has been appointed a Supreme Advisor to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
18. Nguyen Xien - Chairman of the Northern Region Administrative Committee Born into a family of scholars, Nguyen Xien became a scientist, obtaining a scholarship to study in France at the University of Toulouse. After returning to Vietnam, he became a teacher and eventually a meteorologist, becoming the head of the Meteorological Observatory of Indochina. At the same time, Nguyen sought to bring science and technology into Vietnam s national identity. This commitment impressed Ho Chi Minh, and as such, Nguyen has been appointed Chairman of the Northern Region Administrative Committee, running the government offices and carrying out the will of the new central government throughout Tonkin. 19. Dr. Pham Van Bach - Chairman of the Southern Region Administrative Committee Before becoming one of the intellectual leaders of the Viet Minh, Pham Van Bach was already a strong advocate of socialist ideology. In 1936, he obtained his doctorate in law from the University of Lyon in France, defending his thesis on the Soviet constitution and its treatment towards ethnicity and class. Upon his return to Vietnam, Pham took a job as a teacher, but also covertly participated in revolutionary activities, and gained a reputation as talented and well-intentioned intellectual. His leadership was recognized, and for that he has been appointed Chairman of the Southern Region Administrative Committee, coordinating Viet Minh activities and leading the Vietnamese resistance against the French in the South. 20. Tran Huu Duc - Chairman of the Central Region Administrative Committee Tran Huu Duc was born in January of 1910 in Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam. He became involved with Communist groups in the province, eventually becoming Secretary of the Communist Party of Quang Tri. A lifelong fighter for Vietnamese liberation, Tran was arrested three and imprisoned 3 times by the French. But following the August Revolution, he was made Chairman of the Central Region Administrative Committee. 21. Vu Hong Khanh - Vice Chairman of the Resistance Committee (Nationalist) Returning from his exile in Kunming, China, Vu Hong Khanh leads the Nationalist Party of Vietnam in alliance with the Communists against their common foe, the colonial French. Though outnumbered by the Communists in the new coalition government, Vu and the Nationalists have the support of the Nationalist Chinese Government, who currently occupy Northern Vietnam. His position as Vice Chairman of the Resistance committee puts him in charge of Vietnam s resistance against the French.
22. Nguyen Tuong Tam - Foreign Minister (Nationalist) A writer by trade, Nguyen founded a literary group and publishing house in 1932. In the 1940s, he organized the Great Viet Democratic Party, which would eventually merge with the Nationalist Party of Vietnam. In his current position, Nguyen leads the Nationalist contingent of the Viet Minh. And as Foreign Minister, he will be representing the new government as it seeks recognition and aid from the outside world. 23. Hoang Minh Chinh - General Secretary of the Democratic Party Born in Nam Dinh in 1920, Hoang Minh Chinh joined the Communist revolution in 1937. He was an impactful figure in the movement, and in 1940, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor by the French. But in 1943, while being moved by his captors, Hoang organized a jailbreak with his fellow prisoners. Hoang Minh Ching is the General Secretary of the Democratic Party, representing many of Vietnam s intellectual elite in their resistance against the French. 24. Bui Bang Doan - Head of the Special Inspectorate Bui Bang Doan has been a lifelong activist for the Vietnamese people. As Head of the Special Inspectorate, Bui is responsible for executing the will of the central government and ensuring the efficacy of local administrations throughout Vietnam. 25. Dr. Tran Van Giau - Vice-chairman of the Southern Region Administrative Committee Tran Van Giau has been involved in the political revolution since his days at the University of Toulouse when he joined the French Communist Party. His actions with the party would eventually result in his expulsion from the country. Tran ended up attending Far East University in Moscow, where he successfully obtained his doctorate. During WWII, Tran served as chairman of the Viet Minh s Southern Region s Administration. Although he has been replaced in this capacity by Pham Van Bach, Tran still holds an important role in his new position as vice-chairman, and along with Pham, will be integral in the Viet Minh s plan of attack in the French occupied south. 26. Nguyen Van Linh Political and Logistical Liaison of the Communist Party Born into an upper class Bourgeois family in Hanoi, Nyugen was nonetheless enraptured by the romantic and covert anti colonial communist movement sweeping his country in the 1930s. Joining the Communist Party of Vietnam after a brief imprisonment, he helped develop the party in urban areas. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, and released upon their capitulation in 1945, Nguyen faces the task of linking the military with the supporting political and logistical structures of a country diving into a war of independence.
27. Ton Duc Thang Presiding Member of the Administration Resistance Committee of Cochinchina Born to a wealthy family and educated in France, Thang was a staunch advocate of anti-colonialist communist struggle. A member of the French Navy in 1919, Thang hatched an unsuccessful mutiny plot that landed him in prison until 1945. His involvement with the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth Association granted him contacts that helped him become the presiding member of the Administration Resistance Committee of Cochinchina. Political organization and coordination of military and diplomatic agendas are essential for a successfully waged revolutionary struggle. 28. Le Duc Thọ - Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam In 1930 he helped found the Indochinese Communist Party, which landed him in prison from 1930 to 1936 and again from 1939 to 1944. After being freed, he returned to Hanoi, leading the Viet Minh against the French and was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. 29. Tran Tu Binh - Vice Rector and Political Commissioner of the Tran Quoc Tuan Military Academy A gifted strategist and leader, Trần Tử Bình first learned about Marxist-Leninist ideology around 1928. In the February of 1930 he became the Party Secretary of Phú Riềng and led a revolt of over 5000 workers against the French colonial exploitation that was taking place at the rubber plantation he was working on. This came to be known as the first big labor movement in Vietnam. After this incident, however, he was sentenced to 10 years in the Côn Đảo Prison where he met many other communist revolutionary leaders, improving his knowledge of nationalism. After Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, he remained in Hanoi where he commanded an uprising leading up to the August Revolution. 30. Le Duan - Secretary of the Regional Committee of South Vietnam A close confidant of Ho Chi Minh, and one of the most impassioned Marxists in the Viet Minh leadership, Le Duan first encountered communist ideology in the 1920s, while working as a clerk with the Vietnam Railway Company. He joined Ho Chi Minh s Revolutionary Youth League in 1928, and in 1930 became one of the founding members of the Indochinese Communist Party. His actions made him a prime target of the French, and in 1940 he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was freed, however, in 1945 during the August Revolution.
CONTACT US We would appreciate hearing your feedback about out conference. Please direct all inquiries and comments to our Secretary-General. Michael Treves Secretary-General vicssg@gmail.com You can also contact us at the mailing address below: IRO c/o The International Relations Organization at the University of Virginia PO Box 400435 Newcomb Hall Station Charlottesville, VA 22904-4435 Non-Affiliation Statement Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organizations contracts, acts, or omissions.