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Article: Pham Van Dong.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 6, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Pham Van Dong, Vietnam's chief in war and peace, died on April 29th, aged 94
OF THE Vietnamese who became world celebrities, the best known were no doubt Ho Chi Minh, Uncle Ho to his admirers, and Vo Nguyen Giap, still alert at 88 and happy to reminisce about how he beat the French at Dien Bien Phu, the fortress they believed was impregnable. Quite likely, Pham Van Dong was envious of both men. Both had retained their colourful reputations. Ho had died in 1969, at a time when the war was moving Vietnam's way. Giap was an unbeaten general, a name for the military history books.
Mr Dong, prime minister from 1955 to 1986, saw his own reputation decline ...