Remarkable encounter between President Ho Chi Minh, Israel’s first PM

Vietnam is commemorating the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh. (Photo: VNA)

Tel Aviv (VNA) – As Vietnam is commemorating the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh, a little-known but remarkable historical chapter emerges from the shadows of time – a chance meeting in Paris between the Vietnamese revolutionary leader and David Ben-Gurion, the founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel.

While researching the life of Ben-Gurion, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s correspondent in Israel unexpectedly found a special connection between the two leaders in 1946 when both were in Paris, seeking international support for their nations’ struggle for independence. President Ho Chi Minh and Israeli PM Ben-Gurion, drawn together by their countries’ shared history and indomitable spirit in the fight for freedom, engaged in conversations for around two weeks.

At that time, Ben-Gurion, as leader of a Jewish agency, was considering his organisation's next steps following the "Black Saturday" event - the arrest of 3,000 Jews and the sealing of Jewish agency buildings. Paris, in those early post-war years, was the centre of the Zionist movement's activities in Europe. There, Ben-Gurion helped coordinate the migration of Jewish Holocaust survivors, whom he hoped would contribute to establishing a new Jewish state.

Meanwhile, President Ho Chi Minh came to Paris for attendance at the Fontainebleau negotiations regarding Vietnam's independence.

According to Ben-Gurion's later account to renowned Israeli reporter Shmuel Segev of Maariv, who later wrote a book about Vietnam, during those two weeks, the two visionaries met daily to exchange views on their nations' paths to independence. He said President Ho Chi Minh gave the impression of being a likable person and a nationalist leader fighting for his people's national independence.

Although the encounter did not lead to specific cooperation between the two countries at that time, it demonstrated President Ho Chi Minh’s international vision and solidarity with national liberation movements across the globe.

For many Israeli people, even those who have never visited Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh has been a towering historical figure with international influence. They have seen him as a resilient, intelligent leader with a far-reaching vision, who not only fought for national independence but also inspired liberation movements across the world, including those in Israel.

Vietnam and Israel officially established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1993, with the opening of the Israeli Embassy in Hanoi later that year. First Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Dinh Xuan Luu presented his credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres on July 8, 2009.

Ben-Gurion's memories of the Paris meeting with the tall and thin Vietnamese man with bright eyes and a high forehead highlighted the convergence of two revolutionary movements in the same place and provide a unique perspective on one of the most important periods of the 20th century.

Building on this historical connection, in 2020, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute signed a cooperation agreement to study and organise exhibitions about the lives and careers of both leaders, helping to enhance mutual understanding between the Vietnamese and Israeli people./.

VNA