Place Ho Chi Minh in Persan. Photo: VNA   

Persan, a city in the Val-d’Oise department of the Île-de-France region around 40 km north of Paris, has quietly preserved a unique tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh – the founder of modern Vietnam – through a small square bearing his name.

Home to more than 14,000 residents, Persan lies along the Oise River and on a transport route linking Paris with northern France. Beyond its industrial identity, the city also carries a strong historical association with workers’ movements and left-wing politics. For decades after the Second World War, Persan formed part of the so-called “red belt” surrounding Paris – areas known for their concentration of workers, trade unions and socialist and communist political influence. Historians believe this historical context contributed to the decision to include Ho Chi Minh’s name in the town’s urban landscape.

Although there is little publicly available documentation confirming exactly when Place Ho Chi Minh was established, French urban historians suggest that most streets and public spaces named after the Vietnamese leader in France emerged between the 1960s and 1980s, during the height of anti-war movements and solidarity campaigns supporting Vietnam across working-class towns and left-leaning suburbs around Paris.

According to historians, the 1954 victory of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in the Southeast Asian nation, opposition to the Vietnam War and the growing influence of left-wing organisations in France created a distinctive political and social climate during that period. In that context, many municipalities chose to name streets, squares and public buildings after international figures regarded as symbols of peace, independence and resistance. Place Ho Chi Minh emerged from that broader historical movement.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency's correspondents in France, Tran Thu Dung, author of a book on French-Vietnamese imprints through street names, noted that the European country has a long tradition of naming streets in ways that preserve memory and convey historical messages. According to her, street names and plaques together form a “cultural picture” reflecting the values society wishes to honour.

Her research shows that Ho Chi Minh is among the very few Vietnamese figures commemorated through place names in France. His name currently appears on eight streets and squares, including five in mainland France and three in overseas territories.

The continued presence of his name in French public spaces decades later reflects not only Vietnam’s distinctive historical imprint on the 20th century, but also the respect held by some French citizens for the ideals of national independence and peace that he symbolised. That quiet yet enduring presence has also become part of the local identity in cities where streets or squares bear his name.

For Martine Panitier, a 68-year-old resident who has lived in Persan for many years, Place Ho Chi Minh is more than a familiar local landmark. She sees it as a symbol of remembrance and respect for a figure who left a mark on history. Although she does not claim deep knowledge of the late president or Vietnamese history, she believes the decision to name a public place after him in France must have stemmed from admiration for the values he represented.

Today, Place Ho Chi Minh is far from a ceremonial or overtly political square. It is simply an ordinary part of daily life in Persan, where children walk to school each morning, residents take leisurely evening strolls and commuter trains continue to connect the suburbs with Paris. Yet for many Vietnamese living in France, the quiet presence of such name in the heart of France still carries profound meaning.

With more than half a century passing, in a peaceful corner of Persan, the name Ho Chi Minh endures as a quiet reminder of history, solidarity between peoples and the universal aspiration for peace./.