Newhaven Ho Chi Minh monument to be designed by students

Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese nationalist movement for more than three decades

Students are to design a monument celebrating an East Sussex town's links with Vietnam's former Communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

The leader visited the port of Newhaven when he was employed as a chef on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry following World War I.

The town was given a statue of him in 2013 on what would have been his 123rd birthday.

A competition is being held to create a monument to stand near the harbour.

Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao visited the University of Sussex last week to launched the competition, open to its own students and those of West Dean College.

'Strong ties'

The winning design will be made in Vietnam and then displayed in the West Quay area.

"The monument is going to be on promontory opposite the ferry port, looking over the ferries pulling in," said Newhaven town mayor Judith Ost.

"The Vietnamese connection has led to an interesting set of new friendships for Newhaven, as we are now linked with a city on the other side of the world."

The monument will be sited opposite Newhaven's ferry port, looking over the ferries pulling in

Ho Chi Minh is known to have travelled widely after he began working on a French ship in 1911. He also lived in London and Paris.

The university said the monument would celebrate historical links between Newhaven and Ho Chi Minh City as well as encouraging Vietnamese students to study in Sussex.

"The university has increasingly strong ties with south-east Asia, welcoming hundreds of students and carrying out joint research with institutions from across the region every year," it said.