Nguyen Ai Quoc’s heating brick during his time in France
From mid-July 1921 to March 1923, Nguyen Ai Quoc (later President Ho Chi Minh) lived and worked at No. 9 Compoint Alley, 17th arrondissement, Paris.
During this period, Nguyen Ai Quoc endured significant hardship in his small, modest room. He took on temporary work at a photo shop, where income was unstable. In the freezing winter, he would warm a brick in a communal oven, then place it under his bed at night to fend off the cold.
Despite the difficult conditions at Compoint Alley, Nguyen Ai Quoc remained deeply involved in the French Communist and labor movements. During this period, he co-founded the Colonial Union and helped launch Le Paria (The Pariah), the organization’s newspaper. Additionally, he contributed numerous articles, short stories, and plays to publications such as L’Humanité, Le Paria, and Revue Communiste, spreading the message of colonial liberation and social justice.