The main reason why the Ho Chi Minh Trail was important to the North Vietnamese and the NLF was because it provided for vital supply lines for the Viet Cong during the war.
During the Vietnam War, the Trail was a road that passed through Laos and Cambodia and was responsible for supplying the communist army without dealing with unnecessary clashes with the capitalist troops. In addition to being an excellent terrain for the Vietnamese combat tactics especially guerrilla war, it was also used for attacks in small groups of three to ten troops, ambushing uncrowded American vehicles and platoons, often lost in the jungle.
An independent or nonpartisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.
At the "National Convention", nobles were stripped of their titles and their lands were seized, since this was part of an effort by the masses to reduce class inequality in France.