Declaration of the spirit and will of independence and freedom

78 years after President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2023), especially after 37 years of national renovation and international integration, every Vietnamese citizen feels more deeply the journey of fighting for independence and freedom; more deeply the value of independence and freedom that every Vietnamese citizen enjoys.

President Ho Chi Minh read the "Declaration of Independence" on September 2, 1945. (Photo: Document)

The Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Immediately after the success of the August Revolution, on September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the provisional government , read the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence not only gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, bringing the Vietnamese people into a new era - the era of independence, freedom and socialism, but also had profound contemporary significance. Because the aspiration, spirit and will to fight for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people; for a Vietnam free from foreign domination under the leadership of the Party has become a vivid reality.

The Declaration of Independence - the "birth" of the first people's democratic state in Southeast Asia - brought the name of Vietnam back to the world political map, drafted by President Ho Chi Minh at the house of the nationalist capitalist Trinh Van Bo (48 Hang Ngang, Hanoi) on the night of August 28, 1945. This historic document was not only discussed and consulted with comrades in the Central Party Standing Committee, members of the Provisional Government, and the masses, but also consulted with A. Patti - representative of the Allies.[1] As a modern legal document, with special value, the Declaration of Independence was written by President Ho Chi Minh in a short and concise manner, including:

Firstly , in the first part of the Declaration of Independence[2], President Ho Chi Minh cited to discuss the moral and legal basis of human rights and national rights of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (United States) and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1791 (France) and affirmed that they are important contributions to the development of human thought on human rights and national rights. Specifically, he cited: " All men are born equal. Their Creator has endowed them with certain inviolable rights, among which are the right to life, the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness " and " Men are born free and equal in rights, and must always remain free and equal in rights", thereby affirming : "By extension, that sentence means: all peoples in the world are born equal, every people has the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to freedom ". From these " indisputable rights ", according to President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese nation all have legitimate rights that no one can take away or violate; at the same time, he also affirmed that because of those inviolable rights, the Vietnamese people have been resilient, united, and persistent in fighting to regain them from the enemy.

Second , in the next part of the Declaration, President Ho Chi Minh not only strongly denounced the crimes of the French colonialists and the French colonialists' surrender to the Japanese fascists: " For more than 80 years, the French colonialists have taken advantage of the flag of freedom, equality, and fraternity to invade our country and oppress our people. Their actions are completely contrary to humanity and justice... In the fall of 1940, when the Japanese fascists invaded Indochina to open more bases to fight the Allies, the French colonialists knelt down and surrendered, opening our country to welcome the Japanese. From then on, our people suffered two layers of shackles: France and Japan " and emphasized that " not only could they not "protect" us, on the contrary, in 5 years, they "sold" our country twice to Japan ", but also affirmed that, for independence and freedom, when " our country became a colony of Japan, not a colony of France anymore. When Japan surrendered to the Allies, the people of our whole country rose up to seize power and establish Vietnam. Democratic Republic of Vietnam ”. Therefore, “ the truth is that our people took back Vietnam from the Japanese, not from the French ”.

Third , also in the Declaration, before the public, President Ho Chi Minh not only affirmed the role of Viet Minh in the struggle against the Japanese army, implementing humanitarian policies and "protecting" the French after being ousted by Japan, but also emphasized that the Vietnamese people fought steadfastly, bravely stood on the side of the Allies against fascism and regained independence and freedom from the hands of Japanese fascists. That is, " The French fled, the Japanese surrendered, King Bao Dai abdicated. Our people broke the colonial chains of nearly 100 years to build an independent Vietnam. Our people also overthrew the monarchy of several decades and established a democratic republic ." Therefore, in this Declaration, President Ho Chi Minh declared " to completely break off relations with France, abolish all treaties that France had signed on Vietnam, abolish all privileges of France in Vietnam "; At the same time, he emphasized, " The allied countries have recognized the principles of national equality at the Tehran and San Francisco Conferences, and absolutely cannot but recognize the independence of the Vietnamese people ."

Modern world history certainly cannot lack an important political event, that is, as President Ho Chi Minh said, " a nation that has courageously fought against French slavery for more than 80 years, a nation that has courageously stood with the Allies against fascism for several years, that nation must be free! That nation must be independent!" At the same time, history also recorded, " the people of our entire country rose up to seize power, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam " then inevitably " had the right to enjoy freedom and independence and in fact became a free and independent country ".

Fourth , the last part of the Declaration is the declaration of President Ho Chi Minh and all the Vietnamese people to the Japanese fascists, the French colonialists (who were plotting to re-invade Vietnam), the Allies and to the world that: " The entire Vietnamese people, from top to bottom, are determined to fight against the plot of the French colonialists " and " The entire Vietnamese people are determined to use all their spirit and strength, lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence" . The oath for the independence and freedom of the entire nation in that Declaration is not only a proof, but also a milestone opening a new era - the historical Ho Chi Minh era and the journey of steadfastly pursuing the goal of national independence associated with socialism in the heroic history of the nation. This is also the most concise summary of the journey of struggle for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people; At the same time, turn the Vietnamese "subjects" and the Annamese "slaves" into masters of an independent Vietnam.

The enduring value of the Declaration of Independence is undeniable.

The Declaration of Independence is the crystallization of the aspirations, thoughts, and results of the journey to find a way to save the country from Nguyen Ai Quoc to President Ho Chi Minh; it is the unity between the thoughts and tireless efforts, the accurate and timely decisions of the President in the revolutionary struggle and the practice of leading and directing the Vietnamese revolutionary cause; it demonstrates the sharp and unique scientific thinking of Ho Chi Minh - the national liberation hero, an outstanding cultural figure honored by UNESCO.

The Declaration of Independence not only played an extremely important historical role and significance in legitimizing the achievements of the August Revolution in 1945 in taking power throughout the country, but also promptly declared to the public that the Provisional Government headed by Him was a legitimate government (with the position of the country's masters qualified to welcome the Allied troops to Vietnam) not long after. If it had been delayed for just a few days, this opportunity would never have come again. The Declaration also not only clearly affirmed the role and strength of the great national unity bloc in the struggle for independence and freedom, but also crystallized the blood, bones, and tears of generations of patriotic Vietnamese people, and at the same time proved that: With the correct and creative guidelines and policies of the Party headed by President Ho Chi Minh; with the strength of the great national unity bloc, knowing how to create position and strength; Knowing how to seize the right opportunity, take advantage of and promote national strength and the strength of the times, the Vietnamese people rose up to overthrow the yoke of domination, abolish the entire colonial and feudal regimes, and the name of Vietnam merged into the general flow of the "world political map".

Therefore, the Declaration not only contributes to glorifying the history of building and defending the country of our people, but also proves that the national liberation revolution of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Party "has proven that there can be no coexistence and harmony between the colonial people and the colonialists. To regain human dignity and regain the national identity that has been degraded, all colonial and semi-colonial peoples must use revolutionary violence to smash the yoke of colonialism" [3]. At the same time, it also shows that human history records the first appearance of a declaration on the birth of a new type of state led by the Communist Party - the vanguard of the working class and the nation. Therefore, in essence, President Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence is not only different but also opposed in principle to the declarations of the bourgeois state in the historical process.

In particular, with the additions and developments of the idea of human rights into the rights of a nation/of all nations that need/must/live in independence, freedom, and happiness, it can be seen that the Declaration of Independence is an assimilation and transcendence of the idea. Ho Chi Minh on human rights, the rights of nations. His thoughts carry the breath of the times, reflecting the inevitable trend of the times - the era of peace, friendship, cooperation, mutual development and respect for international law; in which all people, all nations have "the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to freedom" and if deprived/violated, they must fight to regain it. Therefore, it can be said that the Declaration of Independence is not only a declaration to the world about the birth of a "new" Vietnam - independent and free, but also a declaration of human rights, the rights of colonial peoples in the struggle for complete liberation from the yoke of colonialism and imperialism.

From the historic Ba Dinh 78 years ago, President Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence not only echoed throughout the country forever, but also became a source of internal strength to support the entire Party, army and people of Vietnam to steadfastly fight and win victories in the resistance wars against French colonialism, against the US, to save the country as well as the wars to protect the Southwestern and Northern borders of the Fatherland and to build socialism in the following decades. On the journey towards a bright future, steadfast in the goal of national independence and socialism, steadfast in the path to socialism, we can see the source of strength of the spirit and will for independence and freedom that has been passed down throughout thousands of years of history of building and defending the country of the nation; The achievements and historical lessons learned in the liberation revolution for "national independence, the establishment of a people's regime to end the exploitation and degradation fostered by the colonial regime"[4] affirmed in the Declaration of Independence will also continue to encourage the Vietnamese people to overcome all difficulties and challenges to build, protect and develop the country to become increasingly prosperous and everlasting.

Welcoming all opportunities and advantages, facing and resolving all challenges, a Vietnam reborn after many losses and sacrifices during long years of war will cherish even more the value of independence and freedom; the Vietnamese people will be more determined and make more efforts to build and protect a peaceful, independent, free, unified and territorially integrity Vietnam. Therefore, the world may change, but the echoes and spirit of the Declaration of Independence will forever resonate; the historical significance and practical value of this unique legal document will also remain eternal./.

[1] Ho Chi Minh chronicle biography, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2016, vol. 2, p. 239

[2] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2011, vol. 4, pp. 1-3

[3] The world praises and mourns President Ho, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1971, vol. III, p. 200

[4] The world praises and mourns President Ho, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1971, vol. III, p. 283

According to the Communist Party of Vietnam

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