August Revolution and the glorious eras of Vietnam

80 years ago, on August 19, 1945, the entire Vietnamese people rose up to successfully carry out the General Uprising, seize power, and end the history of French colonialism and feudalism.

The destination of the rising era is a rich people, a strong country, a socialist society, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents.

On September 2, 1945, leader Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, officially announcing to the people and the international community the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, opening an era of independence and freedom for the nation, the beginning of glorious eras for Vietnam.

In the middle of Ba Dinh Square, filled with the golden sunshine of that historic autumn, President Ho Chi Minh depicted the glorious new era of the nation: “Our people have broken the colonial chains of nearly 100 years to create an independent Vietnam. Our people have also overthrown the monarchy of several decades to establish the Democratic Republic” (1).

From a colony without a name on the world map, a backward feudal regime in the East, Vietnam declared to the world its position as an independent and sovereign nation, a regime of the working people. Looking back at the Vietnamese revolutionary process, the Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism affirmed: “The victory of the August Revolution in 1945, smashed the colonial and feudal domination, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and brought our nation into the era of independence and freedom” (2).

To maintain independence and freedom in the new era, the Vietnamese army and people had to wage long-term resistance wars, fight arduously, make great sacrifices and achieve glorious victories against the colonial, imperialist and international reactionary forces; at the same time, they had to strive to build socialism in the North. By the spring of 1975, the Ho Chi Minh campaign was completely victorious, completely liberating the South, unifying the country, and moving the whole country towards socialism. The strategic goals and tasks of the era of independence and freedom had been completely accomplished. Vietnam's victory not only had great significance for the nation and people, but also had a noble epochal significance, the era of peace , national independence, democracy and socialism.

As history has proven, since the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, the decolonization process has taken place all over the world, completely disintegrating the colonial system by the end of the 20th century. More than a hundred independent countries were born, deciding their own development path, many of which oriented towards socialism. The world political map has been redrawn with a series of turning point trends.

Following the era of independence and freedom, the renovation process has created an era of innovation and development for the Vietnamese nation and people. Nearly 40 years of renovation from 1986 to present, the country has achieved many great and historic achievements: Overcoming the great challenges of the late 20th century; overcoming the serious socio-economic crisis; getting out of the state of underdevelopment; and deeply integrating internationally.

Vietnam has made remarkable progress: GDP increased over 97 times, becoming one of the 40 economies with the world's leading GDP scale, one of the 20 largest foreign trade markets in the world, the leading country in terms of Human Development Index (HDI), innovation... in the group of countries with the same level of economic development; a friend, a reliable partner and an active, proactive member in the international community, having strategic and comprehensive partnerships with 37 countries; becoming an indispensable example in many areas of development in the world today. Never before has the country had the foundation, position, strength and international prestige as it does today(3).

The world today both admires heroic Vietnam in the war against colonialism and imperialism, for national liberation, and for building a new social regime; and respects Vietnam's successful renovation, which has brought the country and its people many remarkable achievements, becoming a vivid example for developing countries to reach new heights. The success of Vietnam's renovation is a valuable contribution in both theory and practice to the process of recovery and development of the international communist movement and the cause of building socialism in the world.

The achievements of the era of independence and freedom and the great achievements of historical significance of the era of innovation and development create a solid foundation for Vietnam to enter a new era, an era of national development. “The destination of the era of development is a rich people, a strong country, a socialist society, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents. The top priority in the new era is to successfully implement the strategic goals by 2030, Vietnam will become a developing country with modern industry and high average income; by 2045 it will become a developed socialist country with high income; strongly arouse national spirit, spirit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, national pride, and aspirations for national development; closely combine national strength with the strength of the times” (4).

In the thousands of years of history of the nation, most recently the revolutionary history under the leadership of the Party since 1930, the entire Party and the entire people are extremely proud of the glorious victories, including many miracles of rising up, turning the seemingly impossible into reality, opening up glorious eras for Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh era.

The August Revolution of 1945 opened the era of independence and freedom; recorded Vietnam's victory over colonialism in the world political dictionary; established the path of national independence and socialism as a trend of the contemporary world; contributed to the revolutionary currents of the 20th century. The era of innovation and development depicts Vietnam as steadfast and creative in every step, even in the face of severe challenges; opened a bright future for an industrialized, modernized nation, a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization.

There are many advantages and opportunities ahead, as well as difficulties and challenges intertwined, but a new era has opened, the era of the Vietnamese people rising to the heights of a developed nation, firmly stepping on the path of national independence and socialism. The glorious past and the promising steps ahead all have their origins in the Spring of the Party's founding in 1930; bearing the bold image of the August Autumn of 1945, of the Dien Bien Phu that resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world in 1954, of the Great Victory of Spring 1975... and multiplied into the foundation and position of Vietnam over nearly 40 years of renovation.

Today, 80 years looking back at the August Revolution and National Day September 2, 1945, we can see more clearly the glorious process of Vietnam from the status of a backward colony to national independence, freedom for the people, and happiness for the people; from difficulties and challenges, we have innovated promptly, continuously reached new levels of development and are full of aspirations to strive for wealth and civilization in the new era.

(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House - Truth, 2011, volume 4, p.3.

(2)https://tulieuvankien.dangcongsan.vn/ban-chap-hanh-trung-uong-dang/dai-hoi-dang/lan-thu-xi/cuong-linh-xay-dung-dat-nuoc-trong-thoi-ky-qua-do-len-chu-nghia-xa-hoi-bo-sung-phat-trien-nam-2011-1528.

(3) Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates. National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2021, vol. 1, p. 104.

(4)https://www.tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/media-story/-/asset_publisher/V8hhp4dK31Gf/content/ky-nguyen-moi-ky-nguyen-vuon-minh-cua-dan-toc-ky-nguyen-phat-trien-giau-manh-duoi-su-lanh-dao-cam-quyen-cua-dang-cong-san-xay-dung-thanh-cong-nuoc-viet

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