The Everlasting Value of the Declaration of Independence September 2, 1945

The Declaration of Independence is a masterpiece, a typical work, reflecting most fully and deeply the philosophical, political and humanistic views of President Ho Chi Minh.

The August Revolution succeeded, on September 2, 1945 at Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, declaring to all the people and the world the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam). Time will pass, but the spirit of the Declaration of Independence that gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam will always live forever in the hearts of generations of Vietnamese people, not only because of its historical and legal value but also because of its noble humanistic value of human rights, the right of the nation to live in independence and freedom as President Ho Chi Minh devoted his whole life to realizing.

Human rights are linked to national rights.

The Declaration of Independence is a masterpiece, a typical work, reflecting most fully and deeply the philosophical, political and humanistic views of President Ho Chi Minh . It contains the values of human civilization, the "undeniable truths" about human rights and national rights.

At the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh quoted the immortal words in the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of the French Revolution in 1791. From mentioning human rights as a natural necessity that no one can violate, the right to life, the right to freedom and the right to pursue happiness, President Ho Chi Minh, with his sharp intelligence, practical experience and the practice of the Vietnamese revolution, skillfully and creatively developed and put forward an irrefutable thesis on the rights of nations. "By extension, that sentence means: All nations in the world are born equal; every nation has the right to live, the right to be happy and the right to be free" (1).

He moved from the concept of human to the concept of nation in a general and convincing way, affirming that national rights and human rights have a dialectical relationship, influencing each other. National independence is a prerequisite to ensure the implementation of human rights and vice versa, implementing human rights well is to promote the noble values and true meaning of national independence.

In his research on the Declaration of Independence, Professor Shingo Sibata (Japan) said, “The famous contribution of Uncle Ho Chi Minh is that he developed human rights into national rights. Thus, all nations have the right to decide their own destiny” (2).

Therefore, it can be said that the 1945 Declaration of Independence is not only a declaration of independence of the Vietnamese people but also a declaration of human rights, the rights of colonial peoples in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. And the elevation of human rights to national rights by President Ho Chi Minh is a contribution of his theoretical principles to the treasure of human rights ideology of humanity.

“Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent country.”

The right to national independence, the right to life, the right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness are the most basic values of human rights. But under the colonial and feudal regimes in Vietnam, those rights were stripped and trampled. In the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh strongly condemned the crimes of the French colonialists as “completely contrary to humanity and justice”. “Politically, they absolutely did not give our people any freedom or democracy... They built more prisons than schools. They brutally killed patriots and people who loved their country. They bathed the people's uprisings in pools of blood... Economically, they exploited workers and farmers to the bone... They robbed them of their land, forests, mines, and raw materials... They imposed hundreds of unreasonable taxes, making our people, especially farmers and traders, destitute...” (3).

Under the glorious flag of the Communist Party, the Vietnamese people rose up to drive out colonialists, feudalists and imperialists, regaining independence, freedom and human rights. Thus, human rights in Vietnam are not values bestowed by anyone but are the result of the long struggle of the Vietnamese people. That struggle made “the French flee, the Japanese surrender, and King Bao Dai abdicate. Our people broke the colonial chains of nearly 100 years to build an independent Vietnam. Our people also overthrew the monarchy of several decades to establish the Democratic Republic” (4).

Therefore, 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" (5); at the same time, he emphasized that "the allied countries have recognized the principles of national equality at the Teheran and San Francisco Conferences, and absolutely cannot but recognize the independence of the Vietnamese people" (6).

At the end of the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh solemnly declared to the world: “Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence” (7).

With a system of tight, sharp arguments, strong and convincing words encapsulated in more than 1,000 words, the Declaration of Independence is a solid legal basis strongly affirming the national sovereignty of the Vietnamese people before the whole world, laying the foundation for the establishment of a rule of law state in Vietnam with the goal of Independence - Freedom - Happiness; illuminating the path of the Vietnamese revolution towards new heights in the cause of building a socialist rule of law state of the people, by the people and for the people, for the goal of a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness and civilization.

September 2, 1945 is a great festival of our nation, the National Day of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the day Hanoi became the capital of the whole country; a day of "extremely important significance in the political and spiritual life of the nation" (8).

Timeless

78 years have passed, but President Ho Chi Minh's views and thoughts expressed in the Declaration of Independence on human rights, national rights and the dialectical unity between human rights and national rights, on the aspiration and spirit of steadfast struggle to maintain independence and freedom, are still relevant and have a particularly profound significance in the current cause of national construction and protection.

In particular, the values of human rights initiated by President Ho Chi Minh in the Declaration of Independence are immortal values. Since then, the Vietnamese people have constantly strived for human rights and achieved many positive and important results. Human rights and citizens' rights in terms of politics, civil, economic, cultural and social are recognized, respected, protected and guaranteed according to the Constitution and laws. With achievements in ensuring human rights (both in domestic and foreign affairs), Vietnam was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (term 2014-2016 and term 2023-2025).

Since the day the Declaration of Independence was born, the country's position has changed a lot. The historical oath "The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence" has always illuminated the hearts and minds of patriotic Vietnamese people in all regions of the country and those residing abroad. The thoughts of President Ho Chi Minh in the Declaration of Independence have become a great spiritual strength of the entire nation, helping the entire Party, the entire army and the entire people overcome all difficulties, gain great achievements in the struggle for national unification, socio-economic development and international integration...

78 years have passed, the Declaration of Independence still has strong vitality and eternal value, is a torch lighting the way for the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland today.

According to VNA

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(1), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7): excerpts from the Declaration of Independence,

Ho Chi Minh Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, same reference, volume 4, pp. 1,2,3.

(2): Ho Chi Minh in the hearts of the world's people, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1979, p. 96.

(8): excerpt from Vo Nguyen Giap: Unforgettable Years, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1970, page 29.

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