The atmosphere is boiling in the heart of the South

The South, the land of the “national citadel”, has been filled with a strong revolutionary spirit since very early on. As early as the 1930s, before the national movement broke out, the seeds of revolutionary culture had quietly sprouted in the heart of the Saigon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh urban area. Through musical activities, historical seminars, speeches, strikes, etc., generations of intellectual youth at schools such as Petrus Ky, Gia Long, Chasseloup-Laubat approached progressive ideas, nurtured patriotic ideals and ignited the flames of resistance. Students such as Luu Huu Phuoc, Huynh Van Tieng, and Mai Van Bo initiated that spiritual revolution with “The Call of Youth”, a song that resounded in Saigon and then spread throughout Indochina, becoming the anthem of the Indochina Student Association.

Among those seething movements, it is impossible not to mention Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, a woman with the fiery heart of a soldier and the intelligence of an excellent political leader. Born in Nghe An, it was Saigon that she chose to "burn" herself out for her ideals. In 1939, at the height of the French colonialists' repression, she was the Secretary of the Saigon-Cho Lon City Party Committee, passing through poor alleys, entering each factory and each classroom to rebuild the Party base, stirring up the struggle movement of workers, students and intellectuals. Arrested during the Southern Uprising, she remained steadfast, without a single confession, without a single surrender. During her days in detention at Catinat prison, once considered the "grinding furnace" of the French colonialists, she carved on the wall a poem that still moves many generations:

On the night of November 22 and early morning of November 23, 1940, the South was shaken. 20 out of 21 provinces of this land rose up simultaneously, with typical localities such as My Tho, Gia Dinh, Tra Vinh , Long Xuyen... all maintaining a widespread revolutionary movement among the masses. In My Tho alone, the people took control of 54/56 communes, demonstrating a fierce uprising spirit and a spirit of dedication without fear of sacrifice. Although the uprising was suppressed, the movement still left a deep mark with the blood and loyalty of thousands of outstanding people who were executed or imprisoned, including steadfast leaders such as Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Phan Dang Luu, Ha Huy Tap... who transformed themselves into revolutionary ideals, fueling the next generations.

Saigon people responded to the Call for General Uprising of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Archive

Along with guns and red flags, the strikes of Saigon-Cho Lon workers, the student movement demanding freedom for patriotic soldiers, the voice of revolutionary press began to break out. It is worth mentioning that, in the transitional and unstable context between the two forces of France and Japan competing for influence, it was the spirit of solidarity between farmers-workers-intellectuals in the South that woven a widespread, flexible and proactive revolutionary front.

In mid-August 1945, when Japan announced its unconditional surrender to the Allies, the colonial order throughout Indochina was torn apart. At that historic moment, the sudden rains of late summer were not enough to quench the revolutionary fire burning in the hearts of the people of the South. The power vacuum left by the Japanese army became a precious opportunity for the revolutionary forces, under the leadership of the Southern Regional Party Committee, to mobilize the entire population to rise up and seize power quickly, decisively and without bloodshed.

The heat quickly spread like wildfire throughout the entire Southern region. In My Tho, under the direction of the Southern Regional Party Committee and the My Tho Provincial Party Committee, the people rose up on August 18 and successfully seized power on the same day. Then, power was successively transferred to the people in Go Cong on August 22, Can Tho on August 26, and then spread to Long Xuyen, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Vinh Long and many other provinces. Within just half a month, from urban to rural areas, from guerrillas in the cajuput forest to literacy classes in the dark, from workers to intellectuals, the revolutionary spirit was present everywhere. The bases formed from the hearts of the people, the silent, persistent but heroic activities created a truly silent and resilient "revolution" in the South, contributing significantly to the victory of the August Revolution nationwide.

On the night of August 24 and early morning of August 25, tens of thousands of people from Saigon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh and neighboring provinces such as Thu Dau Mot, Bien Hoa, My Tho... flocked to the city center. In the seething atmosphere of the revolution, the mass forces coordinated with revolutionary organizations to simultaneously occupy the headquarters: the Governor's Palace of Cochinchina, the City Hall, the Radio Station, the Treasury, Chi Hoa Prison, the Ban Co outposts, Ong Lanh Bridge...

At the Saigon Opera House, once a symbol of colonial urban culture, the Provisional Administrative Committee of Southern Vietnam was launched amid the joy and excitement of the crowd. The red flag with yellow star covered the streets and fluttered on the roof of the Imperial Envoy's Palace (now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum), signaling the complete victory of the General Uprising at the center of the Southern region.

The echoes of August remain...

In his memoirs, Secretary of the Southern Regional Party Committee Tran Van Giau outlined three core principles that contributed to the success of the General Uprising in the South. First, the revolution in the South must be closely linked to the national movement, and cannot be separated from the resistance in the North and Central regions, so the top priority is to establish contact with the Central Committee to unify command. Second, the Saigon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh area must be the key target, because only by controlling the enemy's nerve center can the revolution achieve total victory. And third, the General Uprising cannot be the isolated action of a small group, but must be a widespread uprising with the participation of the masses.

The quick victory and few losses of the August General Uprising in the South stemmed from the people's strong patriotism, steadfast fighting tradition, proactive and flexible preparation of revolutionary forces, and the participation of many classes, creating a combined strength at the decisive moment.

The August Revolution in the South left valuable lessons about self-reliance, national unity and creative organizational ability. Right in Saigon - the political and economic center of the South, mass movements knew how to take advantage of every opportunity, uniting workers, farmers, intellectuals and students into a solid bloc. That lesson reminds us to know how to promote internal strength, connect the community, preserve national ideals so that in any circumstance, we still have the courage to rise up.

That spirit is still being inherited and renewed by the younger generation today through many creative approaches. In Ho Chi Minh City, FPT University students have launched the “Sao Dau Hat” campaign to connect modern students with the flow of national history. With the cooperation of the Saigon-Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum, the Veterans Association and the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, the group has restored more than 200 historical documentary photos using digital technology, vividly recreating heroic moments of struggle, especially in the urban battlefields of the South during the period 1945-1975.

Representative of the project management of “Sao Dau Hat”, To Viet Phuoc Khoi shared: “For us, August 19 is a special historical milestone, a symbol of the spirit of dedication, initiative and daring to change the destiny of the nation. Especially in the South, a place that seems far from the command center, but deeply demonstrates the strength of the people, all rose up without appointment. It was a revolution nurtured by spirit and intelligence. When restoring history, we want to convey that same spirit so that history does not stand still in museums, but lives vividly in the hearts of young people”.

80 years have passed, the roads that once resounded with the sound of uprising have now turned into modern highways, metro lines through the city, dynamic industrial parks and smart cities. Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the Southern region in general have persistently promoted the spirit of "solidarity, innovation, pioneering and loyalty", along with the characteristic qualities of "dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility" in the journey of building the homeland. The spiritual heritage of the August Revolution continues to be revived and preserved as a sustainable driving force for the country's development today.

KIEU OANH

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/80-nam-cach-mang-thang-tam-va-quoc-khanh-2-9/khuc-trang-ca-thang-tam-phia-troi-nam-843146