Glorious victory, indomitable spirit.

The August Revolution of 1945 is a golden chapter in the history of the struggle for national liberation and defense. It was an unprecedented revolutionary turning point in the development of the Vietnamese nation, creating an earth-shattering event that officially ended more than 80 years of French colonial rule, ushering in a new era - the era of independence and freedom for the Vietnamese people.

Oil painting depicting the uprising to seize power in Hoang Hoa district ( Thanh Hoa province ), July 24, 1945. (Source: Thanh Hoa Provincial Museum archives)

From this point on, the Vietnamese people truly became masters of their country, masters of their nation's destiny. With the significance of that great victory, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “Not only can the working class and the Vietnamese people be proud, but the working class and oppressed nations can also be proud that: This is the first time in the revolutionary history of colonial and semi-colonial nations that a Party only 15 years old has successfully led a revolution and seized power throughout the country.”

Few countries have two autumns like Vietnam: the autumn of nature and the autumn of revolution. One autumn, a vibrant green that stirs the hearts of the people, and the autumn of the August Revolution, a glorious historical milestone, a resounding symphony. 79 years have passed, yet we still feel as if we are reliving those exhilarating days. General Secretary Truong Chinh – who chaired the Central Party Standing Committee meeting on March 12, 1945 – promptly issued the directive: “The Japanese and French are fighting each other, and this is our course of action,” guiding the strategic direction that created the decisive premise for the August Revolution when the opportunity arose. He was also a poet under the pen name Song Hong, writing verses full of inspiring and heroic verses before the glorious victory: “The August Revolution, in just 20 days, changed everything / No more enslavement / Our entire people have had their lives transformed / The country is now independent and free / Look! A bright and radiant future awaits.” The poet To Huu, a leading figure of revolutionary poetry and the leader of the seizure of power in Hue, could not contain his intoxicating emotions, a feeling of "unending joy," as the title of a poem he wrote during those tumultuous days suggests: "Who dares forbid me from being intoxicated, intoxicated with divine joy?/ My chest, flat for four thousand years, is inflated by a strong wind this afternoon. My heart suddenly becomes a sun." Time will pass, but the memories of the glorious victory of the August Revolution will never forget those momentous historical times. We still hear the resounding melody, the rhythm of the music like a trumpet call, both solemn and resounding, stirring the revolutionary spirit that awakened everyone to rise up in the song "August 19th" by composer Xuan Oanh: "August 19th, the light of freedom is brought/ Flags fly everywhere, countless golden stars/ Blood stains the flag flying throughout the land."

Revolutionary inspiration transformed into poetic and musical emotions, resonating with countless hearts beating in unison with pride in the rich history of the past, and with joy, faith, and optimism for the future. All these elements blended together to create a symphony of diverse tones, encompassing the hearts of the people. The August Revolution was the culmination of the revolutionary movement, culminating in two previous movements: the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement (1930-1931) and the democratic revolutionary movement (1936-1939). It encompassed a historical journey filled with hardship and sacrifice; and when the time came, President Ho Chi Minh called out: “The decisive moment for the nation’s destiny has arrived. All our compatriots, rise up and use your strength to liberate yourselves.” And miraculously, in just over half a month, our Party, only 15 years old, with its small force of about 5,000 members, successfully organized the revolution throughout the country.

What strength, what secret, has led to such profound and rapid transformations and glorious victories? First and foremost, it is the fervent patriotic tradition, the consciousness of independence and self-reliance of the nation, which has converged and crystallized into immense strength. This immortal spirit was affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh: "Our people have a fervent love for their country. That is a precious tradition of ours. From ancient times to the present, whenever the Fatherland has been invaded, that spirit has surged, forming an incredibly powerful and immense wave, sweeping away all dangers and difficulties, and submerging all traitors and invaders."

The glorious victory of the August Revolution was due to the brilliant leadership of the Party, under the skillful and extremely wise leadership of beloved Uncle Ho, who seized the opportune moment to lead the entire Vietnamese nation in a general uprising to overthrow the feudal imperialists and establish the first worker-peasant state in Southeast Asia. With a spirit of independence and self-reliance, relying on proactive and creative strength to break the shackles of slavery, the Vietnamese nation rose to a new position with profound political, social, and humanitarian significance. This revolution left behind many invaluable values ​​and lessons for the cause of building and defending the Vietnamese Fatherland. The energy of the August Revolution awakened hidden strength, activating the pride and faith of each person in their country. A country of poetry, music, and art, of nature with four seasons of lush greenery and warm tropical sunshine. A country like a dike on a peninsula, its back against the majestic Truong Son mountain range, its face towards the stormy East Sea, standing firm through countless storms. That country, those people, not only made history but also elevated it to a new level for humanity. History is like a flowing river, often winding and meandering, but always moving forward, like countless rivers flowing towards the sea. The August Revolution was like that; it was not only a glorious resistance against foreign invaders, not just about seizing power, but also profoundly changing the social fabric by giving birth to new people and a new way of life. The concept of gaining independent power is not just about territory, autonomy, or military strength, but also about the powerful development of culture. A Vietnamese culture, a Vietnamese soul, from the millennia of Vietnam, as Nguyen Trai declared in "Binh Ngo Dai Cao" (Proclamation of Victory over the Wu): "As for our Great Viet nation, from the beginning, it has long been known for its civilization." The immortal value of the August Revolution has an enduring vitality.

The enduring vitality of the August Revolution spirit, combined with the strength of the new regime – the People's Democratic regime under the leadership of the Party and beloved Uncle Ho – created a tremendous force for the Vietnamese people to achieve glorious victory in the resistance war against French colonialism, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign (1954). The North was completely liberated, gradually transitioning to socialism and becoming the rear base for the revolution nationwide. Our country endured 21 years of tenacious resistance against the US, culminating in the Spring Offensive and Uprising of 1975, with the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign as its pinnacle. There is a connection between the lightning-fast August Revolution uprising, which lasted only 15 days, and the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which achieved complete victory in just over a month with the "lightning speed, even faster – bolder, even bolder" of the August Revolution. Perhaps this is the enduring spirit of the August Revolution, a continuation of a glorious historical tradition.

During these beautiful, historic days of August, our hearts are filled with gratitude to the great President Ho Chi Minh, who dedicated his entire life to the nation and its people; who formulated a timeless truth: "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom"; who left behind a testament of immense value for the entire Party and the entire nation, yet only accepted 79 words (like his 79 years) when speaking about his personal affairs. We are even more proud that our nation has built upon the great and glorious victory and the immortal spirit of the August Revolution to create the country we have today, as the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed: "Our country has never before possessed such strength, potential, position, and international prestige as it does today." A country that the poet Nguyen Dinh Thi once beautifully summarized: "Vietnam, from blood and fire - Shakes off the mud and rises up brilliantly..."

Essays by Nguyen Ngoc Phu

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cach-revolution-thang-tam-thang-loi-ve-vang-tinh-than-bat-diet-222504.htm