Declaration of Independence and priceless spiritual treasures of the Vietnamese people

The success of the August Revolution in 1945, for the first time, brought our people from the status of slaves to masters of the country, masters of their own destiny, wrote the most glorious page of history, and brought the nation into a new era - the era of national independence associated with socialism.

On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, announcing to the people of the whole country and the world the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Photo: Archive

Not only affirming the right to national independence on the international level, the Declaration of Independence is also the sacred voice of patriotism and compatriotism - priceless spiritual treasures of the Vietnamese people.

Crystallization of Vietnamese patriotic tradition

The Declaration of Independence of the first democratic, law-governed republic in Asia is only over 1,000 words long, but it was pondered and written by Ho Chi Minh - the leading soldier in the cause of national liberation "after many years of wandering around the world, carrying the death penalty of the French empire, going through dozens of prisons and long days of sleeping on the ground and in the dew" [1]. Therefore, this historical document not only has profound legal and political value, but is also a beautiful symbol of revolutionary humanism.

In that document, patriotism went beyond the limits of emotions, was expressed in righteous language, affirmed by the nation's historical tradition and demonstrated by the actions of the entire Vietnamese people in the August Revolution of 1945.

The birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam is the result of the awakening and promotion of the tradition of ardent patriotism, indomitable spirit, sense of independence, self-reliance and endless endogenous strength of the entire Vietnamese people under the light of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought.

The patriotism in the Declaration of Independence is not only a pure sentiment, but also a manifestation of profound political will. Ho Chi Minh's political will is clearly demonstrated in that he not only declared independence for the Vietnamese nation but also affirmed the legitimate position of the Vietnamese nation in the international arena through legal language and human rights ideology. From there, patriotism was elevated to an ideal of the times, both imbued with national identity and in harmony with the pulse of humanity.

At the beginning of the declaration, Ho Chi Minh quoted verbatim from the 1776 American Declaration of Independence and the 1789 French Revolution's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; “Men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and with equal rights” [2].

Ho Chi Minh used the " immortal" golden words and "undeniable truths" of the great powers to prove the legitimate independence of the Vietnamese people - a people once considered "weak ", oppressed and excluded from the world political chessboard.

Citing these two declarations is not simply a praise of Western democratic ideology but a sharp argument strategy of a patriotic politician with a good understanding of global politics, as Professor Tran Van Giau commented: "President Ho Chi Minh used the arguments of the great powers to prove the legitimate independence of the Vietnamese people. That is a way to express patriotism with intelligence and international courage"[3].

In the next part, the Declaration of Independence clearly states that the Vietnamese people have long refused to submit to foreign powers, and have continuously carried out uprisings and people's wars to regain independence.

Ho Chi Minh affirmed: "The truth is that our people took back Vietnam from the hands of Japan, not from the hands of France"[4]. That statement not only refuted the French colonialists' demand to reoccupy our country, but also affirmed that political sovereignty belonged to the people - a strategic argument that demonstrated justice and deep patriotism. Patriotism here is no longer just an affirmation of sovereignty, but also the protection of national honor through global justice, thereby reclaiming a worthy position for Vietnam - a nation that was once despised, oppressed and excluded from the world political chessboard.

In the final part of the Declaration, Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “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!” [5].

The sentence is constructed in a repetitive structure, emphasizing the argument from historical practice: patriotism is not through words but through actions, blood and sacrifice, through more than 80 years of resistance of the entire people. By emphasizing "courage" and "sacrifice" , Ho Chi Minh not only recounted history, but used history to affirm the rightness of Vietnam before the whole world. This is what created the just value for the resistance war to protect independence that followed.

After the declaration was published, throughout September 1945, millions of Vietnamese people from North to South, from urban to rural areas took to the streets to rally and participate in the revolutionary government. Patriotism was aroused not only by emotions, but also by faith in justice and determination to maintain the newly won independence, which then turned into vibrant and powerful revolutionary movements.

It was a popular education movement with the miracle of only one year (August 19, 1945 - August 19, 1946) when 2.5 million people in the North and North Central regions escaped illiteracy.

A popular education class. Photo: Archive

From the wise and timely guidance of President Ho Chi Minh, with the patriotism and determination of the people not to let "an ignorant nation be a weak nation", Popular Education quickly became the most vibrant revolutionary movement when the government was still very young, bringing our people from more than 95% illiterate to a cultured and scientific nation, capable of preserving the independence and freedom of the country.

The “Golden Week” movement (from September 17 to 24, 1945) supporting the revolutionary government, voluntarily donating gold, money and objects to the State was also a vivid and concrete expression showing that the patriotism in the Declaration of Independence was not a slogan, but a driving force transformed into revolutionary action for the entire people.

Many people from all walks of life participate in the "Golden Week". Photo: Archive

In just a short time, the people of the whole country donated 20 million dong and 370kg of gold. The enthusiastic and voluntary response of the people contributed to solving the financial difficulties of the country at that time, and had an extremely great significance for the newly gained national independence.

The sacred voice of compatriotism

National love and compatriotism were raised to the level of revolutionary ideology by Ho Chi Minh in the immortal declaration of the nation, becoming the strength of the times. In his role as the leader of the entire nation, he spoke for millions of Vietnamese people - those who share the same bloodline of Lac Hong, who once suffered colonial oppression, rose up to fight and now share the desire for independence.

In every word of the Declaration, patriotism is deeply blended with compatriot morality, expressing the noble humanistic ideology: no one is left behind but together, side by side, creating the strength of the entire nation in the journey to gain and maintain independence.

In the entire text of the Declaration of Independence, along with the 9 times using the word "our people" , Ho Chi Minh used the word "compatriots" 3 times instead of the word "people" (once he used the phrase "people of our whole country" ), although the word "people" has a more formal, administrative color, often appearing in political documents of a national and international nature.

As a person who always clearly defined the audience, purpose and writing style before putting pen to paper, it can be clearly seen that President Ho Chi Minh carefully considered and pondered each sentence and each word. He understood that the word "compatriot" was deeply ingrained in the subconscious of the Vietnamese people, and when uttered, it would immediately bring about a strong feeling, deeply touching the listeners' emotions, arousing and gathering the pride and kinship of all Vietnamese people.

People happily wait to watch the rehearsal of the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2. Photo: The Bang

The atmosphere of Independence Day on September 2, 1945 proved that just this simple yet sacred word "compatriot" brought the great leader to all the masses like a blood relative, erasing the distance and boundary between the leader and the masses, creating empathy and a deep emotional connection between the listener and the speaker.

In his memoir “Unforgettable Years”, General Vo Nguyen Giap recounted that unforgettable moment: “The Old Man’s voice was reminiscent of the voice of a rural Nghe An region. Uncle Ho appeared before a million compatriots that day. His words were calm, warm, concise, and clear. They were not the eloquent voices one usually hears on solemn holidays. But one could immediately find deep emotions and a resolute will there; everything was full of vitality; each sentence, each word touched one’s heart. Halfway through reading the Declaration of Independence, Uncle Ho stopped and suddenly asked:

- I said, do you hear me?

A million people responded in unison, their voices thundering: - Co.o.ó!

From that moment, Uncle Ho and the sea of people became one.

Community cohesion is shown in Ho Chi Minh's listing of the crimes of French colonialism not only against one class, but against all social strata: "They built more prisons than schools", "They robbed land, forests, mines, and raw materials", "They monopolized the printing of banknotes, exports, and imports", "They imposed hundreds of unreasonable taxes, making our people, especially farmers and traders, poor", "They did not allow our capitalists to become rich", "They exploited our workers extremely cruelly" ... This listing shows that all classes of people suffered, and therefore, everyone has the right and responsibility to stand up for independence.

This is the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam after an 80-year struggle by the nation.

These are also heartfelt and emotional words from the most enlightened vanguard of the most revolutionary class, whose sons are absolutely loyal to the interests of the class and the nation, who, before the guillotine and the enemy's guns, once tore off the black blindfold and shouted loudly: "Long live an independent Vietnam!"

Therefore, when writing "The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence" , President Ho Chi Minh did not use "we", "state", or "government" but "the entire Vietnamese people".

Or when he affirmed: "We believe that 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" , he did not speak on behalf of a group of people in power but on behalf of the national collective, that is, all "compatriots" who rose up to drive out Japanese fascists and French colonialists.

This expression is both representative - the supreme power belongs to the people, the meaning of compatriots is the moral foundation of the right to national self-determination - and community-unifying, expressing the idea that "all Vietnamese people are blood brothers, with the same responsibility before the country", in line with the spirit of compatriots that has existed for thousands of years of history.

This was a politically astute move, helping to consolidate the legitimacy and national character of the new government. In the context after the August Revolution, Vietnam faced the risk of being re-intervened by foreign forces, so consolidating and promoting the strength of national unity was a prerequisite to protect independence.

The Declaration of Independence, by arousing the kinship between the people, acted as a historical call to arms, strengthening the people's faith in a new regime - a regime of the people, by the people, and for the people.

At the same time, it is also a sharp political message sent domestically and internationally: Vietnam is a sovereign nation, with a united people, a tradition of patriotism, heroic resistance against foreign invaders, and cannot be subdued. Any force that violates Vietnam's independence is unjust and will encounter resistance from the entire people, and will be overwhelmed by the extremely strong and great wave of patriotism of the Vietnamese people.

A convoy of tanks marched towards Ba Dinh Square in high spirits during the rehearsal of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2. Photo: Quyet Thang

The Declaration of Independence is short, simple, and strong, with an extremely powerful power to encourage, motivate, and organize forces. In the sacred moment of the entire nation, each sentence and each word in the great national founding document quickly permeated deeply into the hearts of the people, strongly arousing the spirit of patriotism, national pride, self-respect, indomitability, and resilience of the Vietnamese people; it is a command to stir up the fighting spirit with the strength of revolutionary heroism and the intelligence of the Vietnamese people with a will to "determine to use all spirit and strength, life and property to maintain that freedom and independence".

80 years have passed, but President Ho Chi Minh's sacred call on Independence Day, September 2, 1945, remains relevant.

From the spirit of patriotism, national pride, and solidarity, the Vietnamese people have steadfastly overcome many challenges in the 20th century. And until now, the strength of solidarity and humanity continues to be promoted so that the Vietnamese people can enter a new era of development - an era of wealth, civilization, and prosperity.

References

[1] Vo Nguyen Giap: Unforgettable Years, People's Army Publishing House and Theoretical Information Publishing House published in 1990. [2] Ho Chi Minh Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, H.2021, vol.4, p.1
[3] Tran Van Giau: Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on national independence, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005
[4] “Tu” means from
[5] Ho Chi Minh Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, vol.4, p.3

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