September 2, 1945 is a historic day for Vietnam as President HCM read out the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Vietnamese armed forces lined up in front of the main stage at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi. (file photo)

The resounding victory of the August 1945 Revolution put an end to the enslavement of the Vietnamese people under the double yoke of French colonialists and Japanese fascists, as well as the feudal Nguyen dynasty. For the first time the administration was handed over to the working class and the people.

On the morning of September 2, 1945, nearly 500,000 well-dressed people converged on Ba Dinh Square, waiting for the declaration proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. They happily packed the streets leading to Ba Dinh Square, hanging up slogans written in Vietnamese, English, French, Chinese and Russian. The slogans read: “The Vietnamese nation is for the Vietnamese”, “Independence or Death” and “Support President Ho Chi Minh”.

At the same time, mass meetings were taking place in Hue city, Saigon and many other cities across the country. However, millions had their hearts turned to Hanoi.

At 14.00, President Ho and other officials from the provisional government took the stage in historic Ba Dinh Square. Hundreds of thousands of people looked up at the red flag with the five-pointed golden star flying as the band was playing the national anthem. They were standing there, hand in hand, showing their determination and iron will to defend their nation’s independence and freedom.

During this sacred moment, on behalf of the newly established provisional government, President Ho read out the Declaration of Independence and stated that the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born.

The Declaration read, “All the peoples on earth are equal from birth. All the peoples have the right to live and to be happy and free….. A people who have courageously opposed French enslavement for more than 80 years, a people who have resolutely sided with the Allies against the fascists over the last few years, must be free! Such a people must be independent!…. Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and now it has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilise all their physical and spiritual strength and will sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their freedom and independence.”

The Declaration of Independence opened up a new chapter in the course of the nation’s history. For the first time, Vietnamese people were proud to be citizens of their own free and independent nation.

September 2, 1945 went down in history as the first day of the independent Vietnamese nation, which had been ruled by the French colonialists for almost 100 years. It acknowledged the victory of a nation that pioneered the national liberation movement for oppressed nations around the world. It also ushered in a new era, as from then on the Vietnamese people had to endure two wars of resistance while taking great pains to defend the fledgling administration and reconstruct the war-torn country.

Thirty years later on April 30, 1975, the Party and people had accomplished their objective by totally liberating the southern region and reunifying the country. Ever since then the Vietnamese people have enjoyed independence and freedom and the immortal spirit of the Declaration is always in their minds.

Sixty-four years have elapse since the August Revolution and the Vietnamese people have made tireless efforts, even sacrificed their lives, to defend and build up the present-day nation. With its important significance and enormity, September 2 is now observed as the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

VietNamNet/VOV