1. Ho Chi Minh symbolizes the essence of the Vietnamese nation, a country with a cultural and ideological tradition shaped over thousands of years of history, the core of which is the will for independence and the aspiration for freedom. This is the noble goal, the sacred national right that united the entire people to fight and defeat the invading foreign armies from the North, to win and maintain national sovereignty throughout history.
"Freedom and independence are God-given rights of every nation... Once a nation rises up and resolutely fights for its homeland, no one, no force can defeat them."(1).
Independence and freedom are the core ideas of Ho Chi Minh's doctrine of national liberation and development, and the foundation of the strategic line of national unity throughout the revolutionary periods under the leadership of the Party.
The formation of the National United Front in the Vietnamese Revolution, organized and led by the Party, took place through a process of development starting in 1930 and was perfected in terms of political line and organization with the establishment of the Viet Minh in 1941.
The Viet Minh was born amidst the Vietnamese people's suffering and turmoil, at a time when "the interests of national liberation were paramount." Saving the country was a shared responsibility of all compatriots; every Vietnamese person had to stand shoulder to shoulder.
"We are determined to do this for our country,"
The flag flies in independence, the foundation is built on equality:
To make the descendants of Dragons and Fairies,
"Our people will retain their own rights."(2)
Ho Chi Minh early on identified the revolution of the people of colonial countries against the yoke of imperialist domination as a "national revolution." The revolution to "liberate our compatriots from the shackles of slavery" was a great undertaking, "a common cause of all the people," "in which the workers and peasants are the foundation of the revolution," the "masters of the revolution," and "students, small merchants, small landowners... are revolutionary allies"; all classes of compatriots—intellectuals, farmers, workers, and merchants—must unite under the leadership of the revolutionary party to fight against the imperialists and their henchmen.
Those who do not fall into dogmatic stereotypes do not oversimplify the national question by viewing it as essentially a peasant question, with the fundamental content of peasant rights being land.
The fundamental content of the colonial revolution was the right to freedom and independence. The colonial people had a great motivation when they understood the value of national unity, and were determined to rise up and fight against the yoke of colonialism to regain national independence and freedom for all.
The revolutions of the peoples of colonial countries could achieve victory before the revolutions of the peoples of capitalist countries, and they could assist their brothers in the West in the task of complete liberation.
These are Ho Chi Minh's fundamental revolutionary viewpoints, forming the basis for building the revolutionary strategic line and achieving national unity and solidarity in the national liberation revolution in our country.
2. In early 1930, having grasped the essence of the national question, Ho Chi Minh establishedCommunist Party of VietnamThe Party's first program, drafted by him and unanimously adopted by the Party's founding conference, correctly combined the national question with the class question, with the national question being the foremost. The program clearly stated the Party's strategic policy in the national liberation revolution: to overthrow French colonial imperialism and the feudal class.to make Vietnam completely independent"Implementing democratic freedoms, including the confiscation of land from imperialists and counter-revolutionaries and distributing it to peasants, preparing for the implementation of agrarian revolution. The Party must win over the vast majority of workers and peasants, while also uniting with the petty bourgeoisie, intellectuals, and middle peasants, winning over or neutralizing wealthy peasants, middle and small landowners, and Vietnamese bourgeoisie… The policy is to establishAnti-Imperialist AllianceThis was also raised so that the Central Executive Committee could organize it immediately.
A prominent highlight in the Party's first Manifesto was the strategic policy of fighting imperialism and its puppets to achieve independence and freedom, and to realize national unity.The revolutionary movement that broke out in 1930 had a broad mass appeal, especially in localities where the movement reached its peak, such as Nghe An and Ha Tinh. It strongly attracted the power of national unity, encompassing not only workers and peasants but also intellectuals, some scholars, wealthy farmers, middle and small landowners, and some minor rural officials. This is a historical fact, an initial demonstration of the reality of the strength of nationalism and the unity of the Vietnamese people in the national liberation revolution, and the authenticity of Ho Chi Minh's viewpoint of raising the banner of national independence and uniting the entire people against imperialism and its collaborators.
On November 18, 1930, the Standing Committee of the Central Party Committee issued a directive on the issue of establishment.Anti-Imperialist AllianceReiterating the correct revolutionary ideology of the first Political Program, the directive considered national unity as one of the factors for the victory of the revolution. The directive criticized erroneous perceptions within the Party, such as separating the national question from the class question, and downplaying the role of the Anti-Imperialist Alliance in the revolution in colonies. The ideology of national unity in the Party's first Program, and the content of the Central Committee's Standing Committee's directive, were not fully grasped by the Central Committee; instead, they continued to suffer from dogmatic "leftist" tendencies. This "leftist" and class-divisionist tendency continued to manifest itself clearly in the Central Committee's letter to Party committees at all levels on December 9, 1930, and other Party documents from 1931-1935 onwards.
During the years 1936-1939, the Indochinese Communist Party decided to mobilize the establishment of a broad anti-imperialist people's front, later called the Democratic United Front, to unite all classes and political parties, however small and precarious, in the struggle against colonial reactionaries and their collaborators, demanding democratic freedoms, food, clothing, and peace. Ho Chi Minh also conveyed to the Central Executive Committee of the Party the principle of organizing the front broadly and fighting relentlessly against factionalism and isolationism. This was a new step forward in the Party's policy of building a unified front. The widespread democratic struggle of the masses throughout the country led to coordinated actions and alliances between different classes, political parties, and mass organizations in each wave and movement of the struggle for democratic and social rights.The Democratic Front "has begun to implement its plan in parts" but has not yet been fully formed as an organization.Although the system existed from the grassroots to the central level, the Party accumulated significant practical experience in the movement to build the front in the following years. These experiences were initially summarized by Nguyen Van Cu, the Party's General Secretary, in his work.Self-criticism,Published in July 1939.
3. From September 1939 onwards, the peoples of Indochina faced the threat of extinction, "The interests of all classes were being plundered, and the fate of the nation was in greater peril than ever before." Therefore, the Sixth Conference of the Central Executive Committee of the Party, chaired by Nguyen Van Cu, decided to raise the banner of nationalism to the forefront. The conference decided to establish the Indochinese Anti-Imperialist National United Front with the aim of fighting against French imperialism, the local monarchs, and their traitorous imperialist collaborators; and to regain complete independence for the entire nation on the Indochinese peninsula (exercising the right to national self-determination).
The unification of the peoples of Indochina does not necessarily require the formation of a single state, as the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian peoples were already independent nations. Each people has the right to determine their own destiny, but self-determination does not necessarily mean complete separation. Therefore, the Conference decided to establish the Federal Government of the Democratic Republic of Indochina, a government representing all strata of the people in the country and in the national liberation movement.
In the spring of 1941, Ho Chi Minh returned to his homeland to directly lead the Central Executive Committee of the Party in organizing the people to fight the French and expel the Japanese to regain independence and freedom. The Central Committee affirmed and continued to develop Ho Chi Minh's national revolutionary ideology, stating that: Speaking of the national question means speaking of the freedom and independence of each nation. That nation has the right to choose its own path to liberation. After expelling the French and the Japanese, the Party must implement the policy of national self-determination for the nations in Indochina. The nations living on the Indochinese peninsula will have the right to organize themselves into a democratic republican federation or to establish their own independent nation according to their wishes.
The conference decided to raise the banner of national liberation at the forefront, unifying revolutionary forces throughout Indochina, without distinction between workers, peasants, rich farmers, petty bourgeoisie, indigenous bourgeoisie, middle and small landowners—anyone with a patriotic heart and love for their people—into a broad national united front to fight the French, expel the Japanese, and win independence and freedom for the peoples of Indochina according to the principle of national self-determination.For the Vietnamese people, after driving out the French and Japanese, they would establish a new Vietnam under a democratic republic… This is oneThe shift in the Party's bourgeois democratic revolutionary strategy redefined the nature of the current Indochinese revolution as no longer a bourgeois democratic revolution that had to solve two problems: anti-imperialism and land reform. Instead, it was a revolution that only addressed one urgent issue: "national liberation." Because if the French and Japanese were not driven out, the nation's fate would be one of perpetual slavery, and the land issue would remain unresolved. Therefore, the nature of the Indochinese revolution was a national liberation revolution.
For the survival of the nation, the Party must uphold the banner of nationalism. The Party must awaken the revolutionary spirit and patriotism of all strata of the people, concentrating all national forces to fulfill the central task of national liberation and salvation. Therefore, the national unity front organization needed a new name that was more nationalistic, had greater power to rally the entire nation, and, most importantly, was feasible in the circumstances at that time: the Vietnam Independence League, abbreviated as Viet Minh. The Party also issued a resolution on the Viet Minh program as the basis for organizing and leading the front.
The movement to build the Viet Minh Front organization was implemented into the revolutionary life of our people.
On October 25, 1941, the Viet Minh Front officially issued its Declaration, respectfully informing the people that:
"Since the founding of our nation, considering our country's history, our people have never suffered such humiliation and pain as they do now..."
The threat of annihilation loomed large. Currently, our only path to survival is unity and solidarity, driving out the Japanese and French, and eliminating Vietnamese traitors.
Opening that path for the people, the "Vietnam Independence League" (Viet Minh) was born…
Our liberation must be achieved by ourselves.
"Every Vietnamese person should strive for self-reliance, be confident, have self-respect, and unite in solidarity!"(3).
The Viet Minh's national salvation program clearly stated that, after expelling the Japanese and French, a Democratic Republic of Vietnam government would be established, elected by the National Congress. This government would implement the Viet Minh's policies on politics, economics, culture, and society, comprising 44 specific points, primarily aimed at fulfilling the two aspirations of all our people:"How can we ensure that Vietnam achieves complete independence; how can we ensure that the Vietnamese people are happy and free?"
The Viet Minh organization was piloted under Ho Chi Minh's direction in early 1941 in Cao Bang, and then developed rapidly after its official establishment. Viet Bac was the area where the Viet Minh movement flourished.The most significant and noteworthy characteristic of the Vietnam Independence League in Viet Bac was its widespread nature, a level unprecedented in the history of our country's revolution; widespread in scope: every commune, every district, every county had fully joined the ranks of the revolution; widespread in terms of the composition of the people: men, women, the elderly, and children all enthusiastically participated in the national salvation work, with the exception of a very small number of neutral and reactionary individuals.(4)In November 1942, the Cao Bang Viet Minh held a congress to elect the official provincial executive committee. The Viet Minh executive committees of the Cao Bang, Bac Can, and Lang Son inter-provincial groups were also established. National salvation associations developed throughout the country. The National Salvation Cultural Association was founded at the end of 1943. The Vietnam Democratic Party was established in June 1944 and became a member of the Viet Minh.
The Viet Minh's headquarters was the highest-ranking unit nationwide.
The Viet Minh truly became the central hub for uniting all classes, political parties, and patriotic individuals nationwide to rise up against the French and expel the Japanese.
The Party used the Viet Minh at all levels to mobilize, organize, and lead the people in carrying out the central task of preparing for an armed uprising to seize power.
Thenational uprisingThroughout the country in August 1945, the Vietnamese people, through the "strength of national unity," achieved victory.
The Viet Minh's goal of saving the country had become a reality.
The complete development of the Party's strategic guidelines and policies on "national unity" led to the establishment of the Viet Minh Front in 1941.
The establishment and activities of the Viet Minh became a fundamental and decisive factor in the victory of the August 1945 Revolution.
The Viet Minh was founded right in the Pac Bo forest. "For a long period, the name Viet Minh thrilled the people of the whole country. The name Viet Minh will forever remain in history, shining brightly with golden light."(5).
The Viet Minh was a quintessential, complete, and brilliant front organization, a landmark achievement.This marks the birth of the National United Front in the Vietnamese revolution.
- The Viet Minh was born as a result of a revolutionary movement in Vietnam, the victorious outcome of Ho Chi Minh's and our Party's ideology of independence, freedom, and national unity; the result of a scientific and creative ideology that resolutely overcame naive, left-leaning, and dogmatic thinking.
- The emergence and activities of the Viet Minh are closely linked to the ideology, political line, organizational line, and practical actions of Ho Chi Minh. He was the embodiment of national unity for independence and freedom; of the strategy:
"Unity, unity, great unity."
"Success, success, great success."
- Raising high the national flag, strongly arousing the spirit of patriotism and national unity, firmly relying on the worker-peasant-intellectual alliance, and sincerely uniting with all patriotic and progressive forces of the nation in a broad united front - the Viet Minh Front was a creative success of Ho Chi Minh and the Party in front work during the August Revolution, and in the strategy of national unity in the Vietnamese revolution.
Ho Chi Minh's historical role as the founder and leader of the Viet Minh Front – the Vietnamese National United Front – was not only praised by revolutionaries but also secretly admired and respected by those on the opposing side. Denis Warner, a staunch anti-communist in Australia, praised Ho Chi Minh as "always there when people needed him," as the leader who drew the nation into a united front. Warner wrote: "Having just gathered communists together in 1930, when the Pacific War broke out, Uncle Ho was already ready to gather nationalists and communists into a new, broader united front… in the spring of 1941."(6).
Nguyen Tuong Bach, a Viet Cach Party member belonging to the opposition against the Viet Minh, wrote these words of admiration for the Viet Minh's uprising to seize power in 1945: “Everywhere there was the Viet Minh… Why? That’s the question I asked myself. They were truly talented. We couldn’t help but admire them… The Viet Minh won everywhere. On September 2nd, the Ho Chi Minh government took the oath of independence in Ba Dinh Square. I knew… Ho Chi Minh today is Nguyen Ai Quoc, whom we still admire as a miraculous figure.”(7).
Associate Professor, People's Teacher Le Mau Han
NOTE
1. Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi 1995, Volume 5, p. 7.
2. Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., volume 3, p. 205.
3. Communist Party of Vietnam: Complete Party Documents, op. cit., volume 7, pp. 459-463.
4. Communist Party of Vietnam: Party Documents 1930-1945, published by the Central Party History Research Committee, Hanoi, 1977, volume 3, p. 461.
5. Hoang Quoc Viet: A New Light from Pac Bo, The Source, memoir collection, Culture Publishing House, Hanoi, 1975, p. 17.
6. President Ho Chi Minh – Hero of national liberation, great cultural figure, Social Sciences Publishing House, Hanoi 1995, p. 170.
7. Nguyen Tuong Bach: Vietnam in Historical Days. Published by the History-Geography Research Group, Montrean 1981, pp. 69, 70.
Author:Associate Professor, People's Teacher Le Mau Han
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