Celebrating the 79th Anniversary of August Revolution and National Day September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2024

Looking back at history, in early 1945, World War II entered its decisive phase, the Soviet army won consecutive decisive victories on the European battlefield, liberating a series of countries and advancing straight into the Nazi German lair in Berlin. On May 9, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally, ending the war in Europe. On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and after only 1 week, destroyed the elite Kwantung Army of Japan, pushing the Japanese fascists into inevitable defeat. On August 14, 1945, Japanese fascists surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.
In the country, through many difficult challenges and important exercises such as the 1930-1931 revolutionary high tide, the 1936-1939 democratic movement, the 1939-1945 national liberation movement, the revolutionary movement grew stronger and stronger. In the face of many favorable international and domestic situations, our Party made decisions to step up preparations for an uprising to seize power.
Previously, in Indochina, on March 9, 1945, Japanese fascists staged a coup to oust the French. That very night, the Central Committee's expanded meeting decided to launch a revolutionary movement as a premise for a general uprising, changing the forms of propaganda, agitation, organization and struggle appropriately. In March 1945, the Party Central Committee issued the Directive "Japan and France fight each other and our actions". From April 1945 onwards, the anti-Japanese national salvation movement took place strongly, rich in content and form. In August 1945, the Party's national conference held in Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang) affirmed: "A very good opportunity for us to gain independence has come" and decided to launch a nationwide uprising to seize power from the Japanese fascists and their henchmen before the Allies entered Indochina. Under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, people across the country rose up, carried out a general uprising, and seized power.
On August 13, 1945, the National Uprising Committee was established and issued Military Order No. 1: Calling on all people to rise up and seize power. On August 16, 1945, the National Congress in Tan Trao approved the "10 major policies of the Viet Minh", passed the "General Uprising Order", decided on the red flag with a yellow star, the National Anthem and elected the Central National Liberation Committee with comrade Ho Chi Minh as Chairman. President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter calling on the people of the whole country to rise up, stating: "The decisive hour for the destiny of our nation has come. All compatriots, please rise up and use our own strength to liberate ourselves". Under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, the people of the whole country rose up, carried out a general uprising and seized power.
From August 14 to 18, the general uprising broke out and won victory in the rural areas of the Northern Delta, most of the Central region, part of the South and in the towns of Bac Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Tinh, Hoi An, Quang Nam...
On the morning of August 19, 1945, following the call of the Viet Minh, the whole of Hanoi rose up under the forest of red flags with yellow stars and took to the streets straight to the center of the City Theater to attend the rally. After the flag salute and the Tien Quan Ca song, the representative of the Revolutionary Military Committee read the call of the Viet Minh. The rally turned into an armed demonstration to occupy the Imperial Commissioner's Palace, the security barracks and the facilities of the puppet government. The uprising of the people of the capital was completely victorious.

From Hanoi, the revolutionary wave spread everywhere, the whole country rose up to fight for power and won consecutive victories. On August 23, the uprising was victorious in Hue and in Bac Kan, Hoa Binh, Hai Phong, Ha Dong, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Bac Lieu... On August 25, the uprising was victorious in Saigon - Gia Dinh, Kon Tum, Soc Trang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Bien Hoa, Tay Ninh, Ben Tre... In Con Dao, the Con Dao prison Party Committee led the imprisoned revolutionary soldiers to rise up and seize power.

The "earth-shattering" uprising power of millions of people created an overwhelming advantage, dealt a decisive blow to all the puppet government's headquarters, paralyzed all resistance of hostile forces, leaving them unable to react. The August Revolution General Uprising to seize power was a great success throughout the country on August 28, 1945. On August 30, 1945, Bao Dai - the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty announced his abdication, handing over the golden seal and jewel-encrusted sword to the Viet Minh representative. For the first time in the history of the Vietnamese nation, the entire country's government belonged to the people.
On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, in front of hundreds of thousands of compatriots, on behalf of the provisional government, President Ho Chi Minh solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, declaring to all compatriots and the world the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

In the Declaration of Independence there is a passage: "A people who have courageously resisted French slavery for more than 80 years, a people who have courageously stood with the Allies against fascism for several years, that people must be free! That people must be independent!
Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and has truly become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence.''
The success of the August Revolution in 1945 was the first great victory of our people since the Party's leadership, opening a great turning point in the history of the Vietnamese nation. The government was in the hands of the people, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born - the first worker-peasant state in Southeast Asia; ending the feudal monarchy in Vietnam; ending more than 80 years of our people under the yoke of colonialism and fascism. The Vietnamese people changed from being slaves to being citizens of an independent country, masters of their own destiny. Vietnam changed from a semi-feudal colony to an independent, free and democratic country. The Communist Party of Vietnam became a ruling party. From here, the country, society, people and people of Vietnam entered a new era, an era of national independence associated with socialism.

General uprising rally at Hanoi Opera House Square (Photo: Archive)

From the victory of the August Revolution, the Vietnamese people changed from being slaves to being citizens of an independent country, masters of their own destiny. Vietnam changed from a semi-feudal colony to an independent, free and democratic country. The Communist Party of Vietnam became a ruling party. Under the leadership of the Party, our people achieved "resounding victories in five continents" with the peak being the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975 to liberate the South and unify the country; bringing our nation into the era of independence, unity, and the whole country moving towards socialism.
The ten years the whole country followed the path of socialism (1975-1985) were ten years in which our Party sought the path of innovation. This was also the period when new thinking was gradually formed, originating from the vivid reality of the Vietnamese revolution. The achievements and shortcomings of those ten years left valuable lessons for the cause of building socialism in Vietnam in the following years. The 6th Party Congress (December 1986) introduced the path of innovation, opening an important turning point in the cause of building socialism in our country. After 38 years of renovation, our country has achieved great victories of historical significance in the fields of politics, economy, culture, society, security, national defense, foreign affairs, Party building, building a socialist rule-of-law state... That shows that, under the leadership of the Party, the path to Socialism is the inevitable path to success and the compass for all actions is Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought. 79 years of the success of the August Revolution, 79 years of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) being present on the world map. Our position in the international arena has continuously increased, the achievements after 38 years of renovation have been a testament to that sustainable development.

On August 28, 2024, at the Hoan Kiem Theater in Hanoi, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife chaired the ceremony to celebrate the 79th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2024).
Speaking at the ceremony, General Secretary and President To Lam stated that on September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, solemnly announcing to the world the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Over the past 79 years, under the leadership of the Party, following his call, echoing the Oath of Independence, with the immortal thought "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", the entire Vietnamese people have united in heart and mind, all as one, together with pure international solidarity, leading the Vietnamese revolution to victory after victory, liberating the nation, unifying the country, successfully implementing the renovation process, and steadily moving towards socialism.

The General Secretary and President emphasized that from an unnamed land on the world map, from a country heavily devastated by war, Vietnam has risen to become a symbol of peace, stability, hospitality, a destination for international investors and tourists. From a backward economy, Vietnam has risen to be among the Top 40 leading economies, with a trade scale in the Top 20 countries in the world, an important link in 16 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) connecting with 60 key economies in the region and globally. From a besieged and isolated country, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 193 countries in the world, has strategic partnerships and comprehensive partnerships with 30 countries, including all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, major countries and is an active member of over 70 regional and international organizations. Taking the happiness and prosperity of the people as the goal to strive for, Vietnam is considered by the United Nations and international friends as a success story, a bright spot in poverty reduction, constantly improving the material and spiritual life of the people.
The General Secretary and President affirmed that the great achievements after 79 years of the country's founding were due to the patriotism, great national unity, the will to be self-reliant, and the strong desire for independence, freedom, and happiness of the Party, State, and people of Vietnam; at the same time, under the wise and talented leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam - a Party that always takes serving the people as its way of life and goal, and is always absolutely and infinitely loyal to the interests of the nation and the people. The Party, State, and people of Vietnam are striving to accelerate and soon reach the finish line to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, towards the 80th anniversary of independence and 50 years of national reunification...
General Secretary and President To Lam also emphasized that the Party, State and people of Vietnam wish to continue to receive support and close cooperation from friends, partners and peace-loving people around the world with the role of bridging and promoting diplomats, Heads of international organizations in Vietnam, and foreign investors in the process of building and developing the country; at the same time, he firmly believes that, together, we will overcome all challenges, take advantage of opportunities to join hands to build a world of peaceful and sustainable development, and shape a fair international political and economic order, based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
In recent days, all over the streets of Hanoi and the whole country, banners, flags, and flowers have been jubilantly decorated to warmly celebrate the 79th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2.
 

(Photo: Communist Party Electronic Newspaper)