Uncle said, people heard very clearly!
On September 2, 1945, while Uncle Ho was reading the “Declaration of Independence”, halfway through, he stopped and asked: “I said, did you hear clearly?”, “Yes!” Millions of people present and not present at Ba Dinh Square answered in unison, the sound resounding like thunder. He spoke, the people heard very clearly. From this moment, Ho Chi Minh, together with the sea of people, together with the entire Vietnamese nation, became one, becoming an unparalleled force!
(Baonghean) –On September 2, 1945, while Uncle Ho was reading the “Declaration of Independence”, halfway through, he stopped and asked: “I said, did you hear clearly?”, “Yes!” Millions of people present and not present at Ba Dinh Square answered in unison, the sound resounding like thunder. He spoke, the people heard very clearly. From this moment, Ho Chi Minh, together with the sea of people, together with the entire Vietnamese nation, became one, becoming an unparalleled force!
The text in the “Declaration of Independence” that Uncle Ho solemnly read at Ba Dinh Square – Hanoi, September 2, 1945, is political writing. Political writing mainly convinces readers and listeners with reasoning. Its advantage is tight arguments, solid reasoning, and evidence that is hard to deny. If images are used, evoking emotions, it is only to help make the reasoning more convincing.
At the beginning of the “Declaration of Independence”, Uncle Ho immediately wrote: “All men are created equal. Their Creator has endowed them with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These are the immortal words of the “Declaration of Independence” of the United States in 1776. Next, Uncle Ho also quoted a sentence from the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” of the French Revolution in 1791: “Men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and with equal rights.” Both skillfully and resolutely, Ho Chi Minh, through the “Declaration of Independence”, affirmed the independence and freedom of our nation with the very words of our American and French ancestors recorded in two important documents.
When analyzing and evaluating the text of the “Declaration of Independence” of Vietnam, drafted by President Ho Chi Minh, many researchers, writers, and journalists at home and abroad have compared this political work from unique international aspects… Professor Nguyen Dang Manh once proudly affirmed: “At the beginning of the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam, mentioning two famous Declarations in human history of two such great countries, means putting three revolutions on equal footing, three independences on equal footing, three Declarations on equal footing” (1). Associate Professor Nguyen Quoc Hung also compared to make the following comment: “Ho Chi Minh’s Declaration of Independence began with a quote from the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States… It can be said that this is one of the best and most valuable sentences in the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Although separated by 169 years and also far apart in historical circumstances, the two Declarations of Independence have interesting coincidences!” (2). The coincidence between lasting values further contributes to honoring the “Declaration of Independence” of the new Vietnam. However, the unique features and differences between the Declarations are also a necessary and promising direction for research and study.
Lady Borton is an American woman who has many ties to our country. During the war against the American imperialists, she was a member of the Quaker organization, doing charity work. In recent years, among the cultural and social activities in our country, she is still involved in many meaningful activities, many of which she has provided valuable historical documents for our reference... Personally, I am most impressed with an article of less than 700 words when translated into Vietnamese, by Lady Borton: "Ho Chi Minh and the American Declaration of Independence" (3). In the article, the author has a very meticulous but also very profound and convincing comparison. The American "Declaration of Independence" states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident (referring to the right to Equality - KH note), that all men (in the English text are the words all men) are created equal". In 1776, when the American “Declaration of Independence” was drafted, the concept of “all men” was understood as white men who owned property, in this case, black slaves. It was not until 95 years later that black men had the right to vote, and 50 years later that right was given to black American women. Meanwhile, unlike the American “Declaration of Independence”, Ho Chi Minh began with the sentence: “All men (written in English as all people) are created equal…”. Lady Borton commented: Uncle Ho’s choice of words in the call “To all compatriots in the country” clearly indicates his intention to gather all people in the country. Uncle Ho’s Declaration contains synthetic language, such as people, people, nation; these are also the official words used to refer to any of the 54 ethnic groups in the Vietnamese ethnic community!
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(1). Teaching Vietnamese Literature, many authors, Professor Tran Dinh Su, editor-in-chief, Education Publishing House, Hanoi, 10th reprint, 2005, p. 487.
(2). Some world history topics, volume II, many authors, edited by Prof. Vu Duong Ninh and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim, Hanoi National University Publishing House, 2007, p. 225.
(3). Ho Chi Minh, the embodiment of Peace Culture, many authors, Duong Trung Quoc and Dao Hung, editors, Past and Present Magazine in cooperation with Saigon Culture Publishing House, 2005, p.933.
(4). Ho Chi Minh writes the Declaration of Independence, compiled by Vu Thi Kim Yen and Nguyen Van Duong, Culture - Information Publishing House, Hanoi, 2009, p. 34.
Kim Hung
