The value of independence and freedom
Only independence, freedom and peace can bring a peaceful and happy life to the country, the nation and all Vietnamese people. That sense of independence can only exist when those entrusted with the responsibility of shouldering the country's destiny know how to act for the true development of the people, so that the "Oath of Independence" is always the responsibility and honor of every Vietnamese person, for the integrity of the Fatherland, for the right to pursue freedom and happiness of everyone.
Van Thieng• September 2, 2024
Only independence, freedom and peace can bring a peaceful and happy life to the country, the nation and all Vietnamese people. That sense of independence can only exist when those entrusted with the responsibility of shouldering the country's destiny know how to act for the true development of the people, so that the "Oath of Independence" is always the responsibility and honor of every Vietnamese person, for the integrity of the Fatherland, for the right to pursue freedom and happiness of everyone.
COnly those who lived a miserable life of slavery under the shackles of feudal colonialism could fully understand the pride of being free citizens of an independent country. But independence does not come naturally. It is the result of a process of arduous struggle and sacrifice to gain it. In the echoes of the Bach Dang victory when Ngo Quyen defeated the Southern Han army in 938, ending a thousand years of Chinese domination, opening a period of independence and autonomy, we can feel the great loss and sacrifice of the uprising armies from the time of Ba Trung, Ba Trieu, Ly Bi, Mai Thuc Loan... before. There must be enough bitterness, resentment, enough time and space to wait for the blood of those who fell to form a glorious moment.
Having tasted the pain of failure from anti-French movements such as Can Vuong, Yen The, Yen Bai, Vietnam Quang Phuc Hoi; having absorbed the lessons of success and loss from the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement to the Nam Ky, Bac Son, Do Luong uprisings... and seeing them as necessary rehearsals, millions of enslaved Vietnamese people had enough motivation to stand up and carry out the August General Uprising in 1945, breaking the chains of slavery, gaining freedom for themselves and independence for the Fatherland.
Therefore, at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: "All men are created equal. Their Creator has endowed them with certain inalienable rights; among these are the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to the pursuit of happiness." At the end of this important document, he, on behalf of tens of millions of compatriots, affirmed to the world: "The entire Vietnamese people will devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to maintaining that freedom and independence."
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Because independence and freedom are sacred values, inviolable rights of every nation. Through 79 autumns of independence, history has proven that independence is not a value bestowed from heaven, but a value exchanged with the blood and bones of more than 1,146,250 martyrs, more than 800,000 wounded and sick soldiers, nearly 111,000 revolutionaries and resistance fighters who were imprisoned by the enemy, and tens of thousands of victims who had to bear the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin through the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism and the fight to protect the northern border, the southwestern border and fulfill international obligations with Laos and Cambodia.
History is a multidimensional story. The development process of human history is basically a history of wars. Many nations had to go through war to gain independence. But there are also nations that can never gain that sacred right, or are only independent for a short time and then lost it, even perished, assimilated, and were wiped off the world map. Therefore, the bloodshed to gain independence like ours is a lasting independence, an independence that is continued and protected from dangerous situations of history. The proud value of independence and freedom lies there. Not understanding the value of independence and freedom is a sin against our ancestors. Not promoting the sense of independence, every nation can face the risk of losing the great foundation that our ancestors left behind.
But, not everyone who wants independence just raises the flag and decides to fight to the death!
Throughout the thousands of years of history of the nation's struggle for independence, it took nearly a century of exploration, experimentation, and great sacrifice for us to have a brilliant, sunny autumn day on the historic Ba Dinh Square for President Ho Chi Minh to read the Declaration of Independence. That young independence also took another 9 years of protracted resistance with many hardships and sacrifices, "blood mixed with mud, unwavering courage, unwearied will". Then it took another 21 years of division between the two regions, millions of people had to sacrifice, blood and bones soaked the Truong Son range, for us to have a day of national reunification, North and South reunited as one family.
National Day is a day of great joy for the country. Independence is the nation's steadfast oath engraved in the golden history of stone stele in the journey to affirm Vietnam's position on the world map. With the determination "even if we have to burn the Truong Son mountain range, we must gain independence"; with the spirit "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom!"; with the smooth, scientific combination of armed struggle with flexible, agile, and timely hard-soft diplomatic strategy, the Party and Uncle Ho have led the Vietnamese revolutionary boat to overcome all rapids, step over thousands of rocks, and firmly protect the independence of the Fatherland until today.
