The Enduring Value of the Declaration of Independence

Immediately after the success of the August Revolution in 1945, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the provisional government, read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945 at Ba Dinh Square (Hanoi), declaring to the nation and the world: "Vietnam has the right to freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent country."

HUMAN RIGHTS ARE DIALECTICALLY UNIFIED WITH NATIONAL RIGHTS

The Declaration of Independence read by President Ho Chi Minh on behalf of the Provisional Government on September 2, 1945 not only gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, bringing the Vietnamese people into a new era - the era of independence, freedom and socialism, but also had profound contemporary significance, because the idea of ​​freedom and the right to pursue happiness of each citizen was associated with the sacred equality between nations; the spirit and will to fight for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people in the journey to regain freedom and independence.

Affirming that human rights and the rights of each nation are legitimate, at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh expressed his profound and transcendent thinking when quoting the Declaration of Independence of the United States in 1776 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of the French Revolution in 1791: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness”;“Men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights.””. With this argument, he went on to affirm: “Broadly speaking, that sentence means: all peoples in the world are born equal, every people has the right to live, the right to happiness and the right to freedom” and “Those are undeniable truths”. And therefore, every Vietnamese person and the Vietnamese nation have those legitimate rights; no one can take them away; and if they are taken away, the whole nation will be resilient, united, and persistent in fighting to regain them and determined to protect them.

Next, President Ho Chi Minh denounced the French colonialists: “For more than 80 years, the French colonialists have taken advantage of the flag of freedom, equality, and fraternity to rob our country and oppress our people. Their actions are completely contrary to humanity and justice. Politically, they absolutely do not give our people any democratic freedom... They set up three different regimes in the Central, South, and North to prevent the unification of the country, to prevent our people from uniting. They set up more prisons than schools. They brutally kill patriots... They bind public opinion and implement a policy of keeping people ignorant. They use opium and alcohol to weaken our race... They exploit our people to the bone... They impose hundreds of unreasonable taxes... They do not allow our capitalists to become rich. They exploit our workers in an extremely cruel manner.” Not stopping there, in the fall of 1940, when the Japanese fascists came to Indochina, the French colonialists knelt down and surrendered, and "so not only did they not "protect" us, on the contrary, in 5 years, they sold our country twice to the Japanese", making our people suffer even more, causing "more than two million of our compatriots to starve to death".

Striving for independence and freedom, the truth is: 1) “Since the fall of 1940, our country has become a colony of Japan, not a colony of France anymore”; 2) “When Japan surrendered to the Allies, the people of our entire country rose up to seize power and establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam”; 3) “Our people took back Vietnam from the hands of Japan, not from the hands of France”; 4) “The French fled, Japan surrendered, and King Bao Dai abdicated. Our people broke the colonial chains of nearly 100 years to create an independent Vietnam. Our people also overthrew the monarchy that had existed for decades and established the Democratic Republic” and Vietnam became an independent nation.

Therefore, President Ho Chi Minh declared to “completely break off relations with France, abolish all treaties that France had signed on Vietnam, abolish all privileges of France in Vietnam”; at the same time, he emphasized, “the allied countries have recognized the principles of national equality at the Teheran and San Francisco Conferences, and absolutely cannot but recognize the independence of the Vietnamese people”. Because, “A nation that has courageously fought against French slavery for more than 80 years, a nation that has courageously stood with the Allies against fascism for several years, that nation must be free! That nation must be independent!”, so “Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese nation is determined to devote all its spirit and strength, its lives and property to maintaining that freedom and independence”. The oath of independence - The sacred oath to protect the country and the immortal spirit of the August Revolution in 1945 has echoed throughout the country, forever.

President Ho Chi Minh's statement in the Declaration of Independence about the inevitable right to independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people in the journey of fighting for independence and freedom was not only a preemptive strike against the French colonialists' plot to reoccupy Indochina and the imperialist countries' intention to intervene in Vietnam, but also affirmed to public opinion: Any act of violating the independence and sovereignty of an independent Vietnam is a violation of international law, going against the development trend of progressive humanity.

As Professor Singo Sibata said when studying the Declaration of Independence, "Ho Chi Minh's famous contribution is that he developed human rights into national rights. Thus, all nations have the right to self-determination." Therefore, it can be said that the 1945 Declaration of Independence is not only the declaration of independence of the Vietnamese nation but also the declaration of human rights, the rights of colonial peoples in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. History shows that freedom and equality are the humanistic ideals of human society since the existence of classes. The struggle for freedom and equality of people in particular, of each nation in particular, is a humanistic goal, an ideal of progressive humanity. Therefore, President Ho Chi Minh's citation of the two Declarations of the United States and France shows that human rights and national rights are an objective reality of the perception of truth. President Ho Chi Minh started from human rights, through human rights to establish national rights and fight for national rights, because human rights are the foundation for establishing national rights. Therefore, when expanding and developing from human rights to the right to national independence and freedom; affirming that human rights and national rights are always closely linked together, dialectically unified with each other, the height of Ho Chi Minh's ideology and radical revolutionary humanity were crystallized in the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The crystallization of the spirit, will and aspiration for independence and freedom; the persistent struggle for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people, the Declaration of Independence affirmed the sacred and inviolable rights of the Vietnamese people, the unshakable iron will of the Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese nation in the struggle to gain and protect national independence.

HISTORICAL VALUE AND CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE

The Declaration of Independence was drafted by President Ho Chi Minh right in the heart of Hanoi, at 48 Hang Ngang Street of the patriotic capitalist Trinh Van Bo. This important document was discussed and commented on by President Ho Chi Minh, who was in the Central Party Standing Committee, members of the Provisional Government, the masses, and consulted by A. Patti - representing the Allies. The Declaration of Independence has 1,120 words, arranged in 49 sentences. This is a historical document, a concise, tight, sharp legal document, containing core contents, with a solid legal basis to not only affirm the national sovereignty of the Vietnamese people before the world but also open a new era for our nation and people on the path of construction and development, enhancing the position of Vietnam in the international arena.

The Declaration of Independence not only crystallizes the traditional values ​​of heroism, indomitability, spirit and will to fight for an independent and free Vietnam, but also affirms that the Vietnamese revolution is a part of the world revolutionary movement; at the same time, it encourages the people of colonial and dependent countries to rise up against colonialism and gain national independence. Therefore, the Declaration of Independence is not only associated with Ho Chi Minh but also opens the historical Ho Chi Minh era associated with the journey of the Vietnamese people steadfastly on the path of national independence associated with socialism.

The Declaration of Independence also clearly affirmed the role and strength of the united people in the struggle for independence and freedom. In that difficult journey, with the leadership of the Party, with a correct and creative revolutionary line, with the strength of great national unity, taking advantage of and promoting the strength of the nation and the times, our people abolished the entire colonial and feudal regime, "regaining their name on the world map". Therefore, the Declaration of Independence is not only a brilliant milestone, contributing to the glorious history of building and defending the country of our people, but also making the Vietnamese culture: "Living firmly for four thousand years / Back carrying a sword, hand softly holding a flower pen / Pure and true, bright on both banks of thought / Living uprightly but humanely and harmoniously" be affirmed and spread throughout the times.

With the Declaration of Independence, a Vietnam resurrected after many losses and sacrifices continues to move towards a bright future, fighting for peace, independence, freedom, democracy and social progress. In that journey, imbued with Ho Chi Minh's thought that "all peoples in the world are born equal" in the Declaration of Independence, associated with "ensuring the supreme interests of the nation - people", always considering the interests of the nation and people as supreme, the highest and most important goal, meaning the orientation of foreign affairs activities in all fields, Vietnam has always been steadfast and ready to cooperate with all countries, including countries that have a hostile past but recognize the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Vietnam. That is the tradition of tolerance and humanity of Vietnam, which is to eliminate hatred and put the past behind to move towards the future together.

History records that President Ho Chi Minh declared “to completely break away from colonial relations with France” in the Declaration of Independence, but he also emphasized that Vietnam is ready and proactive in building Vietnam-France friendship, sincerely cooperating and cooperating comprehensively with the French government and people and “welcoming the French who want to bring capital into our country to exploit untapped raw materials… we can invite French experts as well as American, Russian or Chinese experts to come here to help us in national construction. But, it must be reiterated that the main condition is that they must recognize the independence of this country. If not, then there can be no discussion at all”…

This vivid evidence not only demonstrates his "immutable" principle of independence, autonomy, all for the benefit of the nation, the people, for the benefit of the people to respond to the "ever-changing" and unpredictable "variables", but also demonstrates President Ho Chi Minh's flexible and agile foreign policy thinking. This also shows that, consistently and throughout Ho Chi Minh's thought, in order to be "equal" and have "equal rights" in international relations, it is necessary to build a strong and comprehensive national strength in politics, economy, culture, diplomacy, national defense, security, etc. At the same time, it is necessary to be proactive, clear-headed, and alert to have appropriate countermeasures against any foreign invaders; especially when national sovereignty is threatened or violated, it is necessary to seek international support, associated with perseverance, steadfastness, and determination but not rigidity and mechanicalness; gentleness but not compromise and weakness in decisions and actions.

From affirming the values ​​of a nation as the right to equality, the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to freedom in the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that human rights are only truly guaranteed when linked to the right to independence and freedom of the nation. Imbued with his ideology, over the past 90 years, under the leadership of the Party, our people have persistently fought to protect the achievements of the August Revolution in 1945, successfully carried out the resistance war against French colonialism and American imperialism, liberated the South, reunified the country, etc., firmly pursuing the goal of national independence linked to socialism.

In particular, in more than 30 years of innovation and international integration, along with achievements in all aspects, human rights have been implemented and enshrined in the Constitution. Through many times of building and amending the Constitution, human rights and citizens' rights have always been a fundamental issue of the 1946 Constitution, the 1959 Constitution, the 1980 Constitution, the 1992 Constitution, and the 2013 Constitution. In the 2013 Constitution, for the first time, human rights, citizens' rights and obligations were stipulated in Chapter II. Subsequently, institutionalizing the 2013 Constitution, the National Assembly also amended and developed many laws on the basis of ensuring human rights associated with protecting the social regime such as the Penal Code (2015), the Press Law (2016); Law on Access to Information (2016)… In particular, it can be said that the goal of building a socialist Vietnam with “rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization” is the realization of the “right to happiness”/“rich people” and the “right to freedom”/“democracy”, the right to be the master, the right to be the master of the people/human rights affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh in the Declaration of Independence in 1945.

74 years after President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, especially after more than 30 years of national renovation, every Vietnamese citizen has seen more deeply the value of independence and freedom; the great and profound significance of Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on human rights and the rights of each nation. That is also the goal and ideal that all nations and peoples in the world strive for.

The Declaration of Independence is the ideology, the aspiration and the result of the journey to find a way to save the country, the reality of the revolutionary struggle and the sharp, unique scientific thinking of leader Ho Chi Minh; at the same time, it is also a vivid embodiment of the historical encounter between the Vietnamese people, rich in tradition and culture, always aspiring for independence, freedom, peace and friendship, and an era of peace, cooperation, friendliness and development, always respecting international law.

In the context of globalization, the world and regional situation is still very complicated and unpredictable, international relations have both advantages and many challenges today, on the basis of determining the ultimate goal of protecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of sea and island sovereignty associated with ensuring human rights, a peaceful, prosperous and happy life for the people, our entire Party, people and army continue to persevere in the line and policy of independence, self-reliance, peace and friendship with other countries to build and protect the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness and civilization"./.