Heroic memories of the first day of independence 71 years ago

For every Vietnamese person, the autumn days of 1945 will forever go down in national history as a brilliant and heroic milestone.

In particular, on September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which has been deeply imprinted in the minds of every Vietnamese person.

People listen to President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945. (Photo: Archive)

In the story of Mr. Le Duc Van in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi seems to revive a capital with the heroic and exciting spirit of a nation that has just gained independence. That day, from the early morning, people from everywhere enthusiastically headed to Ba Dinh Square. In each person's hand was a small red flag with a yellow star, everyone's face was radiant with happiness, as if going to a festival and it was truly the biggest festival of the entire nation. More than 70 autumns have passed since the country's independence, but for those who witnessed the atmosphere of September 2, 1945, they will never forget the important historical moments when Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence.

Mr. Le Duc Van recalled: “On September 2, the whole of Hanoi was jubilant, everyone made welcome gates, sewed flags, one house sewed 3 flags, then learned to sing the song Tien Quan Ca, Diet Phat Xit, with an excited atmosphere, jubilantly welcoming independence. That day was also the first time many people got to know Uncle Ho.

For those who were assigned to protect Uncle Ho on that first day of independence, it was an even greater honor. Mr. Nguyen Quang Phong, a former police officer of the Secret Service in Hanoi, said: The Secret Service and the Northern Police were honored to be assigned to protect the ceremony at Ba Dinh, to protect the security and order of the rally, and to prevent any sabotage activities by the enemy. Armed police officers stood in a line on both sides of the road, from where the leader and members of the Government departed to the stage. Secret reconnaissance forces disguised themselves among the crowd attending the rally to detect suspicious phenomena and were ready to prevent them. Police forces were arranged to openly protect the masses, maintaining order among the rally attendees. Some people were chosen to wear costumes, with pistols or rifles to perform the task of protecting the area around the stage.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Phong recalled: “On September 2, at that time, the task of setting up the flagpole in Ba Dinh was assigned to Mr. Nguyen Huu Dang, the architect was Ngo Huu Quynh. At that time, we were assigned the task of protecting the rally, protecting the convoy taking Uncle Ho to the stage. There were no uniforms, so we all wore shorts and shirts, riding bicycles to escort Uncle Ho's car to the stage.”

Mrs. Le Thi

“I walked up to the stage, feeling worried because I had not prepared in advance. When I got close to the stage, I met a woman, and the two of us walked up together. When the song Tien Quan Ca started, we slowly raised the flag, until the end of the song, the flag was fluttering. We breathed a sigh of relief because we had completed our mission,” Ms. Le Thi recalled. Recalling the beautiful memories of the first Independence Day of the country, Ms. Le Thi, from Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem district, recounted: She was honored to be the one to raise the glorious flag of the Fatherland in the great historical moment of the nation. Joining the crowd pouring into Ba Dinh Square, she stood in the National Salvation Women’s Group in white, wearing bata shoes, holding a stick, joining the groups of workers, youth, Catholics, teachers... while walking and chanting slogans in support of the revolution, in support of the Viet Minh. When Uncle Ho stepped onto the stage, everyone was silent, standing up solemnly to watch Uncle Ho introduce himself to the nation. That was also the first time Ms. Le Thi met President Ho Chi Minh. It was a surprising feeling for her to see Uncle Ho so simple and close.

These days, every Vietnamese person is reliving the atmosphere of the autumn of independence. The joy of the early days of an independent country is the joy of a heroic nation that has driven out the colonial regime that ruled the country for more than 80 years and expelled the Japanese fascists from the country; smashing the feudal throne that had reigned for nearly 10 centuries. That is the fresh air of an independent and free Vietnam./.

According to VOV.VN