The vitality of the August Revolution
(Baonghean) - In August 1945, amidst the rapid development of the world situation and the surging momentum of the anti-Japanese national salvation movement, seizing a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, our Party led our people to rise up in rebellion and seize power.
On August 19th, the uprising was victorious in Hanoi, followed immediately by Hue, Saigon, and other localities, achieving nationwide success in less than two weeks. In Nghe An, joining the nationwide revolutionary movement, under the leadership of the Nghe Tinh Inter-provincial Viet Minh, with the spirit of "not caring whether it's a village or a district first" (the Viet Minh's call), villages, communes, and districts in the province quickly mobilized self-defense forces and the masses, marching to district offices and village communal houses to seize the seals of the old government apparatus and declare the establishment of a people's democratic government. On August 21st, tens of thousands of people from all directions marched to the governor Dang Huong's residence to declare the abolition of the colonial and feudal government and the establishment of the revolutionary government of Nghe An province, consisting of 7 members, mostly former political prisoners, with Mr. Le Viet Luong as chairman.
On September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first workers' and peasants' state in Southeast Asia.
The August Revolution marked a great turning point in the Vietnamese revolution, ending over 80 years of French colonial rule and over a thousand years of feudal tyranny. It transformed our people from slaves into masters of their own destiny, making our nation a free and equal nation alongside other nations in the world. Our Party, which had to operate in secrecy for 15 years, became the ruling party.
The victory of the August Revolution was a victory of the strength of national unity. Our people, from South to North, from old to young, regardless of religion, political party, or wealth, gathered under the patriotic banner of the Viet Minh Front to rise up and "use our own strength to liberate ourselves" (Ho Chi Minh).
The victory of the August Revolution was a victory of the brilliant leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, headed by President Ho Chi Minh. At that historical moment, our Party had only over 5,000 members, but through its correct policies and flexible leadership strategies and tactics, it unleashed the powerful vitality of the Vietnamese people to rise up and carry out the greatest revolution in the nation's history.
For the past 68 years, building on the vitality of the August Revolution, our Party has led our people to continue "dedicating all their spirit and strength, lives and property to protecting that freedom and independence," safeguarding the achievements of the August Revolution. With the victories of the 9-year protracted resistance war against French colonialism, the more than 20-year resistance war against the US for national salvation, and 25 years of implementing the Doi Moi (Renovation) process, our Party has proven that the August Revolution is the driving force and the potential source of strength for the Vietnamese revolution. The August Revolution has also spread and illuminated many theoretical and practical issues for the subsequent stages. The revolutionary practice over the past nearly seven decades has vividly and convincingly demonstrated that preserving and promoting the achievements of the August Revolution means preserving and promoting the vigorous vitality of Ho Chi Minh Thought and Vietnamese culture.
Nghe An Newspaper
