On September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Provisional Government, read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and opening a new era of independence and freedom.
Eighty-one years later, the values expressed in the declaration continue to carry profound significance. The historic document not only proclaimed the birth of an independent Vietnamese state but also embodied President Ho Chi Minh’s thinking on national independence, freedom, human rights and people’s right to political agency.
The success of the August Revolution in 1945 also demonstrated the power of the people when they were brought together, organised and guided toward a common goal, as well as the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh in bringing the nation to a historic turning point.
Declaration of Independence links human rights to national rights
According to Dr. Duong Minh Hue of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics’ Institute of Party History, President Ho Chi Minh opened the Declaration of Independence by referring to universal principles on human rights set out in the United States Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of Human and Civic Rights of 26 August 1789. But he did not stop at human rights. He developed those principles into national rights, affirming: “All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.”
This represented a creative development of universal values, linking principles shared by humanity with Vietnam’s historical reality and its struggle for independence.
For this reason, independence in President Ho Chi Minh’s thinking was not merely a formal concept or a matter of establishing national sovereignty. Independence had to be linked with freedom and happiness for the people.
President Ho Chi Minh also stressed that if a country was independent but its people did not enjoy happiness and freedom, that independence would not be complete. The Declaration of Independence therefore places people at the centre. They are the force that makes history and the ultimate beneficiaries of the achievements brought by independence and development.
“The declaration’s affirmation of Vietnam’s national independence established an important legal foundation for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and became an enduring value of the Vietnamese nation,” Dr. Hue affirmed.
People were the source of the August Revolution’s strength
Looking more deeply at the ideas of independence, freedom and people’s right to political agency, Major General Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Sau, deputy director of the Institute for Military Strategy and Defence History under the Ministry of National Defence, said the declaration also reflected the strategic vision, political thought and leadership capacity of the Communist Party and President Ho Chi Minh in guiding the August Revolution.
According to him, the success of the August Revolution first came from correctly identifying the forces, objectives and timing of the struggle.
From 1939, amid rapid changes in the domestic and international situation, the Party identified national liberation as the top priority and sought to unite all patriotic forces regardless of class, religion, ethnicity or political tendency.
The Viet Minh became a key organisational framework for mobilising and strengthening the power of national solidarity. In this way, the patriotic spirit of millions of people was transformed into unified political strength and revolutionary action.
Another decisive factor was President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee’s ability to seize the right moment. As conditions inside and outside the country changed rapidly, the call for a general uprising came at the right time, guided by the principle of “relying on our own strength to liberate ourselves.”
Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Van Sau stressed the victory of the August Revolution was therefore not a matter of historical luck, but the result of long-term preparation, careful organisation, the timely identification of an opportunity and decisive action.
In that process, the people were the direct force behind the victory, the Party organised and led the movement, and President Ho Chi Minh played a central role in mobilizing, uniting and guiding the people.
“The unity of a correct political line, an outstanding leader and the strength of great national solidarity brought the August Revolution of 1945 to victory,” he said.
From revolutionary victory to a legitimate state
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sau, President Ho Chi Minh’s political stature was reflected not only in his leadership of the struggle for power but also in his ability to turn the achievement of the uprising into a legitimate and authoritative political order before the Vietnamese people and the international community.
The Declaration of Independence affirmed Vietnam’s right to self-determination while drawing on universal principles of human and national rights to establish the legitimacy and just cause of the new Vietnamese state.
It therefore laid the foundation for a lasting principle i.e. an independent nation must be one in which the people exercise ownership, while government exists for and relies on the people. This idea also connects the declaration with the broader task of national construction and national development in later periods.
Independence must lead to freedom, prosperity and happiness
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sau said the idea of “independence and freedom” in the Declaration of Independence should be understood as both a historical value and one with continuing contemporary relevance. The two concepts cannot be separated, and independence cannot be understood simply as the establishment of national sovereignty.
Independence must create the conditions for people to live in freedom, exercise their rights and enjoy increasingly prosperous and happy lives. From this perspective, independence cannot be considered fully meaningful if people’s living standards do not improve.
The value of freedom today should be reflected in people’s right to participate in public life, the rule of law, social fairness, opportunities for development, employment, education, health care, a safe living environment and the ability of each person to develop their potential, contribute to society and benefit from national development.
This is also how the declaration’s ideas continue to be connected with Vietnam’s development in practice: independence is not only a value to be protected but also a foundation for expanding freedom and improving people’s quality of life.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sau said the August Revolution also offers an enduring lesson that major historical breakthroughs require the ability to rely on the people, mobilise their strength, inspire patriotism and seize the right moment to act.
The enduring values of the Declaration of Independence
Looking back at the Declaration of Independence 81 years after it was proclaimed, its enduring significance lies not only in its affirmation of national sovereignty but also in the relationship between independence, freedom and the people.
The people were the direct force behind the revolution, the owners of the new state and the ultimate beneficiaries of the country’s independence, development and future.
“Safeguarding independence is to ensure that the people have the right to decide their own future; developing the country is to turn that independence into freedom, prosperity and happiness. This is the enduring vitality of Ho Chi Minh’s thought in the Declaration of Independence for Vietnam today,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sau said.
Eighty-one years after the declaration was proclaimed at Ba Dinh Square, its message remains closely tied to a fundamental principle, that national strength ultimately comes from the people, while independence gains its fullest meaning when it serves their freedom, well-being and right to shape the future.
