Independence Day of Vietnam

By Remitbee - Sep 1, 2021

On September 2, 1945, the very first President of the country, Ho Chi Minh, announced the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Vietnamese people and the rest of the world. “All men are born equal: the Creator has given us inviolable rights, life, liberty, and happiness!” the proclamation declared, paraphrasing the United States Declaration of Independence. A big crowd gathered in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square and cheered President Ho Chi Minh as Vietnam officially became its own country after the French colonial rule for about a hundred years as well as the control of Japan.

It was in 1858, when Vietnam became a French territory. In 1897, France formed the Federation of Indochina, which separated Vietnam into distinct governing regions. This was true until World War II, when Japan staged a coup. On August 15, 1945, as Japan surrendered, a Vietnamese national independence coalition started an insurgency which has been in the works for a long time. People's Revolutionary Committees took up administrative posts across the countryside, while the Japanese stood by and the Vietnamese grabbed control of the city.

In many locations across the world, National Day festivities are generally organized in a formal way in Vietnam embassies. Diplomatic representatives from neighbouring nations are also asked to join the event in order to strengthen connections between the two countries. On this day, the Vietnamese government gets numerous congratulations from foreign governments.

Workers, office workers, and students are all off on this day because it is a national holiday. Some businesses also organize group excursions for their employees. Swimming, sailing, and boat racing festivals are all popular activities on this day, and they are conducted all around the world. These events draw a large number of people. Families, shops, and shopping centers all throughout Vietnam fly the crimson flag with a yellow star to commemorate National Day. Flags and banners abound throughout the streets. Some individuals also conduct gatherings in major cities' downtown areas.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 celebration was broadcasted live on Vietnam’s Television Channel 1. A special arts programme entitled ‘Loi The Doc Lap’ (Oath of Independence) was staged. Reports, stories shared by historical witnesses, songs, and dances were featured in the program, which span the period from the 1990s, when Vietnamese people were subjected to harsh colonial rule, to President Ho Chi Minh's quest for national salvation, and the Vietnamese people's struggle for national independence.

The presence of His Excellency the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Canada, Pham Cao Phong, added to the significance of the Toronto event in 2020, which had a restricted turnout due to COVID-19. Professor Nguyen Dai Trang, an internationally known scholar and specialist on Ho Chi Minh's life and the history of Vietnam, delivered the keynote address at the event. A PowerPoint presentation of a virtual museum named "Ho Chi Minh Arts Online," produced by members of the Canada Vietnam Friendship Society, was shown at the event. The online museum was created to promote essays, poetry, historic pictures, and artwork about President Ho Chi Minh's life and legacy to the globe.

This year, the same society organized a virtual celebration of the 76th anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnam’s National Day last August 22, 2021. The program included a speech from His Excellency, Pham Cao Phong, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Canada and a presentation by Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Vietnam University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Vice-President of Vietnam Canada Friendship Association on the topic “No one left behind: Socialism in the fight against COVID-19.” The virtual celebration was also graced by musical performances.

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