Vietnam's Proclamation of independence by Ho Chi Minh in 1945, Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Compatriots of the entire nation assembled:
All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of the French Revolution made in 1791 also states: All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights.
Those are undeniable truths.
Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, in the name of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice.
In the field of politics, they have deprived our people of every democratic liberty.
They have enforced inhuman laws; they have set up three distinct political regimes in the North, Center, and South of Vietnam in order to destroy our national unity and prevent our people from being united.
They have built more prisons than schools. They have mercilessly slaughtered our patriots; they have drowned our uprisings in bloodbaths.
They have fettered public opinion; they have practiced obscurantism against our people.
To weaken our race they have forced us to use opium and alcohol.
In the field of economics, they have fleeced us to the backbone, impoverished our people and devastated our land.
They have robbed us of our rice fields, our mines, our forests, and our raw materials. They have monopolized the issuing of bank notes and the export trade.
They have invented numerous unjustifiable taxes and reduced our people, especially our peasantry, to a state of extreme poverty.
They have hampered the prospering of our national bourgeoisie; they have mercilessly exploited our workers.
In the autumn of 1940, when the Japanese fascists violated Indochina's territory to establish new bases in their fight against the Allies, the French imperialists went down on their bended knees and handed over our country to them. Thus, from that date, our people were subjected to the double yoke of the French and the Japanese. Their sufferings and miseries increased. The result was that, from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, from Quảng Trị Province to northern Vietnam, more than two million of our fellow citizens died from starvation.
On March 9 [1945], the French troops were disarmed by the Japanese. The French colonialists either fled or surrendered, showing that not only were they incapable of "protecting" us, but that, in the span of five years, they had twice sold our country to the Japanese.
On several occasions before March 9, the Việt Minh League urged the French to ally themselves with it against the Japanese. Instead of agreeing to this proposal, the French colonialists so intensified their terrorist activities against the Việt Minh members that before fleeing they massacred a great number of our political prisoners detained at Yên Bái and Cao Bằng.
Notwithstanding all this, our fellow citizens have always manifested toward the French a tolerant and humane attitude. Even after the Japanese Putsch of March 1945, the Việt Minh League helped many Frenchmen to cross the frontier, rescued some of them from Japanese jails, and protected French lives and property.
From the autumn of 1940, our country had in fact ceased to be a French colony and had become a Japanese possession. After the Japanese had surrendered to the Allies, our whole people rose to regain our national sovereignty and to found the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
...
A people who have courageously opposed French domination for more than eighty years, a people who have fought side by side with the Allies against the fascists during these last years, such a people must be free and independent!
For these reasons, we, the members of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly declare to the world that:
Vietnam has the right to be a free and independent country-and in fact it is so already. And thus the entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilize all their physical and mental strength, to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty.

[@rafaelgutierrez6275]

A man who first had patriotism in mind, but later realized that the vision of socialism was needed to achieve the freedom of the people. General, uncle and savior of a nation, godspeed Hồ Chí Minh!

[@ieatass4226]

lmao no. it’s just Soviet Union at the time were the only ones willing to fund independence if Vietnam flew a red flag. He asked the capitalist Americans for help first. Ho Chi Minh and us Vietnamese people don’t care about socialism.

[@rdchampion5078]

Even in 2023, this brings tears to my eyes. France builds more prisons than school and enacted inhuman laws, and oppressed our people for over 80 years.

[@fs5775]

Yet the French declared "liberty" and the "freedom of all men" as one of their values. The hypocrisy is outrageous and Ho Chi Minh directly called them on their bullshit. I have incredible respect for Ho Chi Minh. He was an amazing, strong and smart leader.

[@rdchampion5078]

@@fs5775it’s unfortunate because I rather learn French than Vietnamese. History would have turn out different had they (France) treated their colonies better 20/20 hindsight

[@sarcasmenul]

@@rdchampion5078 or didnt have any colonies at all, its funny so many french people dont understand why so many all over the world hate my country even though we did atrocious things for decades to people who never deserved anything...

[@ronintiger]

@@rdchampion5078france has lost every war since the 1800s lol

[@mohammedyassine9263]

Salute from Morroco 🇲🇦🇲🇦 our ancestors fought beside the vietnamese against the french imperial army to help them gain independence in indo-china war We value freedom and liberty and justice to all people who suffer from imperialism Free Palestine 🇲🇦🇵🇸✊

[@tuanz8009]

Moroccans were recruited by the Friench foreign region to fight against Ho Chi Minh’s troops. So you could say your ancestors were fighting along side the French.

[@mohammedyassine9263]

@@tuanz8009 The Morrocans defected from the french army and rebelled because they were fighting a war that isn't theirs to begin with because they were forced to join the fight,, they saw what injustice that french colonialism does to a country so that's why they sided with ho chi Minh troops We even have a vietnamese village for vietnamese descent in morroco Saved by king Hassan 2 of Morroco they intermarried with Morrocans

[@leocuto525]

@@tuanz8009 There were French soldiers who deserted and joined the Viet Minh, typically Kostas Sarantidis. also known by his Vietnamese name Nguyen Van Lap.

[@quanho3642]

​@@mohammedyassine9263 các bạn là những người bạn tốt của Việt Nam chúng tôi, tôi nhớ có 1 làng Việt Nam ở nước bạn

[@VanNienCuuViThienHo]

@@leocuto525 Kostas Sarantidis không phải lính Pháp, anh ấy là người Hy Lạp bị lừa phải gia nhập quân Pháp

[@bugzugke680]

I wish Iraqi and Afghanistan people in particular and mid-east countries in general have some one like Ho Chi Minh to regain their independence and peace.

[@tmq0311....]

Iraq have Saddam Husein as their Ho Chi Minh, but the Kurd people supported by Americans and the USA ruined it

[@UmQasaann]

​@@tmq0311.... Saddam Hussein is a US puppet

[@angthanhnguyen3350]

Xác định ko bao giờ có người thứ 2 như hồ chủ tịch vì ông ấy giỏi và lại có đạo đức rất tốt hết lòng lo cho nhân dân đc tự do hạnh phúc ko riêng tư ko thamô hết lòng phục vụ nhân dân

[@letue395]

​@@angthanhnguyen3350 like cho bạn

[@firstnamelastname9179]

@@tmq0311.... PFFT.... Saddam Hussein was a psychopathic mobster.

[@Uchiha_Sasule_84]

What a wise man.i admire his patriotism

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Ho Chi Minh is truly a gangster ..

[@thibaultnguyen197]

@@LanNguyen-gz6ov you might be a South Vietnamese American Propagand

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Ho Chi Minh is just an evil ,barbaric man by any means . Such a joke to sanctify that bloody Ho Chi Minh who is a war criminal .

[@Nooneall2405]

​@@LanNguyen-gz6ovloser

[@saurang8611]

@@LanNguyen-gz6ov tại sao? có phải mày bị mất nước?

[@janvanwelvaart8334]

Vietnam and Indonesia are the two first Southeast Asian countries that declaring independence just a short days after Japan surrendered to WW2 Allied Forces.

[@Iwuvalya]

If i made a country my declaration speech would be inspired by this speech

[@MrHeavy466]

This makes the American intervention in Vietnam doubly painful.

[@quanganhvu6791]

What could have been. Blame the French

[@fs5775]

America did it to itself by siding with the totally hypocritical French. Ho Chi Minh made fools of them all in the end. As he should have.

[@porsche911sbs]

Ho Chi Minh asked the US to support Vietnamese independence in 1919, then again in 1945.

[@ojskrimpsuun528]

@@quanganhvu6791 exactly, french warned the US that if we supported the Vietnamese they may fall in the sphere of "russian influence", essentially saying don't help or else...makes you wonder if we had supported the viet minh would there have been a vietnam war anyways? but instead of against the Vietnamese it was against france/russia. Very thought provoking.

[@thuongngoc8547]

I'm proud of a Vietnamese people!!!

[@StephenLuke]

Happy Vietnamese independence day! 🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳

[@tuanz8009]

English grammar is a joke

[@iishyxvietxboyii1]

@@tuanz8009 lol

[@UmQasaann]

​@@tuanz8009 He speaks better than any American I come across. Lol

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

@@StephenLuke Communist V N ‘s flag is just a bloody gangsters ‘ flag

[@StephenLuke]

On September 2, 1945, the same day when Vietnam declared independence, WWII officially ended when the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender, marking the end of hostilities.

[@calvinle9009]

After this fought France, USA, Cambodia, and China and hadn't lost a war.

[@StephenLuke]

@@calvinle9009 It's a shame Ho Chi Minh didn't live long enough to see the full victory of the Vietnam War.

[@Nooneall2405]

​@@StephenLukehe passed away on Sept 2nd 1969. About the time of Independent Declaration, Ho Chi Minh and his party made the right time and right move to grab a chance of victory. On 1945, there's no official army at all, the only chance to gain independence in on the same time Japan surrendered to the Ally, and the French lost their right to control Vietnam as a colony. It was on his plan, that was the only chance for Vietnam. The August Revolution began with farmers without modern weapons, people mostly did their rebellion with bamboo and farming tools to force Bao Dai Emperor resigned (who officially had the right on the whole nation - in fact just a puppet to the French). Very first part of the Independence Proclamation, the inference from French and American Independence Proclamation taken out. Ridiculously, then Vietnam had to fight 2 of them. Ho Chi Minh did say, Vietnameses fought against the invaders (the hostile French and American Goverment), not their people; he did not hate French and Americans at all, he learned from both countries before came back Vietnam to make revolution.

[@The_Weird_Cat]

@@StephenLuke Shame.... He passed away on 2/9/1969, the very day that he once read the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the creation of Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.

[@spawn6937]

Shout out to all my Vietnamese💯💞

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Not to the bloody North Communists .,,

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Such a nonsense ,stupid reply / comment ...from people having handicapped brains ... No one would be proud of such a bloody gangster HCM .,,.,

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

@HoàngĐăngKhoa-q3v Nonsense ...go back to jungles ,bloody North ..

[@xucphamvnrfa5884]

Time magazine, issue of November 22, 1954, published on the cover of President Ho Chi Minh's portrait and spent five pages talking about his background and career along with Vietnam's victory over France in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. This magazine emphasized: "With the victory (Dien Bien Phu), Mr. Ho Chi Minh's prestige reached new heights in Asia. Nationalists in many countries, although they were anti-communist, also cannot help but be proud of the feat of an Asian country's army defeating those who were their "boss" from Europe to... Under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, Viet Minh forces had the most effective jungle fighting army in Southeast Asia, had the most talented general in Southeast Asia, Vo Nguyen Giap, had the most solid political organization led by Ho Chi Minh, and had the best qualifications. adept leadership"...

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Ho Chi Minh is just a bloody man with no job ,,The invasion to the South Viet Nam is for his benefit only .,,and the wealth of the South VN is the reason for bloody Ho Chi Minh ‘s invasions to the South

[@gianglongnguyen1793]

luôn nghi nhớ công ơn của người , chủ tịch HCM ,người con vĩ đại của dân tộc , anh hùng ,danh nhân văn hóa .

[@ComradeChyrk]

Comrade ho chi Minh is an absolute legend

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Ho C Minh is definitely a bloody gangster who invaded the South Viet Nam for GREED . His North Communists are just a colony of MAGGOTS that need to be destroyed by any means . Do not be bluffed by the bloody Communist propaganda .

[@VanNienCuuViThienHo]

hi Comrade.

[@vincode6697]

Việt Nam muôn năm!!! Hồ chủ tịch muôn năm!!!!

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

Ho Chi Minh is a bloody gangster .

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

@HoàngĐăngKhoa-q3v Bo Do ,VC should be ashamed of your bloody HCM ,North Communists who invaded the South VN because of the rich wealth of the South VN . China supported & supplied weapons for bloody HCM ‘invasions in exchange of VN lands ...! So only stupid people who have no knowledge would be proud of HCM = the barbarian . Go back to jungles ,bloody North . To annihilate bloody North will be Justice to the South VN . Natural disasters would wash away Communist North completely = fair deal . Bo Do ,VC keep mouths shut ..,

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

@HoàngĐăngKhoa-q3v North Communists , bloody HCM are too poor then turn to be gangsters who invaded the South VN with China ‘s support in exchange of VN ‘s lands ,islands . Such contemptuous they are = barbarians .,,,shame on them ., Stop your nonsense reply .,the idiot ....

[@LanNguyen-gz6ov]

HCM la ten CUOP vi ngheo. ,vi ngu ...Nhung ke ngu dot thi thich thang cuop HCM ...

[@Ilgiuseppe.26]

Onore e gloria eterni al compagno Ho Chi Minh! Saluti dall'Italia! ❤️🇮🇹🤝🏻🇻🇳❤️

[@XIIIZangetsu]

Vietnamese people got their freedom, because of this man. Unlike Ngo Dinh Diem..

[@ojskrimpsuun528]

Ho Chi Minh respected american values and history so much that he was inspired to use words from the Constitution, in his youth he was able to visit america where he gained knowledge and respect for us. They had high hopes that the USA would support their fight for independence against the French just as we had fought against the British for our own independence. We sent OSS officers to improve relations and to observe the combat capabilities of the Viet Minh to see how effective they were, we were quite surprised and impressed to say the least. At the time the US was in between a rock and a hard place, support the Vietnamese and go against the French (which threatened the US by saying they may fall under Russian influence if we did so), or to take the side of our long term ally to avoid the possibility of ruined relations and avoid the potential of france siding with the soviet union. History is filled with decisions that have profound and unseen consequences, it saddens me and makes me think what better decisions could have led to a much better outcome, than again hindsight is 20/20.

[@nguyendemo]

Ho Chi Minh had a deep impression of America, but not as you think. He traveled to many countries, to capitalist countries to learn about the social and political life in the places he stopped. He was impressed with the declarations of independence of France and the United States. He used those two declarations as inspiration to include in the declaration of independence of Vietnam. But about the capitalist societies of France and the United States, Ho Chi Minh had a different perspective. In 1912, Uncle Ho went to New York City, the United States to make a living and study the social history of the United States. During this time, he took the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty. In the notebook, politicians all praised the bright star on the laurel wreath as the light of freedom. Only Uncle Ho looked down at the foot of the statue and wrote: “The light on top of the Statue of Liberty shines across the blue sky, but at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, black people are being trampled; the fate of women is the same. When will blacks be equal to whites? When will there be equality between races? And when will women be equal to men?

[@VanNienCuuViThienHo]

@@nguyendemo đó là lý do làm nên sự vĩ đại của 1 vị Thánh chuyển sinh xuống thế gian

[@robertjoaseus-fo3nh]

A wise man. A great man.

[@kevinfritsch2620]

French just at their finest Surrendering on and against literally everything

[@Trgn]

Mongol, China, Japan and US always faced the same fate in Vietnam. Dont single out the French

[@analoguegeek]

Except for all those wars they won... I mean, you speak English - half of it is just old French words because just one french guy from the northern part took over ALL of the country... like not even all of France just one dude.

[@Babyinyourbedroom]

@@Trgn Nước Pháp rất khác biệt với những đế quốc khác, hãy xem những gì người Pháp để lại ở các thuộc địa của họ, nếu chúng ta không chiến thắng bằng vũ lực ở Điện Biên Phủ, số phận của chúng ta có lẽ giống như những gì đang diễn ra ở các thuộc địa của Pháp được "trao trả độc lập" ở Châu Phi. Ôi, xót xa thay, độc lập phải trả giá bằng máu mới là độc lập thật sự!

[@VanNienCuuViThienHo]

2/9/2024. Tôi đến đây để nghe lại lời của Thánh Nhân, nghe lại tuyên bố về quyền cho toàn nhân loại.

[@longtran8678]

Vietnamese people are very good at math, don't calculate with us. :)))

[@iii4740]

@@haxtherr veitnam???

[@LinhKhanh-yn8gr]

@@haxtherr Vietnam not Veitnam

[@NhatMinhNguyen-zx1jd]

The French colonialists were the ones who deprived the Vietnamese people of their natural rights. And America itself went against its own declaration when it founded the country by supporting the French colonialists to continue to colonize and make the Vietnamese people extremely hungry.

[@vandieupham5473]

Bác Hồ Chí Minh.❤

[@namem1253]

Ngày mai là ngày 2/9/2023 ❤❤❤ 🇻🇳

[@anduonghoai9983]

Vô cùng kính nguõng cha ông khai sáng nền độc lập nước nhà. Nhất là Bác Hồ. Nhưng nếu Bác sống đến hôm nay thì cũng chứng kiến hậu duệ của Bác chả khác thực dân Pháp =)). Chúng vơ vét với và giết người không thấy máu bằng những bộ luật tạo ra lợi ích bảo vệ chúng =)) Bác Hồ sống mãi trong những người Việt Nam yêu nước.

[@trungquang4171]

Với tội phạm thì phải tử hình để 100tr người dân được sống thoải mái.

[@NghiaTran-dn4su]

Các bạn có thấy không, trong bản tuyên ngôn không hề có một từ Cộng sản. Thậm chí , câu mở đầu được lấy từ Bản tuyên ngôn dân quyền và Dân quyền của Mỹ- một nước đang dần đối địch với Liên Xô đương thời. Trong bản tuyên ngôn còn đề cập tới " tư sản" một từ rất nhạy cảm với các chế độ " cộng sản". Có lẽ, Việt Minh là một tổ chức yêu nước nhiều hơn là một tổ chức Cộng sản, một tổ chức mang thiên hướng "dân tộc" hơn là thiên hướng "quốc tế" của chủ nghĩa cộng sản.

[@nang8683]

Cộng sản không xấu, nó chỉ xấu trong bộ máy truyền thông phương tây. Tư bản hay cộng sản đều có điểm xấu va tốt. Và nên nhớ cốt lõi của xã hội là con người và các giá trị thúc đẩy hay kìm hãm nó.

[@Ultra_timelordd]

you don't know that russia revolution is coppy the french revolution that will be communist. viet minh is nationalist and communist that why the flag have red and star and another flag is red !

[@Ultra_timelordd]

american spy here!

[@tuananhhoang3733]

@@Ultra_timelordd they even proudly sang la marseillaise and l'internationale

[@Sunnyvn792]

Đừng lật sử, chủ nghĩa cs là ngọn đèn soi sáng trong suốt cđ Bác Hồ, cho đến khi ng qua đời, di chúc của Bác vẫn nhấn mạnh điều đó, trích tuf mẽo để bọn nó ko thể phản biện dc thôi

[@sugarmashofficial_6210]

Feels like a song

[@KelvinThePatriot]

Hey thats me!

[@arinclawson9202]

Uncle ho!!!❤️❤️❤️

[@larywan]

@@arinclawson9202 that's an insult

[@SkylinedTR]

The Vietnamese were lucky. They had a leader like Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho rose to the land of Vietnam like a light. He sent Japan, France and the Americans home. But the Cambodian people were not lucky. They had no leaders like Uncle Ho. They had brutal killers like Pol Pot.

[@iainreed9424]

A great man.

[@user-rl3iv2jk9q]

Congratulations .

[@malismarma_5040]

Ayo

[@giaitri-gc2rq]

Ngày 2 tháng 9 ngày bac mất cũng là ngày quốc khánh

[@vanhuyvuong79]

Thật tự hào là người Việt Nam!

[@quachthenhat28n1]

Lịch sử đau khổ nhất thế giới

[@bonvusfamily]

Ai là người việt nam thì ấn vao đây và coment 👇🏾

[@bonvusfamily]

Ai yêu bác Hồ thì ấn vao đây 👇🏾

[@MEMEGBLEBER]

HE MADE HO PROUD HO HO HO WOWHOHOHOHOHOHOOHOHOHOHO 🤗🤭🤫WAT A P'HO WAHAHAHAHHA

[@FindTheFun]

How did it all go so wrong from here?

[@thanhdinh3179]

The American government saw that HCM was a communist sympathizer and refused to assist in his independence movement. Instead they supported the French led South and established a flawed but democratic government there. The war broke out because they refused to hold a vote that would determine the fate of north and south Vietnam. They believed that the Vietnamese would overwhelmingly support reunification which would mean spreading HCM communism throughout all of Vietnam. The difference between Vietnamese communism and Chinese communism as I see it is that Vietnamese communism is rooted in ideals of American democracy. Obviously the governmental form of communism is vastly different in structure than a democratic government which in the end I think limits Vietnam in truly living out its ideals. But in terms of ideology alone HCM actually supported and looked up to the US and it’s democratic government. Essentially everything went wrong when the US supported the French colonials instead of the Vietnamese.

[@tilly3702]

@@thanhdinh3179 thank you sir.

[@humanbean1424]

​​​​@@thanhdinh3179But Ho Chi Minh stated himself that he's moved my patriotism for the country and his people first and Marxist ideal second. Meaning he was for his people and wanted first and far most to allie with United States for the betterment of his own, and therefore he declared Vietnam a Democratic Republic in this here speech. This was when Vietnam successfully united its country as one. During this speech the United States flew one of its large air craft by the rally to signify the alliance between them and Democratic Republic of Vietnam. But it was short lived because the stanky french wanted to take control over Vietnam again, and when called upon, the United States under President Truman refused to help, thus forcing Ho Chi Minh to side with the Communist to fight off the French, who were in the past has exploited the vietnamese people and treated them horribly. Vietnam was split into two, and thus began the Vietnam war. My Family is from South Vietnam, my pops bleed and suffer scares fighting for his country, so im conflicted in this matter. But after studying these history, I really feel that we got played and putted against each other, regarding the North and South. If im correct, the United States failed Vietnam twice. Under Ho Chi Minh, it couldve ran as a democratic republic with the help of the United States.

[@ThanhNguyen-xf9dl]

​@@vivianle2701 Hiểu sai ý người ta rồi. Ý người ta là tại sao mọi thứ tồi tệ hơn và diễn ra 2 cuộc chiến tranh liên tiếp với Pháp và Mỹ đó. Chứ k phải VN trở lên tồi tệ hơn, 1 bạn ở trên đã giải thích rất đầy đủ