After nearly a century of suffering colonial rule, the Vietnamese nation, from the status of a lost country, regained independence and decided its own destiny. But the meaning of the Declaration is not only in establishing an independent nation. Right from the first lines, President Ho Chi Minh raised a deeper issue: The independence of a nation, in the end, must aim for the right to life, freedom and happiness of the human being.
Therefore, it is no coincidence that President Ho Chi Minh began the Declaration of Independence with the truths about human rights stated in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 of the United States and the Declaration of Human Rights and Civil Rights of 1789 of France. With equal rights, the right to life, the right to freedom and the right to seek happiness of each person. From the truths about human rights, he "extended" them into the rights of nations: "All nations in the world are born equal; every nation has the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to freedom".
The two words "expansion" create a very important shift in reasoning. If people are born with freedom, then a nation cannot be placed under the rule of another nation. If human rights are sacred, then the right to self-determination of nations must also be respected. It is impossible to deprive others of freedom in the name of freedom; it is even more impossible to talk about human rights when millions of people still have to live in colonial status.
From that foundation, President Ho Chi Minh came to affirm the right to independence of the Vietnamese nation. It is not a granted right, nor is it the result of a compromise with any force. The Vietnamese people stood up for the August Revolution themselves, breaking the colonial and feudal chains, and seizing power in the hands of the People. Therefore, Vietnam's right to independence is based on the universal principles of human rights and national rights, and is affirmed by the actual struggle of the Vietnamese people.
Therefore, the concluding sentence of the Declaration has a special weight: "Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and the truth has become a free and independent country".
Has the right to" affirm righteousness. "Has become" affirms reality.
These two aspects make up the weight of the declaration on September 2, 1945: Vietnam not only affirms its legitimate right to independence but also declares to the world that that right has become a reality.
But gaining independence is not the end point. If the nation's right to independence originates from the right to life, the right to freedom and the right to seek happiness of the human being, then after gaining independence, those rights must be realized in the life of the People.
Therefore, shortly after the National Day, President Ho Chi Minh emphasized a very simple but profound thought: If the country is independent but the people do not enjoy freedom and happiness, then independence has no meaning.
From here, a very consistent ideological flow can be seen: the struggle for independence is to liberate the nation; national liberation, in the end, is to let people live in freedom and happiness.
That is also the reason why the Declaration of Independence does not only belong to September 2, 1945.
More than eight decades later, independence must still be protected, but the content of independence has become broader. Not only maintaining territorial sovereignty, a country that wants to be truly autonomous must also have an economy strong enough to withstand, strong enough scientific and technological capacity, quality human resources and self-determination in the face of external pressures.
Without autonomy, the right to choose the path of development may be narrowed. Without strong enough internal strength, political independence may also face new pressures from the economy, technology, data or global supply chains.
But no matter how wide the concept of independence is expanded, the ultimate measure must still return to the people.
A rapidly developing country must simultaneously create more opportunities for people to have jobs, increase income and improve the quality of life. A more streamlined state apparatus must make service to the people better, not just reduce organizational focal points. A larger economy must create conditions for development achievements to be shared more fairly, especially with workers, vulnerable people and those still facing many difficulties.
In other words, independence is not an abstract concept. Independence must be felt in people's daily lives, in learning opportunities, jobs, health care, in the right to be respected, protected and to rise up through legitimate labor.
That is the meeting point between 1945 and today.
On September 2, 1945, the Vietnamese nation declared to the world the right to live independently. Today, the responsibility of the next generations is to make that independence increasingly "flower and bear happy fruit": The country becomes richer and stronger, society becomes fairer, the service apparatus becomes better, and people have an increasingly prosperous, free, and happy life.
Therefore, rereading the Declaration of Independence is not only to remember a historical moment. More importantly, it is to recognize a requirement that is still valid: National independence is only truly complete when it is transformed into a better life for the People.
