See you in the fall
We were lucky to meet Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh (real name Tu Thi Dao), who is 93 years old and lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Despite her old age, Mrs. Thanh is still agile, with the bright eyes of a time when youth was soaring with patriotism.
She recalled on September 2, 1945, when she was only 12 years old, she followed the crowd from all over Saigon to the festival stand on Cong Hoa Avenue (now Le Duan Street). In the red sky, everyone eagerly wanted to hear President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on the radio.
The waves were weak, it was difficult to hear Uncle Ho's voice clearly, but everyone was still standing crowded together, and their hearts seemed to be in the same rhythm when Mr. Tran Van Giau, Secretary of the Southern Party Committee, Chairman of the Southern Uprising Committee, Chairman of the Southern Provisional Executive Committee declared: "Independence Day begins from now! Moving forward for independence, for freedom, moving forward forever! No single city could stop the will of many people on the path to liberation!
Also in that sacred moment, when the final parade was about to leave the stage, there was a sudden explosion of firecrackers. French soldiers secretly fired shots at a group of people on the patrol, causing many casualties.
When she arrived, Mrs. Thanh's voice suddenly choked up. "The independent New Year in Saigon was a day of smiles, tears and blood. But from that moment on, I knew I had to stand up and do something for the country, said Ms. Thanh.
A few months later, the girl Thanh, at the age of 14, officially joined the resistance war. Initially, he transferred letters, distributed leaflets, and became a villa soldier of Battalion 950, operating right in the heart of Saigon - Cho Lon.
One of the battles she will never forget was on June 10, 1948. When she and her two female teammates were just 15 years old, borrowing clothes to decorate at the Majestic cinema, they threw bombs that killed dozens of French officers.
"I used candy to distract them, hiding the bombs in my shirt. Hearing the explosion, I knew I had completed my mission... There were many successful battles, and there were also people who never returned....
Smoke and gunfire and unfulfilled promises
Also during the proud August days, we went to Mr. Tran Sy Loc, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City. At the age of 94, with gray hair and bright eyes, Mr. Loc still remembers that moment as a mark, he enthusiastically took us back in time, back to the memories of the autumn 80 years ago.
The historic Autumn Festival in 1945, starting from the capital Hanoi, the call from Uncle Ho's Declaration of Independence conveyed a message of youth. Every Vietnamese person has always been proficient in every word, along with the pride in becoming a citizen of an independent country - he recalled.
He then said that since he was a child, he lived in a miserable life, witnessing countless pains and losses. Born and raised in a family with a tradition of revolutionary activities and a good grasp of ideology from an early age, when Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence, he had something very sacred in his heart.
That call was forged, leading the 13-year-old Tran Sy Loc to firmly participate in revolutionary activities, in October 1945 . From his work in communication to his activities in the troupe, he spent the days of both hardship and heroism
I just thought, if we dont stand up, we will lose everything. Losing the country, losing the homeland, losing relatives..." - Mr. Loc said.
Excited with heroic memories, he suddenly walked away for a moment when recalling the time he met his father at the supply station, before the unit left. He hugged me and said: Go well, children, the advice seemed very normal, but it turned out to be the last greeting. A year later, my father died in a French ship.
He also clearly remembers the exchange with the soldiers of the 5th Region, right before they carried out an ambush on the enemy's armed ship from the South. The battle was a resounding success, but on the way back, they were forever in the battlefield. Their words " bring home gifts" have become an unfulfilled promise.
But, those are noble sacrifices. So we can have today" - Mr. Loc said enthusiastically.
80 years since the first fall of independence that year. People like Ms. Thanh and Mr. Loc lived by ideals, fought with their hearts, and gave their youth to a free country. In the years of independence, we still see the fire of the past burning in their eyes, the fire of patriotism, of memories, of an undying aspiration.
