The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, a historical creation

BHG - Implementing the policy of the Southern Party Committee on the establishment of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, on December 20, 1960, in the liberated area of ​​Chau Thanh district, Tay Ninh province, the Congress to establish the Front took place. It can be said that this was a historical creation of our Party. Grasping the reality of the uprising movement, in 1959, the Central Executive Committee (term II) issued Resolution 15 with the important content that the Southern revolution moved to the stage of combining political struggle with armed struggle with the goal of overthrowing the puppet regime of Ngo Dinh Diem, a lackey of American imperialism.

The establishment of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam publicly affirmed that this was a political organization that truly represented the Southern people to rise up and fight to expel the American imperialists, overthrow the puppet army and the puppet government of Saigon in the face of their brutal suppression of the revolutionary movement. The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam advocated: "Uniting all classes, strata, ethnic groups, parties, organizations, religions and patriotic scholars, regardless of political tendencies, to fight to overthrow the domination of the American imperialists and the dictatorial government, to achieve independence, democracy, peace and neutrality, and to unify the Fatherland". The Front proposed a 10-point program of activities with the goal of: "Overthrowing the disguised colonial regime of the American invaders, the dictatorial government of Ngo Dinh Diem, to establish a coalition, national, and democratic government".

Thus, the resistance war against the US imperialists and their lackeys in South Vietnam from here (1960) had a flag to rally the entire people's forces, which was the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. President Ho Chi Minh considered this "a Front of the People's close and broad solidarity, a force that will surely win".

Because it met the development requirements of the resistance war and was in line with the people's wishes, the Front quickly built a complete organizational system down to the grassroots level. It had only been established for two years, by October 1962, 38/41 provinces and cities in South Vietnam had Front Committees. All villages and communes in the liberated areas and "leopard skin areas" had Front bases. Under the Front's banner, in 1963, the liberated areas had expanded to 76% at the provincial level and 50% at the grassroots level in the whole South. Through member organizations such as the Liberation Labor Association, the Student Union, the Liberation Women's Union, the Association of Patriotic Catholics, the Association of Six Harmonies Buddhists, etc., the Front mobilized and gathered a large number of people from all walks of life to stand up and participate in fighting against the enemy's sweeps and terrorism; isolated and destroyed evildoers, and mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers and government employees to join the People.

From its diverse and popular activities, the Front's reputation quickly spread. The Front's role before the birth of the provisional revolutionary government of the Republic of South Vietnam was to assume the status of a revolutionary government; to have a Front flag, a national anthem; and to be the only genuine representative organization for the people of the South.

In fact, by 1968, the Front had controlled a large liberated area with 10/14 million people in the South. The Front was an organization representing the struggle of the Southern people, calling on the entire people to resist and strongly condemning the war crimes committed by the US imperialists and their puppet troops, fighting for peace in the South so that the world could understand more clearly and fully the just struggle against the invaders to liberate the South and unify the country of the Vietnamese people.

From its inception to 1968, there were 139 delegations of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam attending international conferences, 193 delegations of the Front representing the Southern People visited 60 countries. There were over 200 organizations, committees and solidarity movements established to support and gather with the Front in most countries and territories in the world. In particular, 16 countries organized volunteers to help Vietnam fight the US with millions of people registering. In addition to socialist countries, in Africa, in South America and all over the world, especially in countries such as France, Germany, Sweden, Japan and even in the US, movements such as blood donation, demonstrations, and songs protesting against the US imperialists' invasion of Vietnam emerged.

The effective activities of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and its international influence were extremely important contributions and were affirmed on the foreign front, especially at the negotiating table leading to the signing of the Paris Agreement on January 27, 1973, as well as in the Great Spring Victory of 1975.

The birth and achievements in the operation of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in the context of a fierce resistance war against American imperialism, a complicated world situation even within the socialist camp, have affirmed the correct line of our Party with the viewpoint of promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc. When the US imperialists brought over 500,000 troops along with troops of vassal states with modern weapons to invade the South and fiercely attack the North, the strength of the entire Vietnamese nation was promoted to the highest level. The people of the South under the flag of the Front were the decisive force on the battlefield, together with the comprehensive support of the Northern rear and the support of international friends. With the slogan: "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", determined to "fight the Americans out, fight the puppets topple", the Vietnamese nation won.

In the process of leading the revolution, our Party has always sought to be creative, especially at historical turning points. The Party has always adhered to the viewpoints of “people are the root”, “the Fatherland is above all” to arouse the tradition of patriotism, creativity and solidarity of the entire people in the cause of fighting against invaders to gain independence and the cause of building socialism in the renovation process with brilliant achievements.

In the current volatile and complex world situation, our country is continuing to perfect the cause of innovation, streamlining the organizational apparatus to reach the set goals, the experience of the birth and operation of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam is still relevant. We need to be steadfast and steady on the chosen path, but we must always be creative and innovative to adapt in order to seize opportunities and overcome difficulties and obstacles to move forward. The country is gaining new position and strength, so it is necessary to pay great attention to fully promoting resources, locating where we are in order to overcome limitations and weaknesses, gathering the strength of national solidarity combined with the strength of the times to enter a new era with the baggage of national traditions, the historical spirit of the August Revolution in 1945 and the Great Victory of Spring in 1975 along with the achievements gained in the process of nearly 40 years of innovation, steadily moving forward with the goal: "Rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization" to bring the country to rise "shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents".

Dang Duy Bau

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/50-nam-giai-phong-mien-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc/202504/mat-tran-dan-toc-giai-phong-mien-nam-viet-nam-mot-sang-tao-lich-su-2a347a4/