The history of the struggle to build and defend the country, from the Hung Kings' era to the Ho Chi Minh era, is an immortal epic preserved in heroic declarations of all time.
The poem “Nam Quoc Son Ha” is considered the first declaration of independence of Dai Co Viet state. (Photo: Internet)
1. The "divine" poem by Ly Thuong Kiet resounded on the Nhu Nguyet River during the resistance war against the Song army and is considered the first declaration of independence of the Dai Co Viet state after a thousand years of Chinese domination.
"The mountains and rivers of the South belong to the Southern Emperor.
Destiny is determined by heaven
How dare the rebellious invaders come here!
You all are defeated and ruined.
(The mountains and rivers of the South belong to the King of the South.
Clearly determined fate in the book of heaven
Why did the enemy invade?
You will be beaten to a pulp)
(Translated by Tran Trong Kim)
The poem affirms that the mountains and rivers of the South belong to the Vietnamese people, a sovereign nation with a state system and territory, and the settlement of the descendants of the Dragon and Fairy. That is an obvious truth, a right reason, confirmed by practice, as clear as the "book of heaven", like the sun, the moon and the stars. All plots and tricks of invasion and assimilation by foreign enemies are immoral, unjust, and will certainly lead to failure.
With the seven-word quatrain form, the poem resonates like a firm declaration of independence for Dai Viet, the king and the people are united, ready to fight and defeat the invaders.
The strong vitality of the national culture, the will to survive of the Vietnamese people, despite having to go through a thousand years of Chinese domination and annexation, and the establishment of a widespread and extremely vicious ruling apparatus - still could not stop the will to survive of a nation determined to maintain its independence. From this historical milestone, the period of autonomy of the Ly, Tran, Le... hundreds of years later, the country was firmly established, the country was firmly established!
2. After more than 10 years of resistance against the invading Ming army (1418-1428), Nguyen Trai wrote the heroic epic "Binh Ngo Dai Cao" praising the great victory of the nation and once again affirming the unshakable independence of Vietnam.
“Binh Ngo Dai Cao” - the heroic epic. (Photo: Internet).
At the beginning of the "Proclamation of Victory over the Wu", Nguyen Trai wrote:
"Like our Dai Viet country from before
Capitalizing on the long-standing culture
Mountains and rivers, borders are divided
North and South customs are also different
From Trieu, Dinh, Ly, Tran generations built the foundation of independence
Together with Han, Tang, Song, and Yuan, each side dominated a region.
In conclusion, the proclamation affirms the bright future of the nation:
"The society from now on will be stable."
The country will be renewed from now on.
The universe is in turmoil and then in peace.
The sun and the moon wax and wane, then shine again.
A thousand years of shame is washed away
"Eternal peace is firmly established".
The proclamation is like a declaration of independence with the meaning of a legal document (equal to the Northern dynasty), written in parallel prose, eloquent, confident, heroic, resolute and full of pride of the victor. “Binh Ngo Dai Cao” deserves to be a documentary heritage of memory not only of the Vietnamese people but also of world stature.
3. On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the people, read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. 78 years since its birth, the Declaration of Independence has become a great heroic piece of literature in the history of the nation and an outstanding piece of literature in the history of our country. It has, is and will forever shine with the most beautiful values, inspiring generations of Vietnamese people.
On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. (Photo: document).
The Declaration of Independence begins with an eternal and universal truth: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” “All the peoples of the world are equal from birth; all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy, and to be free.” “These are undeniable truths.”
Next, the Declaration of Independence denounced and condemned the crimes of the French colonialists. They “took advantage of the flag of liberty, equality, and fraternity to rob our country and oppress our people”, implementing an extremely reactionary policy in all aspects of politics, economics, culture, and society... In the fall of 1940, the Japanese fascists invaded Indochina, and the French colonialists knelt down and surrendered, not “protecting” us but “selling” our country to the Japanese. From then on, our people suffered from two layers of shackles: the French and the Japanese.
After analyzing the situation in our country from the fall of 1940 until our people rose up to seize power, the Declaration of Independence emphasized: “The truth is that our people took back Vietnam from the Japanese, not from the French. The French fled, the Japanese surrendered, and King Bao Dai abdicated. Our people broke the colonial chains of nearly 100 years to build an independent Vietnam. Our people also overthrew the monarchy that had existed for decades and established the Democratic Republic.”
The Declaration of Independence read by President Ho Chi Minh at the historic Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945, was broadcast worldwide by Vietnam News Agency in three languages: Vietnamese, English, and French on September 15, 1945. (Photo courtesy).
The Declaration of Independence solemnly announced the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; completely abolished the colonial and feudal regime, affirmed the freedom and independence of the Vietnamese people before the entire Vietnamese people and the whole world. “A nation that has courageously fought against French slavery for more than 80 years, a nation that has courageously stood with the Allies against fascism for several years, that nation must be free! That nation must be independent”.
The Declaration of Independence affirms: “Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and in fact has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard that freedom and independence.”
With a tight structure, concise and condensed text, simple yet sharp expression, specific and eloquent evidence, the Declaration has stirred patriotism, national pride and encouraged the spirit of independence for every Vietnamese citizen. The Declaration is the crystallization of passionate patriotism, of the burning desire for independence for the country and the strong oath to preserve that sacred independence...
Each word in the Declaration contains the overflowing emotions from the hearts of the leader and each citizen, sacred as the alluvium of the Red River flowing for thousands of years, inheriting the traditional source from the Hung Kings who founded the country, spanning the Trieu, Dinh, Ly, Tran, Le dynasties... building and defending the country to the glorious Ho Chi Minh era today.
The heroic spirit of the ancient literature still resonates, urging and calling our people to go through the long journey to defend the country with unparalleled strength, shining with justice, overcoming countless hardships and sacrifices, building a lasting and everlasting independence.
Bui Duc Hanh
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