1. On the morning of August 17 in Hanoi, when the Viet Minh flag was lowered from the roof of the theater, the song Tien Quan Ca was played. Then, a young man jumped onto the stage and sang into the loudspeaker the song Diet fascist: “Vietnam, for years, groaned in misery/Under the yoke of the greedy imperialist wolves/The fascists stole rice, robbed the lives of our people/What prisons, what detention camps, how many tortures/The people drew their swords and rose up…”. In the Cho Dem area south of Saigon, under the chairmanship of Secretary of the Southern Regional Party Committee Tran Van Giau, the Southern Regional Party Committee met three times to discuss mobilizing the entire region to rise up in a general uprising.
In just 15 days (from August 13 to 28, 1945), the whole country “Forward, democratic republic! Reclaim freedom and food”. The Declaration of Independence of the country for the first time after more than 80 years of slavery, now on the world map, solemnly declared to the world that: “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, their lives and property to maintain that freedom and independence”.
2. Fulfilling the oath of independence, right after that autumn revolution, was 30 years of protracted resistance. Saigon - "The Pearl of the Far East" of the colonial regime, transformed into "Ho Chi Minh City, shining with its golden name" of our compatriots and comrades. Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh "went ahead and came back behind" with the Southern Citadel. The determined will to fight of the Mai Tree Conference (September 23, 1945) opened the process of "Nine years of sacred resistance/The bamboo stick defeated the brutal army". The fire of the battle at the Phu Tho Hoa bomb depot (May 31, 1954) merged with the Dien Bien Phu victory "resounding throughout the five continents, shaking the earth".
From Saigon, the Saigon-Cho Lon peace movement in the fall of 1954 began its journey following the will of the whole country: "National reunification is the way of life for our people."
In the context of the country being divided, the Northern rear had to change the direction of economic development twice, carry out large-scale mobilization of human and material resources to support the Southern front; at the same time, it had to fight against the brutal destructive war of the global imperialists. The Southern front had to resist the four military strategies of the new colonial war, confront the expeditionary army of more than half a million people, endure millions of tons of bombs, artillery, and toxic chemicals to protect the North and liberate the South.
Saigon - Gia Dinh "for the whole country, with the whole country" went to battle, upholding the truth: "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" and on April 30, 1975, Saigon - Gia Dinh sang with the whole country the song "As if Uncle Ho were here" on the day of great victory.
3. Modern Vietnamese history has turned to new chapters, written new pages, in which Ho Chi Minh City "is a major economic center, an international trading and tourism center of our country. Ho Chi Minh City has an important political position after the capital Hanoi" (Resolution 01-NQ/TW of the Politburo dated September 14, 1982). Then it developed into "the largest urban area of our country, a major center of economy, culture, science and technology, a hub of international exchange, with an important political position of the whole country" (Resolution 20-NQ/TW of the Politburo dated November 18, 2002). Next, it will become “a special urban area, a major center of economy, culture, education - training, science - technology, a hub of international exchange, a locomotive, a driving force, with great attraction and influence of the Southern key economic region, with an important political position in the whole country” (Resolution 16-NQ/TW of the Politburo dated August 10, 2012).
Remembering the years of economic crisis, overcoming difficulties, and changing mechanisms, Ho Chi Minh City was the pioneer in exploring and experimenting, contributing to the formation of the Innovation policy, being the locomotive and driving force to promote the Innovation, development and integration process. Still remembering the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole country "fought the pandemic like fighting the enemy", Ho Chi Minh City still made every effort to "leave no one behind".
The tradition of “going first and coming last”, being loyal, daring to face countless difficulties and challenges, continuing with the pioneering tradition, daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility, not giving in to difficulties and hardships, is still maintained in the construction of Ho Chi Minh City. The city “for the whole country, with the whole country”, has created a heroic city, has made the city dynamic and creative.
Since that first autumn of the “democratic republic”, the country has undergone many changes in development and integration to have “the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it is today”. Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City maintains its position and role of special importance to the Southeast region and the whole country. Now the city is striving to become a “dynamic, creative, leading and spreading effect urban area, connecting urban areas; competitive enough, integrating regionally and internationally, playing an important role in the urban network of Southeast Asia and Asia” (Resolution No. 81/2023/QH15).
Associate Professor, Dr. HA MINH HONG
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