On September 2, 1945, President Hồ Chí Minh read the Declaration of Independence at Ba Đình Square, officially founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The event not only ushered in a new era of independence and freedom for the Vietnamese people, but also marked the birth of the very first people’s democratic state in Southeast Asia.
Beyond being a symbol of peace, independence, and freedom, September 2nd has also become a time of reunion for countless families across the country. As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day, join us in exploring five things you might not know about this historic holiday.
September 2nd wasn’t always National Day
Today, September 2nd is officially recognized as Vietnam’s National Day and a public holiday. But in the early years of the young nation, September 2nd was called Vietnam Independence Day, while August 19th was designated as National Day.
Specifically, Decree No. 22C NV/CC, dated February 18, 1946, declared September 2nd as “Vietnam Independence Day.” Later, Decree No. 141bis, signed on July 26, 1946, stated: “August 19, the anniversary of the August Revolution of 1945, will henceforth be Vietnam’s National Day.” From then on, September 2nd was commonly referred to as Independence Day, the Founding Day of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, or the day of the Declaration of Independence.
It wasn’t until 1954 that the phrase “National Day” was first officially used to refer to September 2nd, in a Nhân Dân newspaper publication titled “Slogans for the Anniversary of the August Revolution and September 2 National Day.” Finally, the 1992 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam formally recognized September 2nd as National Day in Article 145.
Why did President Hồ Chí Minh choose September 2nd to declare independence?
According to historian Dương Trung Quốc, one practical reason President Hồ Chí Minh chose September 2, 1945, was timing. The situation then was urgent—the Chinese Nationalist army was preparing to enter Vietnam following the Potsdam Agreement (July 1945). September 2 also happened to fall on a Sunday, making it easier to gather large crowds to witness and support the revolution.
Where was the first draft of the Declaration of Independence written?
At 48 Hàng Ngang Street, today part of Hàng Đào Ward, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi. This house belonged to the family of Trịnh Văn Bô, a patriotic entrepreneur who once donated 5147 taels of gold to the Provisional Revolutionary Government—double the size of the national treasury at the time.
After the success of the August Revolution, President Hồ Chí Minh returned from the Việt Bắc resistance base and was given a place to live and work here. On the second floor, there was a spacious room with a small desk pushed against the wall, just enough for papers, pens, and a typewriter. It was at this very desk, on August 26, 1945, that he wrote the first draft of Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence—before finalizing it at the Provisional Government’s office at 12 Ngô Quyền.
Who were the two women who raised the flag on September 2, 1945?
They were Lê Thi—a student at Đồng Khánh School (now Trưng Vương Secondary School) who later became a professor of philosophy—and Đàm Thị Loan, a young Tày guerrilla fighter representing women of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities, who later became the wife of General Hoàng Văn Thái. Both were just 19 years old at the time, having secretly joined the Việt Minh movement as teenagers.
Professor Lê Thi was given this historic task almost by chance. That morning, she led the Women’s Union from Hàng Bông Street to attend the Declaration of Independence ceremony. Dressed in a white áo dài and simple canvas shoes, she carried a wooden stick to help keep her group in formation. A member of the organizing committee approached her and announced that a woman would be chosen to raise the national flag—she was the one selected.
“As the national anthem played, the flag was slowly lifted. By the time the anthem ended, the red flag with the golden star was flying proudly above the stage, greeted by thunderous applause from tens of thousands gathered at Ba Đình Square. At that moment, we breathed a sigh of relief, overwhelmed with joy, our eyes brimming with tears of pride and emotion. From the stage, I saw President Hồ Chí Minh more clearly—dressed simply in khaki, so different from the image of world leaders I had learned about in books,” Professor Lê Thi later recalled.
President Hồ Chí Minh passed away on National Day in 1969
On August 29, 1969, President Hồ Chí Minh told Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng: “On National Day, I’ll attend the celebration for ten or fifteen minutes.” But by the evening of August 31st, he became unwell and could not attend the National Day ceremony held at Ba Đình Hall.
On September 2, 1969, President Hồ Chí Minh passed away at the age of 79. Due to wartime circumstances, and to avoid announcing his death on National Day itself, the Politburo released a statement saying he had passed on September 3. His Will, when made public, was based on the draft he wrote in 1965, with some sections supplemented or replaced by notes he made in 1968 and 1969.
It was not until 1989, when conditions allowed, that the Politburo and the Central Committee of the 6th Congress revealed the actual date of his passing, along with the complete versions of his Will. In Politburo Announcement No. 151, dated August 19, 1989, it was stated clearly: President Hồ Chí Minh passed away at 9:47 a.m. on September 2, 1969. Because it coincided with the nation’s greatest day of celebration, the Politburo and the 3rd Central Committee had decided to announce the date as September 3, 1969.