The victory of the August Revolution brought about national independence and handed down to the present generation a way to mobilise the strength of the people, seize opportunities, promote self-reliance, and take decisive action to turn aspirations into reality.
Seizing opportunities, taking decisive action, rallying people’s strength
The August Revolution was the result of a long process of preparation. When the opportunity arose, the revolution acted swiftly and decisively. Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien said: “Timing is extremely important. To achieve victory and independence in the August Revolution of 1945, President Ho Chi Minh chose a moment when the French had been ousted from Indochina by the Japanese and Japan had surrendered to the Allies, but the international alliance had not yet decided who would administer the colonial territories. This created a power vacuum. To exploit that opportunity, Ho Chi Minh led the people in seizing power and establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.”
That lesson remains valuable today. Development opportunities are emerging from rapid changes in the global economy, supply chains, technological advancement, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. Lessons learned from the 1945 August Revolution was to identify opportunities, build sufficient capacity, and act quickly enough to turn those opportunities into development momentum.
Another major lesson of the August Revolution was to rally the people’s strength. It was the people’s revolution in which millions of people united to create the strength of the nation. 81 years later, the people are still Vietnam’s most important resource. Development today is as much about unlocking existing resources as it is about mobilizing new resources. When businesses are given a favourable environment, intellectuals have room for creativity, and young people are given opportunities to develop, the strengths of many individuals combine into a formidable national strength.
Lawyer Dang Van Cuong of the Hanoi Bar Association said: “The Party and State of Vietnam place great emphasis on making people’s development a measure of the country’s development. We’re building a digital government, a digital economy, and digital citizens and ensuring the rights of every citizen to the fullest extent.”
Putting people at the center adheres to the spirit of the August Revolution. The strength of the country comes from the strength of the people, and national aspiration comes from the aspiration of each individual.
Self-reliance and turning aspirations into development momentum
The August Revolution ushered in an era of independence. Today, the spirit of independence is carried forward through self-reliance and self-determination.
Self-reliance doesn’t mean closing the door to the outside world. On the contrary, Vietnam is actively integrating internationally and leveraging international capital, technology, knowledge, and markets. Vietnam is deeply integrated but not dependent; open but capable of mastering its own affairs; and broadly cooperative but always putting its national interests first.
To turn aspirations into reality, Vietnam is pursuing reforms, overcoming old limitations, removing bottlenecks in institutions, infrastructure, and human resources, and making the most of opportunities.
Party General Secretary and President To Lam said: “We must identify opportunities early and turn them into results. We can’t sit and wait for favorable conditions to emerge, nor can we act only after events have already occurred. We must be confident but not complacent, bold but not reckless, and flexible but firm in our principles. We must expand cooperation while strengthening strategic autonomy, internal strength, and resilience.”
The Autumn of 1945 ushered the nation into a new era. The Autumn of 2026 presents a new challenge – turning the achievements of independence into resources for development and transforming the aspiration for a powerful and prosperous Vietnam into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
