Hanoi, Sept. 1 -- Following the victory of the August Revolution, on September 2, 1945, at historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Provisional Government, solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming before the nation and the world: "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, strength, lives, and property to safeguarding that freedom and independence."

Over the past 80 years, generations of Vietnamese have sacrificed their blood, sweat, and wisdom to protect and advance the achievements of the August Revolution, safeguarding national independence while striving...