HÀ NỘI — In the historic autumn of 1945, Hà Nội was aflame with revolutionary fervour, rising to seize power and accelerating the success of the General Uprising across the nation. Eight decades on, local landmarks associated with the August Revolution and National Day have become “red addresses” – places that remind and educate generations of Vietnamese people about patriotism, the spirit of independence and freedom, and the resilient will of the nation.
Ba Đình Square
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| The flag-raising ceremony at Ba Đình Square. — VNA/VNS Photo |
In August 1945, responding to the call of President Hồ Chí Minh, the entire nation from North to South, millions as one, rose in the General Uprising to seize power nationwide. On August 19, hundreds of thousands of Hanoians, after attending a rally at the square in front of the Hanoi Opera House, fanned out across the city, occupying offices of the Japanese-backed puppet administration and bringing power completely into the hands of the people. Many sites were considered as the venue for the momentous Independence Ceremony – but ultimately, Ba Đình Square was chosen.
On September 2, 1945, at this historic square, before hundreds of thousands of compatriots from all walks of life, President Hồ Chí Minh solemnly read the Declaration of Independence on behalf of the Provisional Government, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, marking the complete triumph of the great August Revolution. From that moment, Việt Nam turned a new page in its history. Later, when President Hồ Chí Minh passed away, the venue was also where his funeral ceremony took place on September 9, 1969.
Today, Ba Đình Square stands on Hùng Vương Street, directly in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Majestic and windswept, it retains its central significance in history and culture as the site of the nation’s most important events, a symbol of independent and free Việt Nam.
House at 48 Hàng Ngang Street – Where the Declaration of Independence was written
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| The ceremony unveiling the plaque and opening an exhibition at the 48 Hàng Ngang historical site, Hoàn Kiếm Ward (Hà Nội), on the morning of August 18, 2025. — VNA/VNS Photo |
The house at 48 Hàng Ngang once belonged to Trịnh Văn Bô and Hoàng Thị Minh Hồ, patriotic bourgeois industrialists steadfastly loyal to the revolution. From August 25 to September 2, 1945, President Hồ Chí Minh lived and worked here to direct the revolution. In this modest space, he drafted the Declaration of Independence that gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam – a turning point in the nation’s history. This was also where the Party Central Committee approved three crucial decisions: the Declaration of Independence, the organisation of National Day celebration, and the establishment of the Provisional Government – laying the firm foundation for the new Vietnamese state.
Proud of the legacy left by Uncle Hồ during those historic days, the house has been carefully preserved, with its artefacts and arrangement kept intact as when he stayed there. With its immense historical significance, the site has been recognised as a national historical relic by the then Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), safeguarding its heritage to this day.
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, the house at 48 Hàng Ngang welcomes many visitors who come to learn about the days the founder of modern Vietnam lived and worked there, and about the origins of the immortal Declaration of Independence.
August Revolution Square
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| The August Revolution Square today still preserves its great historical, cultural, and architectural values, blending both classical and modern styles. — VNA/VNS Photo |
On the morning of August 19, 1945, tens of thousands of Hanoians and people from neighbouring provinces gathered at the square in front of the Hanoi Opera House for the largest rally of its kind. After hearing a Việt Minh representative proclaim the General Uprising, the rally quickly turned into a mass demonstration and armed action to seize power, completing the historic mission of the uprising.
Following this landmark day, the square witnessed other historic events: the Việt Bắc Liberation Army unit marching into Hà Nội on August 29, 1945; the “Golden Week” fundraising drive for the Provisional Government on September 16, 1945; the “Southern Resistance Day” in early October 1945; and the September 2, 1946 rally marking the first anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam and also the day Hồ Chí Minh first visited the square and entered the Opera House. In 1994, the site was officially named August Revolution Square.
Amidst the ebb and flow of history, alongside the thousand-year-old Thăng Long heritage, the square has retained its great historical, cultural, and architectural value – a blend of classical and modern. Today, the August Revolution Square forms a complex space surrounded by landmarks such as the Hanoi Opera House, Vietnam National Museum of History, Hilton Hotel, and Tràng Tiền Street.
Bắc Bộ Phủ – Now the Government Guest House
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| Băc Bộ Phủ is now used for important external affairs and protocol activities of the Party and the State. — VNA/VNS Photo |
Not far from the August Revolution Square stands the former Bắc Bộ Phủ, now the Government Guest House. Before 1945, this was the Residential Palace of the Tonkin Governor – the headquarters of the French-backed administration in northern Việt Nam. On August 19, 1945, following the great rally at the Opera House, Hanoians and Việt Minh forces stormed the palace, symbol of colonial and feudal power. It then came under revolutionary control and was renamed Bắc Bộ Phủ.
On September 3, 1945, one day after the Declaration of Independence, President Hồ Chí Minh chaired the first Government Council meeting here. Conducted simply and without ceremony, it was nonetheless of great importance, addressing urgent national tasks in the new period.
Confronted with immense difficulties — an empty treasury, famine still looming, and widespread illiteracy, Hồ Chí Minh outlined six immediate tasks: combating famine, eradicating illiteracy, drafting a democratic constitution, educating people to abandon harmful habits instilled by colonial rule, abolishing poll, market, and taxes, and banning opium, and declaring freedom of belief while fostering unity between religious and non-religious people as well as among followers of different religions within the great national unity bloc.
The palace continued to serve as the seat of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam until the outbreak of nationwide resistance.
Today, the building stands at No. 12 Ngô Quyền Street, Hà Nội.
House at No. 101 Trần Hưng Đạo Street
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| During the August Revolution, it served as the headquarters of the Hà Nội Revolutionary Military Committee. — Photo vietnamplus.vn |
Another crucial revolutionary relic is the house at 101 Trần Hưng Đạo Street (Cửa Nam Ward, Hà Nội). During the August Revolution, it served as the headquarters of the Hà Nội Revolutionary Military Committee.
On the morning of August 18, 1945, the committee held its first meeting here. At the meeting, the committee recognised the urgent need to seize the opportunity, launch an uprising to take power, and confront the Japanese forces. From this house, the committee and the Hà Nội Party Committee worked with great urgency, issuing sound directives and strategies that ensured the brilliant success of the uprising in the capital.
Hanoi Flag Tower
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| Soldiers preserve memories at revolutionary historical sites in Hà Nội. — Photo hanoimoi.vn |
The Hanoi Flag Tower (also known as the Kỳ Đài) was built alongside the citadel construction in the early Nguyễn Dynasty (1805–1812). It is one of the rare surviving structures of the ancient citadel spared from French demolition in 1894–1897.
Standing 33.4 metres tall with three stepped bases and a central tower, its square truncated pyramidal tiers are faced with bricks.
During French colonial rule, the tower served as an observation post. In 1945, after the August Revolution, the red national flag featuring a gold star was raised here for the first time. In 1954, after the victory over French colonialism, the flag once again flew proudly.
On October 10, 1954, at 3:00 p.m., the national anthem resounded amidst jubilant cheers as the flag fluttered high. From that moment, the flag atop the tower became a symbol of Việt Nam’s independence and freedom. In 1989, the tower was officially recognised by the State as a historical relic.
Weathering time, war, and nature, the tower still stands tall, bearing the national flag as a symbol of Vietnamese resilience. It is both a historic witness and a proud emblem of Hà Nội and the nation.
The autumn of 1945 remains a golden milestone in Việt Nam’s history. Hà Nội – the birthplace of these epochal events – keeps the memory in each street and landmark. From Ba Đình Square to 48 Hàng Ngang, the August Revolution Square, the Government Guest House, and beyond, all recount the story of a proud and unyielding people.
Today, as one strolls through the capital, citizens and visitors alike not only admire its millennia-old heritage but also relive the heroic revolutionary spirit through these historic sites of the August Revolution and National Day – eternal testaments to the nation’s aspiration for independence and freedom. — VNA/VNS
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