W.Minh Tuan
On September 2, 1945, after the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born, it encountered many difficulties.
After that September 2, 1945, no country in the world recognized Vietnam State. Even the Soviet Union did not recognize Vietnam, although the Indochinese Communist Party was founded under the direction of the Soviet Union.
On January 14, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh sent a telegram to Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Communist Party, asking the Soviet Union to recognize our Vietnam. But Stalin did not respond. And Stalin was no stranger to Uncle Ho, because Uncle Ho had studied and worked for the Communist International in the Soviet Union for 5 years.
More than a month later, on February 18, 1946, Uncle Ho sent another Note to the Soviet Government, requesting recognition of Vietnam’s independence.
At the same time, Uncle Ho also sent a telegram and Note to the US Government, and to Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Government, also with a request to recognize Vietnam’s independence.
But all of those requests received no response.
Domestically, opposition parties sought to sabotage the French properties, bases. Outside, the French and Chiang Kai-shek armies were also lurking, waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the young Ho Chi Minh Government.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek’s army, consisting of 200,000 troops, entered Vietnam under the Resolution of the Allied Forces to disarm the Japanese army. Chiang Kai-shek’s army took advantage of this Resolution to enter Vietnam to make money and plunder the property of the Vietnamese people.
At that time, the Vietnamese people made a verse to mock the Chinese army:
“The Chinese army is going,
Why are they so thin?”.
Uncle Ho’s Viet Minh force at that time only had a few thousand people, with rudimentary weapons, if they fought with the Chinese army, or the French army, they would certainly fail.
Uncle Ho chose to rely on the French to maintain power, and build the country.
Why did the French have occupied our Vietnam for nearly 100 years, our people were extremely disgusted with the French – at that time – but Uncle Ho decided to rely on the French?
Because the historical lesson of 1000 years of Chinese domination of our people is still clear, so the wise choice is between the Chinese army and the French army, it is better to rely on the French. Because the French are more civilized than the Chinese army, more modern, more developed, although they are also cruel to our Vietnamese people, but they are certainly much better than the Chinese army.
Preliminary Agreement of March 6, 1946.
On February 16, 1946, Uncle Ho and Mr. Hoang Minh Giam secretly met with General Sainteny of France in Hanoi, and agreed that an independent Vietnam would be part of the French Union.
And on the afternoon of March 6, at house number 38 Ly Thai To Street – Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh, together with Mr. Vu Hong Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Resistance Committee (of which Uncle Ho was the Chairman) signed the Preliminary Agreement with France in Hanoi.
The French side signed Mr. Sainteny, who had a lot of sympathy for the Viet Minh, and for Uncle Ho Chi Minh.
This was an Agreement in which Vietnam made many concessions to France, because Uncle Ho Chi Minh did not raise the issue of gaining complete independence for Vietnam, but only stated “free Vietnam”.
After signing this Preliminary Agreement, Uncle Ho was under a lot of pressure from within the Communist Party of Vietnam, and from the Vietnamese people, and Vietnam opposition parties.
People criticized that Uncle Ho sold the country to France.
But it can be said that at that time, only Uncle Ho and some close people such as Vo Nguyen Giap, Hoang Minh Giam,,, could clearly understand the movement of the country at that time, could clearly understand the situation of the country that thousand kg is hanging by a thread at that time.
If he had not signed this Agreement, the Viet Minh Government could have been destroyed by the Chinese army, and the French army. And how could the young Vietnam at that time, in 1945, fight against two powerful enemies at the same time, 1 against 2?
Uncle Ho clearly stated his purpose when signing this Preliminary Agreement, in the book “Stories about the life and activities of President Ho”, signed by the author Tran Dan Tien – the pen name of Uncle Ho himself, as follows:
“President Ho and our Government do not want war, they only want the Fatherland to be independent and unified, want peace to save the people from suffering, and rebuild the poor country of Vietnam,,,”.
After that, the two sides of Vietnam and France met again in Da Lat, from April 19, to May 11, 1946, led by Mr. Vo Nguyen Giap – but nominally Mr. Nguyen Tuong Tam, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uncle Ho’s Government at that time.
The purpose of the Da Lat Conference was to discuss the details of implementing the Preliminary Agreement. Mr. Hoang Xuan Han, one of the members participating in the Da Lat Conference, wrote a very good memoir about this conference: “Some past memories of the Da Lat Conference”.
The Dalat Conference was inconclusive because the French did not want to return the six southern provinces to Vietnam, considering them as of French territory, and did not want Vietnam to have its own diplomacy.
The Dalat Conference did not reach any agreement, but it was agreed that the French side would invite a Vietnamese delegation to France to continue negotiations.
The French government also invited Uncle Ho Chi Minh to France as a distinguished guest, not to join the negotiating delegation.
In May 1946, Uncle Ho Chi Minh, and the Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, set off for France.
The French government welcomed Uncle Ho as befits a head of state. In the memoir signed by Tran Dan Tien mentioned above, Uncle Ho expressed his pride at being solemnly welcomed in France in 1946, because 35 years earlier, in 1911, Uncle Ho went to France as a kitchen assistant on a transport ship.
Uncle Ho wrote in this memoir “Stories about the life of President Ho” as follows:
“30 years ago, the President went to France as a kitchen assistant on a merchant ship. Today, the President is on a warship, as a distinguished guest of France.”
This simple passage shows Uncle Ho’s boundless pride, when he made these two comparisons, the kitchen assistant more than 30 years ago, and the Head of State more than 30 years later.
On September 31, 1946, the French government held a meeting with the Vietnamese delegation to discuss the situation in Vietnam.
The Vietnam-France Conference in Fontainebleau led by Mr. Pham Van Dong also failed, for the same reason as the Dalat Conference, that the French side did not want to discuss the issue of the 6 Southern provinces, and Uncle Ho’s Vietnam side did not make any concessions on this issue.
And to put pressure on the Viet Minh Government, the French side provoked in many places throughout Vietnam.
But Uncle Ho did not want to return to Vietnam empty-handed, after more than 4 months in France, so on the night of September 14, 1946, when it was almost dawn on September 15, Uncle Ho signed with the French Minister of Overseas Muotet the Vietnam-France Modus Vivendi.
This Modus Vivendi consisted of 11 articles, showing many of Vietnam’s compromises towards France. Vietnamese people in France and French people in Vietnam enjoyed the same freedoms, such as freedom of residence, freedom of thought, freedom of education, freedom of trade, freedom of travel, in general all democratic freedoms. The French enjoyed economic and cultural privileges in Vietnam.
The Provisional Agreement also stipulated the unification of tariffs among the three Indochinese countries.
Vietnam did not raise the issue of demanding political and territorial independence, nor did it raise the issue of diplomatic independence.
The most important point of this Provisional Agreement was to raise the issue of ceasefire, ending all conflicts, all propaganda slandering each other, and ending all acts of revenge from both sides.
Article 10 of this Provisional Agreement stipulated that the two sides, Vietnam and France, would meet again in January 1947 to continue discussing their differences.
When signing the Provisional Agreement with Uncle Ho, the French Minister of Overseas Affairs, Muotet, said the following to Uncle Ho:
“I understand that when you return to Vietnam, you will find many elements resenting you for not achieving everything. I am not against your country’s desire for independence.
I am not against the Annamese people’s desire to unify the three regions, which is a demand that I consider legitimate.
But in the present circumstances, can I present to the French National Assembly your country’s desire for independence, with a list that I know, day by day, village by village, of terrorist acts, assassinations of dignitaries, massacres of French people and their friends?
Can I ask the French National Assembly to give up part of its territorial sovereignty to satisfy your wishes, relying solely on promises of goodwill?”.
That is, the Vietnamese side must also bear some responsibility for the French’s conservatism and intransigence, because every day, every hour, the extreme nationalists in Vietnam always sought to sabotage French bases in Vietnam, kidnap and kill French people, and killed Vietnamese employees working for France in Vietnam, causing the hard-line elements in the French Government to not want to make concessions on territory and interests for the Vietnamese side.
At that time, in 1945, 1946, in the South, the seizure of power into the hands of the people was accompanied by many bloody revenges.
The revenges of the Vietnamese patriotic guerrillas with their sky-high horses guns also unintentionally led to the Americans ending their support for the Viet Minh, and led to the US-Vietnam War later.
In 1945, the Americans strongly supported the Viet Minh, sending the OSS intelligence force – the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency-CIA – to Vietnam to help the Viet Minh and Uncle Ho Chi Minh seize power from the Japanese fascists.
In early September 1945, another American OSS group arrived in Saigon, led by Lieutenant Colonel Peter Deway, to repatriate American prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, and to protect American assets, which were not many, in Saigon.
On September 26, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Deway went to Tan Son Nhat airport to leave Vietnam.
But a group of Viet Minh guerrillas mistook him for a Frenchman, so they stopped his car, shot him dead, and took his body away.
When Uncle Ho heard this news, he was stunned, and ordered the search for Lieutenant Colonel Deway’s body, but at that time the Vietminh army was in disarray, and the order from above was not sacred, so they could not find it.
A new chapter in Vietnam-US relations began, the Americans turned to support the French to fight the Viet Minh.
Back to the story of Uncle Ho in France in 1946, signing the Vietnam-France Modus Vivendi.
The French Minister of Overseas Affairs, Muotet, was very sympathetic to Vietnam’s independence, but he could do nothing, could not convince the hard-line elements in the French government, because of the extreme and aggressive actions of the extreme nationalist elements of Vietnam.
On September 18, 1946, the French government ratified this Provisional Agreement.
It was thought that peace in Vietnam was established, and Vietnam began to unite with France in the French Union, to rebuild the country.
On September 15, 1946, Uncle Ho boarded the warship named Dumont d’Urville to return to Vietnam.
Uncle Ho drifted at sea for more than a month, and returned to Cam Ranh port on October 18, carrying with him many hopes for the prospect of temporary peace for the Vietnamese people, temporarily building a relatively independent Vietnam, within the French Union, and taking advantage of the help of the modern economic-industrial-scientific-technological-educational-management potential of France, to build the young country of Vietnam.
The French commander in Indochina, d’Argenlieu, took the warship Croiseur Suffren out to sea to welcome Uncle Ho.
Uncle Ho happily and optimistically declared to the journalists on the Suffren that he opposed all acts of terrorism and violence by extremists in Vietnam.
Mr. d’Argenlieu suggested that Uncle Ho accept the French army replacing the Viet Minh army in the 6 Southern provinces, because in these 6 Southern provinces, the acts of killing French citizens and Vietnamese people working for France occurred frequently.
Uncle Ho firmly refused.
The rift in Vietnam-France relations began right after the signing of the Provisional Agreement, at the picturesque Cam Ranh port, on the Suffren warship on October 18, 1946.
After that day, Mr. d’Argenlieu carried out many diplomatic and military measures to disarm and expel the Viet Minh army from the 6 Southern provinces.
Uncle Ho and the Viet Minh actively prepared for war.
The French army put pressure on the Viet Minh on tariffs by bombing Hai Phong on November 23, 1946. Over 2,000 Hai Phong residents were killed in this bombing.
The Vietnamese took revenge. On December 17, 1946, 3 French soldiers were walking on the streets of Hanoi. A crowd of Hanoi residents gathered around, searched the 3 Frenchmen, and discovered they had weapons, so they gathered around and beat the 3 Frenchmen to death.
On the same day, December 17, General Valluy took revenge, mobilizing French troops in Hai Phong to attack all Viet Minh military bases. More than 1,000 Hai Phong people were killed in these attacks.
On December 18, 1946, the French ordered the Viet Minh to lay down their arms.
On December 19, 1946, Uncle Ho Chi Minh wrote the Call for National Resistance.
The Vietnam-France War began.
It was time for the Party to renew its politics.
After the Vietnam-France War, there was the Vietnam-US War, then the war with Pol Pot, then the war with China, then the loss of Hoang Sa,,,.
In fact, it doesn’t matter how many wars there are, as long as the result of those wars is to bring freedom, happiness, prosperity, and wealth to the Vietnamese people.
In 939, King Ngo Quyen defeated the Southern Han army on the Bach Dang River, ending 1,000 years of Chinese domination by the Great Friend. From then on, our people had independence, freedom, and happiness.
In 1075, General Ly Thuong Kiet defeated the Song army on the Nhu Nguyet River (Cau River – Bac Ninh today), bringing independence, freedom and happiness to our people.
In 1257, 1284, and 1287, the Tran kings and General Tran Hung Dao led our people to defeat the invading Yuan army three times, bringing independence, freedom and happiness to the Vietnamese people.
In 1427, King Le Loi and General Nguyen Trai led the people to defeat the invading Ming army, bringing independence, freedom and happiness to our people.
In 1789, King Quang Trung defeated the invading Qing army, bringing independence, freedom and happiness to our people.
And in 1945, Uncle Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh to gain independence for our people.
But freedom and happiness were not yet.
And as Uncle Ho once said: “If the country is independent but the people do not enjoy happiness and freedom, then that independence is meaningless”.
Now, looking at the tragic scene of many girls in the Mekong Delta lining up for Korean and Taiwanese men to see their faces, like looking at animals, hoping to marry Taiwanese or Korean men, we can see more clearly Uncle Ho’s saying: “If the country is independent but the people do not enjoy happiness and freedom, then that independence is meaningless”.
If Uncle Ho Chi Minh’s idea of an independent Vietnam under the French Union had been realized, then now it would not be Vietnamese girls lining up to marry Korean and Taiwanese men, but on the contrary, Korean and Taiwanese girls would be lining up to marry Vietnamese men.
Uncle Ho Chi Minh persuaded Emperor Bao Dai to abdicate.
But now, there are so many little kings, real estate tycoons, and interest groups that are growing up, much worse than King Bao Dai in the past. But the leaders of the Party and the State go everywhere saying “Serving the people, Forgetting themselves for the people,,,” like parrots.
In 1919, when Uncle Ho Chi Minh wrote the 8-point Petition, demanding freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, demanding the release of all political prisoners,,,, he was considered patriotic.
When Vietnamese people today speak up to demand those rights, they may also get into trouble and be considered reactionary.
It is clear that Ho Chi Minh’s ideology is being neglected and forgotten by our Party, only talking without doing, just talking like a parrot.
It is time for the Party to renew its politics.
Vietnam has won independence from the French, so we must build a happier, freer, and more prosperous Vietnam than the French, that is the true purpose of gaining independence and freedom.
If our Vietnamese people continue to be poor, backward, rip off tourists, eat vulgarly, swear, cheat, and litter, then what is the point of that independence?
In 2024, 2025, Comrade General Secretary To Lam is initiating the largest administrative reform ever, streamlining the apparatus, merging ministries, merging provinces, abolishing the district-county level, merging and innovating the commune-ward level.
The purpose of this second Renovation is to make the Party and State apparatus more streamlined and efficient, and on that basis, to increase salaries, increase responsibilities, and increase the working efficiency of the Party and State apparatus, to shift from Management to Serving the People, as General Secretary To Lam said.
For a long time, each Ministry has 1 Minister, and dozens of Deputy Ministers, a Prime Minister has nearly 10 Deputy Prime Ministers, the apparatus at all levels is cumbersome, inefficient, and cannot increase salaries, therefore cannot fight corruption.
The Politburo should only needs about 10 people.
If only 1 Prime Minister, 1 Deputy Prime Minister, 1 Minister, 1 Deputy Minister are needed, then the salary of the Prime Minister, President, General Secretary, and National Assembly Chairman can reach 500 million VND/month, which is normal, the salary of Ministers, Provincial Chairmen who are also Provincial Secretaries, and Politburo members can reach 400 million VND/month.
And thus, fighting corruption is effective.
The Party should expand democratic freedoms for our people, allow private press, so that journalists can freely support the Party’s Doi Moi, and reduce harsh laws, so that the social atmosphere can be more breathable.
To promote the private economy, and attract foreign investment, we should boldly exempt startup tax for at least the first 5 years, when Vietnamese people first start establishing companies, and when foreigners first start investing in Vietnam.
There must be more democracy in the Party, leadership positions must be recommended to a few candidates, so that Party members have democratic choices, abolish the round-robin voting method, with only 1 candidate.
Our Vietnam has won independence from the French, but if we are not free, not happy, not more prosperous than the French, then that independence is meaningless.///