In autumn, the people and authorities of Hanoi together are eager to celebrate the National Day, which falls on September 2.

For the last 78 years, the remarks of the late President Ho Chi Minh on the declaration of the independence of Vietnam still live on in all Hanoians.

The flag-raising ceremony on the morning of September 2 at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

These days bring back memories of Cong Ngoc Dung, residing in Alley 319 on An Duong Vuong Road of Tay Ho District’s Phu Thuong Ward.

His home was once the workplace for the late President Ho Chi Minh and his administration on August 23-25, 1945, when they prepared to arrive in Hanoi from the Viet Bac military zone.

The delegation came to the residency of Nguyen Thi An, who was Dung’s grandmother, to settle and work. About a week later, the delegation arrived in Hanoi’s inner-city area to reveal the Government and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

For the past 78 years, Dung’s family generations have taken care of the house and honored the artifacts of the days when President Ho Chi Minh used to work here.

“No one had ever known the old guest was President Ho Chi Minh. He stayed up late, woke up early, and lived very simply,” Dung told the Vietnam News Agency.

The secret had remained until Dung’s grandmother Nguyen Thi An and his father Cong Ngoc Kha attended the ceremony on September 2, when President Ho Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, he said.

He added that the whole family was in shock and pride as they had hosted one of the most incredible men in Vietnamese history.

“Those days were one of the most memorable in our family.”

The house was an interesting place during the early days of September, as many delegations of foreign and domestic visitors came to see President Ho Chi Minh’s workplace.

They hope to study the late president’s career, personal life, and the details of his work to give birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, taking the nation into the era of independence, freedom and self-resilience.

It is one of the greatest milestones in Vietnam’s thousands of years of history, as the independent nation of Vietnam officially became a part of the global community.

According to associate professor Tran Trong Tho, Deputy Director of the Institute of Party History under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, September 2, 1945 marked the end of the colonization stage and the birth of a new political entity.

“That was the day Vietnamese people became the owner of their fate after a hundred years of slavery, and a new Vietnamese State was created,” he said.

“Independence and democracy were the biggest achievements after years of fighting the domination and colonization of foreign invaders, indicating the self-reliance and resilience of the Vietnamese people,” the associate professor said.

The political, cultural, economic center of all

Given its historic position, Hanoi authorities and people have strived to drive forward, overcome difficulties and challenges, and bolster the city’s development in the last 78 years.

The capital city’s reputation and credibility have increased sharply in recent years, thus facilitating the city to further penetrate into the global communities.

It is the desire and self-reliance that have driven Hanoi to new heights, according to municipal officials. The city now is among the localities with the highest socio-economic growth indicators.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People Committee Le Hong Son said that the city aims to enhance its development through three spearheads: infrastructure development, legislative completion, and improvement of the human resources development.

Hanoi is on its path to becoming a cultured, modern, civilized city, and the socio-economic driver of the northern region and the country. The city also eyes further integration in the global markets and strives to level its position with other regional major cities.

With unity, determination and creativity, the people and authorities of Hanoi will soon realize the said targets in the near future, the vice chairman said.