Happy National Day, 2 September

After the August General Uprising, President Hồ Chí Minh came back from Tân Trào to Hà Nội at the end of August 1945. He lived and worked on the second floor of 48 Hàng Ngang street, the home of the merchant family of Trịnh Văn Bô. In that small room he drafted the Declaration of Independence during the last days of August.

The Declaration opens by quoting the American Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1791. From the natural rights those nations themselves recognised, it affirms the right of every people, including the Vietnamese, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It then sets out the crimes of more than eighty years of French colonial rule and the Japanese occupation, and declares a complete break from colonial ties with France. The house at 48 Hàng Ngang is now a historic site that many people visit around National Day.

On 2 September 1945, hundreds of thousands of people from Hà Nội and nearby provinces gathered at Ba Đình flower garden, today Ba Đình Square. Red flags with yellow stars, slogans and banners filled every street. The Vietnam Liberation Army, self-defence units and mass organisations lined up in front of a wooden stage.

At around 2 p.m., President Hồ Chí Minh read the Declaration of Independence on behalf of the Provisional Government. Midway he paused and asked: "Compatriots, can you hear me clearly?" The whole square answered as one. That moment became one of the most moving images of the nation's founding.

After the Declaration was read, members of the Provisional Government took their oath before the people, pledging to defend independence together with the nation. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was officially born, opening an era of independence and freedom after nearly a century of foreign rule. The ceremony ended with the cheers of hundreds of thousands of people.

Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent country.

Declaration of Independence, 2 September 1945

Only months after independence, on 6 January 1946, the country held its first general election for the National Assembly. On 9 November 1946 the Assembly adopted the first Constitution. Through the years of resistance that followed, people affectionately called 2 September the Independence Tết.

On 2 July 1976, after reunification, the sixth National Assembly renamed the country the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and confirmed Hà Nội as the capital. The red flag with the yellow star and the Marching Song anthem were kept, and 2 September remained National Day, the biggest holiday for the whole country from north to south.

On 2 September 1969 President Hồ Chí Minh passed away, so National Day is also a day when many remember him. The Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum on Ba Đình Square was inaugurated on 29 August 1975, and every 2 September it welcomes large crowds from all over the country.

Before 2021, employees had one day off for National Day. The Labour Code of 2019, Law No. 45/2019/QH14, in force from 1 January 2021, raised this to two days: 2 September and one adjacent day before or after. Both are paid public holidays under Article 112 of the Code.

For civil servants and public employees, the Prime Minister decides the exact adjacent day and announces it ahead of each year. In businesses, the employer chooses the adjacent day and must inform employees at least 30 days in advance. If the holiday falls on a weekly day off, employees get a compensatory day off on the next working day.

Employees who work on the holiday must be paid at least 300% of a normal day's wage, on top of their holiday pay, under Article 98 of the Code. Night work on the holiday is paid even more. It is worth keeping your timesheet to check against your payslip.

From late August the national flag flies on every street, at house gates, schools and offices. On the morning of 2 September flag ceremonies take place in many workplaces and localities. In round-number years such as the 70th and 80th anniversaries, Ba Đình Square hosts military and civilian parades.

On the evening of 2 September, cities such as Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh City, Đà Nẵng and Hải Phòng hold fireworks for National Day. Crowds flow to the Mausoleum, Ba Đình Square and city centres from afternoon until late, and many families dress their children in red shirts with yellow stars.

For working people the National Day break is a rare mid-year chance to go home, take a short trip or get children ready for the new school year. The final quarter follows, so many use these days to look back on work and plan the run-up to Tết.