In celebration of Vietnam’s National Day
September 2 marks the historic day President Ho Chi Minh declared in a speech in Hanoi Vietnam’s independence from Japan and France. Ngày Quốc Khánh, as it’s called in Vietnamese, was a bold move to make in 1945 as politically a lot was still going on in the background regarding Vietnam’s future. The speech itself was not just a declaration of independence but also a powerful warning to the French that Vietnam would not tolerate occupation by anyone. He had identified the wish of most Vietnamese – to be unified as a whole nation –and was able to propel that feeling into a national drive, finally achieved in 1975. These days, President Ho Chi Minh is regarded as one of the most influential statesmen of the 20th century inspiring many other nations to battle against colonialism. Every citizen knows this history very well, studied seriously in school and marked in posters and banners. Yet it’s not so serious a time. The majority of the Vietnamese I’ve met over the 14 years I’ve lived...