Ho Chi Minh Declares Vietnam's Independence

On 2 September 1945, Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence in front of a large crowd in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square. He declared the formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam was occupied by France at the time and Japan had surrendered shortly before in World War II. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ho Chi Minh declared an independent Vietnam in the presence of thousands of people in Hanoi. However, even after making this declaration of independence, Vietnam took about 30 years to fully unite and become independent. Vietnam did not gain independence so easily. Vietnam had long been under French rule. In addition, Japan had also occupied it during World War II. Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890. In 1911, he sailed out of Vietnam as a cook on a French ship. After that, he worked on ships for several years. He lived in London and then in France. He joined the communist movement in 1920 and later became an active member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, where he studied and later became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.