Lawyer Tran Thi Tuyet
The State and Law Research Institute
Only 15 months after its emergence following the August 1945 Revolution, the young people’s democratic State of Vietnam had to confront one of the biggest challenges, i.e. the French colonialists’ reinvasion of the country. So, the first thing to do was that it had to wage an unmatched war of resistance against the foreign invaders to defend the newly gained national independence and revolutionary fruits.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Indochina (now the Communist Party of Vietnam), the Vietnamese people quickly built the revolutionary administration and legal system, which, though still very young, played an active role in all activities preparing for the anti-French colonialist war of resistance.
First, the young administration broadened the national unity bloc on the principle of “Fatherland first”, “the nation first”.
Following the August Revolution, the destiny of the nation and the revolutionary administration hang on a thread with the menace and eminent occupation by foreign forces. By early September 1945, over 200,000 Chiang Kaisek troops, in the name of the allied forces, moved into Hanoi and almost all cities and towns from the Vietnam - China border down to the 16th parallel to disarm the Japanese troops. Hiding behind the Chiang Kaisek soldiers were two Vietnamese reactionary organizations “Vietnam Quoc Dan Dang” (the Nationalist Party of Vietnam) and “Viet Nam Cach Mang Dong Minh Hoi” (the Vietnam Revolutionary Alliance Society), which opened attacks and occupied some northern provincial towns, then set up the reactionary administrations therein. Right in Hanoi, they opened their offices in many streets, published books and newspapers, organized meetings and demonstrations, conducted assassinations, kidnappings and blackmails in an attempt to overthrow the revolutionary administration and set up a reactionary government.
Meanwhile from the 16th parallel southward, the British troops, also in the name of the allied forces, moved into Saigon on September 6, 1945. With their support, 6,000 French expeditionary troops attacked with armored cars Saigon, then later provinces of Cochinchina and southern Central Vietnam. On June 1, 1946 they set up the socalled “provisional administration of the Cochinchina republic”.
Yet, by then the revolutionary State of Vietnam had not yet been recognized and supported by any country in the world; the revolutionary armed forces had not been established, the people’s independence might be abolished and the people might be enslaved again.
In face of such difficult and complicated situation, the Indochinese Communist Party issued Directive “Resistance War for National Construction” (November 25, 1945), pointing out: “The objective of Vietnam’s revolution at present is that ‘The Nation First, the Fatherland First’; the immediate task is to ‘consolidate the administration, struggle against the French colonialists’ invasion, do away with the domestic betrayors and improve the people’s life.” To these ends, according to the Directive, there was no other way for the revolutionary administration than to firmly rely on the people, mobilize the strength of the entire country, the entire nation without ignoring any force and any element. This line was materialized comprehensively with many policies, measures and forms, which were suitable to the then situation.
In order to broaden the national unity bloc, avoid division sown by the enemies and to protect the Party as well as its leadership, the Indochinese Communist Party on November 11, 1945 declared its dissolution (in fact it withdrew into secret).
The national united front was ever broadened to attract various political parties, organizations and individuals who loved the country and national independence. Member organizations of the Front were set up or consolidated: The Vietnam Labor Confederation was established in May 1946 with a view to uniting various organizations of the working class, State employees, laborers, intellectuals throughout the country in the revolutionary struggle. In July 1946, the Vietnam Socialist Party was established to gather intellectuals and at the same time to foil the French colonialists’ and their lackeys’ scheme of dragging intellectuals and Government employees into the Vietnam chapter of the French Socialist Party against “Viet Minh” and the revolutionary administration.
On October 20, 1946, the Vietnam Women’s Union was founded rallying all patriotic women to support the people’s administration in the struggle against foreign invasion.
A conference of ethnic minorities in the South, then a national conference on ethnic minorities of Vietnam were held on April 19, 1946 and December 3, 1946 respectively with a view to uniting people of all ethnicities throughout the country in the struggle against the French colonialists’ scheme of sowing division among various ethnic groups in Vietnam.
It can be said that by the end of 1946 the revolutionary administration had rallied people from all walks of life, irrespective of their ethnicities, religion, social classes, occupation, in the struggle to defend the young state and in preparation for the war of resistance against the French colonialists.
Second, it relied on the people to take urgent economic and financial measures to stabilize the people’s life, consolidate the people’s confidence in the new regime and enhance the people’s strength.
It was unbelievable that the newly set up revolutionary administration of Vietnam was left with a heritage of an almost empty budget of 1.2 million dong in cash and a huge debt of 564 million dong, a desolate and destitude countryside after the 1945 famine, a lame and dependent industry, a stagnant trade, an education with more than 90% of the population being illiterate, etc.
To settle the budget deficit, the new administration temporarily mobilized the voluntary contributions from people. A big campaign was launched to raise funds, with the setting up of “Quy Doc Lap” (Independence Fund) on September 19, 1945, the “Tuan Le Vang” (Gold donation week) on September 19, 1945, “Dam phu quoc phong” (contributions to the national defense) on May 10, 1946, which were all actively responded by people throughout the country who contributed not only money, jewellery, food, medicines but also big assets, valuable keepsakes, etc. Within a short length of time some 20 million dong were collected for “Quy Doc Lap”, 370 kilograms of gold for “Tuan Le Vang” and 40 million dong for “Dam phu quoc phong” fund.
In order to increase the budget revenue and ensure the rationality and fairness in making voluntary contributions to the defense of national independence, the revolutionary administration decided to reform the taxation policy and issue the Vietnamese currency. This was a sudden and bold decision because the then Government had nothing but the people’s trust in the new regime, such natural resources as mines, forests, railways, plantations, and an abundant work force to ensure the value of such currency, which, within a short length of time, was circulated nationwide in replacement of the federal currency issued by Indochina Bank, and which became the nation’s useful weapon against the French colonialists’ financial means they used during their war in Vietnam.
To cope with the famine which was considered then “more dangerous than war” (Ho Chi Minh, Selected Works, Volume I, ‘Su That’ Publisher, Hanoi 1980, p.376), the State took urgent measures by setting up the relief fund, launching a campaign for land reclaimation to boost agricultural production, etc. As a result, the eminent famine was gradually repelled.
Besides, land owned by colonialists and feudal landlords were confiscated and distributed to poor peasants while virgin land and ownerless land were temporarily allocated to peasants who had little land. To further stabilize and improve the people’s life, the Government cut the land tax by 25%, abolished the capitation and some other irrational taxes, exempted agricultural tax for flood and storm-stricken areas, helped peasants with seeds, capital, production techniques, etc.
Third, it moblizied the strength of the entire people for building a self-sufficing economy and a strong national defense.
The above-mentioned economic and financial solutions were of great significance for the survival of the new regime, particularly during its initial stage full of difficulties and hardships. However, those were only “circumstantial solutions”. The Indochinese Communist Party and the revolutionary administration of Vietnam clearly stated that the war of resistance against the French colonialists was an all-sided, prolonged war of resistance conducted by the entire people. Therefore, the basis and sustainable solution was to mobilize the strength of the entire people for building a resistance war economy capable of producing enough food, weapons, ammunitions, etc. for the patriotic war against foreign invaders and the national construction as well.
The basic solutions stated in Directive “Resistance War and National Construction” were concretized into policies and legal documents.
Agriculturally, the revolutionary State encouraged production, particularly the production of rice, cotton, paper and salt with a view to reducing the budget expenditure. The movement for productive labor spread widely, involving State bodies, mass organizations, army units, people..., that made full use of their time and land to produce more and more rice for self-sufficiency in food.
Industrially, production was quickly restored with factories, mines, enterprises confiscated from the colonialists being exploited to promptly serve the development of production, the improvement of people’s living conditions and preparation for the resistance war. A number of industrial establishments were quickly restored and machinery were modified to produce weapons in time before the resistance war broke out. Military factories, arms workshops of small, medium or large size were quickly built in resistance bases. By the end of 1946, there had been 21 arms workshops with some 3,000 workers in northern Vietnam; 33 workshops and 9 construction sites in Central Vietnam, which all employed some 6,000 workers; and 22 such workshops, 3 construction sites with a total of more than 4,000 workers in southern Vietnam. Besides, there were many similar establishments in various localities that repaired and made weapons for guerrilla and militia forces.
The revolutionary administration quickly unified armed forces throughout the country with three forces: the regular army, the regional army and the guerrilla-militia force. By the end of 1946, Vietnam had 80,000 regular armymen and nearly 1 million guerrillas and militiamen.
The great achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in 15 month’s struggle to defend the revolutionary gains and the young state have testified to the clear-sighted leadership of the Indochinese Communist Party (now the Communist Party of Vietnam) and President Ho Chi Minh as well as to the great strength of the Vietnamese nation.-