By Lê Hương

Every year, as September arrives, Đỗ Hồng Phấn remembers the historic autumn of 1945 - a moment forever etched in her memory.

Phấn was among the thousands who witnessed that sacred turning point in Vietnamese history. She was only 12 years old at the time, yet the memory remains crystal clear.

“On September 2, I was part of our neighbourhood’s marching group. Each neighbourhood had its own unit, with smaller groups for youth, women, men, and the elderly,” Phấn told Việt Nam News.

“From our street, we managed to get a flag and a banner that said something like ‘Support the Việt Minh.’ We marched from my home on Hàng Bột Street all the way to Ba Đình Square.”

“We stood in the hot sun, fanning ourselves, but stayed in very disciplined formation. After a while, officials appeared on the high platform. I didn’t know who any of them were at the time, but they introduced President Hồ, so we realised it was him. From where we were, he was just a distant figure - we couldn’t clearly make out who was who.”

Now 93, Phấn still remembers there were about twenty people on the platform. She can’t recall all of their identities, but when Uncle Hồ spoke, the crowd fell into complete silence.

From that moment, the young schoolgirl felt her patriotic spirit awaken.

A photo of the ceremony honoring student Trần Văn Ơn, who was killed by French forces during a student protest in Sài Gòn. The event was held by students in Hà Nội in the early 1950s. Phấn has preserved the photo in her album of memories. Photo courtesy of Đỗ Hồng Phấn.

“There was something… something deeply stirring that made me feel that I was part of a heroic nation. It naturally sparked a strong sense of national consciousness,” she recalled.

“And then, the resistance movement grew, and Uncle Hồ’s image became incredibly beloved. At that time, he still met and spoke freely with the people.”

Soon after, Phấn joined revolutionary activities led by Hà Nội students to raise public awareness of the fight against French colonial rule.

“The resistance movement first started at Chu Văn An School - the boys’ school,” she said.

“Then it spread to the girls’ side, Trưng Vương School. That’s when I joined. For me, it was a turning point - from knowing nothing to suddenly being part of a national movement. And it wasn’t just me. It was the awakening of a whole nation.”

By late 1949 and early 1950, a major wave of student activism swept through Chu Văn An School. One of the most notable events was a school boycott and a memorial for heroic student Trần Văn Ơn, who was killed by French forces during a student protest in Sài Gòn.

Đỗ Hồng Phấn as a young woman. Photo courtesy of Đỗ Hồng Phấn

Students crafted red flags with yellow stars from paper and scattered them in public places such as markets and streets. Male students ingeniously placed small flags on classroom ceiling fans - when the fan spun, the flags would scatter across the room.

Female students had an even more creative idea: they tied notebook-sized flags to the legs of pigeons and released them from their homes. But the pigeons, loyal to their nests, flew right back to their windows - unintentionally exposing some students and leading to arrests.

Phấn also remembered how students created wall newspapers featuring editorials, commentaries, resistance stories, and patriotic songs. Songs like Trường Ca Sông Lô (Lô River Epic) and Tiến Về Hà Nội (Marching to Hà Nội) by composer Văn Cao made their way into the capital through such efforts.

As an active member of the movement, Phấn was arrested by the French and imprisoned at Hỏa Lò Prison betwee November 1950 and January 1951.

“I stayed in the general women’s detention area for a few nights,” she said. “Then they moved me to a separate cell with just a few others. It was basically solitary confinement, with no more contact with my fellow resistance fighters.”

Phấn visited Hoả Lò Prison, where she was jailed for two months in 1950. VNS Photo Lê Hương

Life in prison was harsh - the food was terrible, and everything was filthy and disorganised. But since she was still a student, the French authorities tried to bribe and persuade her to give up the cause.

After her release, Phấn immediately sought to reconnect with her revolutionary youth organisation. She was summoned to the resistance’s free zone in Thái Nguyên Province and later returned to Hà Nội to celebrate the capital’s liberation on October 10, 1954.

Upon her return, she rejoined the student movement and resumed her involvement in revolutionary activities within Hà Nội’s schools.

Phấn was one of millions who contributed to Việt Nam’s long and arduous struggle for independence.

Reflecting on the importance of people like Phấn, historian Nguyễn Quang Ngọc noted that the 1946 Constitution clearly affirmed the role of the people: “The Democratic Republic of Việt Nam is a state where all power belongs to the people, regardless of who they are.”

The replicas at the prison remind her of the old days. VNS Photo Lê Hương

“It belongs to the people,” he emphasised, “and that is the highest affirmation of the masses’ role in seizing, maintaining, defending, and building a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Now, 80 years later, the former schoolgirl is fortunate to enjoy the peaceful autumns of a free Việt Nam - perhaps more than anyone, she deeply understands the true value of independence and freedom. VNS