Vietnamese Declaration of Independence

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The Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was a speech read by President Hồ Chí Minh on September 2, 1945, in Quảng Trường Ba Ðình, Hànội, Vietnam. It would be followed by the First Indochinese War.

During the August Revolution, the speech was written by Hồ Chí Minh at 48 Hang Ngang Street, Hànội, the home of a bourgeoisie family that donated 5,147 taels of gold to the revolution. Today, the house is a museum. The Declaration has been written with the help of OSS Detachment 101 Maj. Archimedes Patti to put the "Liberties" in the right order of the American Declaration of Independence.

The speech was based on the American Declaration of Independence. It began:

"My fellow countrymen, All people are created equal. They are given by their creator certain rights that nobody is able to take away. Among these are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."