What happened
After Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, the Viet Minh moved within weeks. Local risings took Hanoi on August 19, then Hue and Saigon. Emperor Bao Dai abdicated on August 30, handing over the imperial seal and sword.
On September 2, 1945, in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam — opening, as is documented, by quoting the American Declaration of Independence.
Background
The Japanese coup of March 1945 had destroyed the French administration. The catastrophic Tonkin famine had radicalized the countryside, and the Viet Minh had been building networks since 1941.
Consequences
Independence was declared but not secured: French forces returned within months, and the First Indochina War began in late 1946. September 2 is Vietnam’s National Day.