Fundamento Legal

is equivalent to an u r g e n t cry for help such as S.O.S.,

w h e n applied to "our f a t h e r l a n d in danger" (to quoc lam nguy) or to the o r g a n i s a t i o n s of a "national u n i t e d front to save the c o u n t r y " , so appealing a term does not admit any pretext for refusal or even delay in joining it.

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Cdu Quoc and Viet M i n h , those h a p p i l y chosen terms were a c tually r e l a t e d to Chiu doi (famine rescue) in a h i g h l y p e r s u a s i v e appeal i s s u e d by the Vi e t M i n h F ront in

1945

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To prev a i l against the present famine, every one of us should seek adm i s s i o n to the V i e t M i n h in .order to r e a d y h i m ­ self for chasing out the Japanese.

Famine] Famine] Oh Famine] We mu s t save our rice, capture the enemy's grain stocks, repel b o t h F r ench and Japanese. Our land is for us to c u l t ­ ivate w i t h o u t h a v i n g to pay tax* Our rice is to feed us w i t h o u t our being- robbed. To r e a c h that goal, all our

c ompatriots should join the Viet Minh: J aps-French, go home]

Vi e t N a m be Independent] "

A direct appeal was also l a unched in the form of

popu l a r rhymes and entitled Bai ca Viet M i n h (song# of the Viet Minh). To rek i n d l e anger and h a t r e d a g a i n s t the

enemies of the nation, the campaign began w i t h a l i t a n y of injustices that the V i e t n a m e s e h ad been made to suffer "at

the hands of the F r e n c h colonialists and the J a p a n e s e Fascists" A strong r e a c t i o n a g a i n s t those f oreign rulers was then f o s ­ tered by the n a r r a t i o n of hi s t o r i c a l u p r isings w i t h famous battles and victories, N a t i o n a l heroes were c ited sub-

s e q u ently to i n t r o d u c e "a sacred call from our f o r e ­ fathers" ;

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■Bong bao hdi day ldi; tarn huyet, D & y tieh nhan^ da; vi§t cho^ta,

K h u y & n ta giif lay mloc nha,

K h u y ^ n ta diing day diing co td do. B e a r compatriots,

H e re's a confidential message,

A sacred call from our forefathers U r g i n g us to save our f a t h e r l a n d ,

U r g i n g us to rise and to grasp f r e e d o m .

A n t i c i p a t i n g that people m i g h t be t empted to think of other pat r i o t i c and r e v o l u t i o n a r y o r g a n i s a t i o n s such as

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the Viet N a m Quoc Ban B a n g (Nationalist P a r t y ) , the Pai Vifet (G-reater Vie t Nam) , the Phqc Quoc (National R e s t o r -

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a t i o n ) , the T hanh N i e n Ai Quoc (Patriotic Y o u t h ) , the T hanh N l e n Tien P h o n g (Vanguard Youth) and so forth, the zealous p r o p a g a n d i s t glo b a l l y and r u t h l e s s l y d e n o u n c e d all of these as pro-French, p r o - J a p a n e s e and fake nationalist. Af t e r i n d i c t i n g other m o v e m e n t s and part i e s of being

traitorous, d e f e a t i s t or duped by F r e n c h m e n and Japanese, he in t r o d u c e d the Vi e t M i n h Front as the best and the

only w a y to save the country: us i n g f r i e n d l y but eloquent and persua s i v e language, the song played on pat r i o t i c s e n t i ­ m e n t s and s e l f - r e s p e c t to ur g e all m e n who love their

country, i n c l u d i n g h i g h l a n d minorities, Cambodians, L a otians and Thais, q u i c k l y to join the Viet Mi n h Front;

Bong bao hoi Itruo’c nguy eo*

Nha tan nu’O’c: m at bay gio* hoi ai??

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Du’ong ctru niro’e cu’u noi duy nhat Co* Vi ft Minh da phat tren dau, Cung nhau ta n&rn tay nhau

Khong phan ton giao^ ngheo giau,gai trad. Nao thien hg ai ngufo*i nghia khi,rf

N^’ao iihan dan ai ke anh tai, NLao do an ^nao hfi nhu»ng ai??

Nhtmg ai you nu*o*c;,ai ngu’oi Vi ft Nam? NhSng ai muon danh tan gif© Phajp» NhvSng ai mong cuu thoat giong noi, Vi f t Minh tha tliiat^chao moi

Mau vao M&t^trfn dift load xam 1a n g , Cac do an the Vi ft Nam cu’u quoc

Dang ra tay don e u’O’g: an ca n . Thq* thuyen,binh lihh,nong dan,,

Thanh nien, ph^nu*, v&n nhanjuhi dong, Can phy lao,phu ong,d|a: chu,

B g, e ky hao , dien hf , thu'O’ng gia, Hoi hon dab; tfg quo© gia,

Mau mau ^ tu tgp duoi cxo^P Vi ft Minh! Muonig,M a n ,Tho bat binh Phap,Nhft, Thai ,Mien,hao eung dat Dong-du’o*ng, Nui rung to chx hien ngang,

B e a r compatriots! facing n a t i o n a l dis a s t e r and personal suffering, wh o m should we turn to? Beho l d the Viet M i n h the u n ique w a y to save our country. Let us r a l l y toge t h e r without d i s t i n c ­ tion of religion, status or sex.

W here are our loyal and brave men?

Vi/here are our s t o u t h e a r t e d groups and v a l i e n t orga n i s a t i o n s ?

Y o u who love your country, who are truly Vietnamese, You who are determ i n e d to destroy the F r e n c h enemy to save our

own nation, the Vi e t M i n h Front embraces all of you; v a r i o u s groups of N a t i o n a l S a l v a t i o n w e l c o m e y o u to the common struggle against the aggressors.

Workers, peasants, soldiers, students, intellectuals, y o u n g adults, seniors, women, children, bourgeois, notables,

tx^adesmen, richfmen, landowners, all true n a t i o n a l i s t s , quickly r a l l y un d e r the Vi e t M i n h banner!

Muong, Man, T h o , our minorities, who also hate the enemy, Thai, Mien, Lao, our n e i g h b o u r s on the same Ind o c h i n a f r o n t , together w i t h the Viet Minh, let us r e s o l u t e l y join the struggle to prove our h e roic spirit.

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The p r o p a g a n d a song ends a r tfully on a h a p p y note

and a beautiful picture of an independent and free Viet N a m enjoying life u n d e r the V i e t M i n h flag:

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Diidi c<5 do sao ;v a n g n a m canh, H$i dong bao sat canh chen_ vai, V i e t H a m r ieng mot goc gfcrdi X&y xx'en d6c l§.p mut>n dbi tii do.

U n d e r the golden star on the red flag, D e a r compatriots! l e t !s r a l l y solidly T o . b u i l d a g l orious Viet N a m

For ever in d e p e n d e n t and totally f r e e »

To such a pious p r o f e s s i o n of faith and hope, the

V i e t n a m e s e peop l e who h a d been a roused to awa r e n e s s of their