On August 25, 1945, in Saigon, millions of people took to the streets to join the General Uprising under the leadership of the Viet Minh, seizing power from the pro-Japanese puppet government. This was one of the greatest historical events in the city's modern history, taking place just three days after Japan announced its surrender to the Allies.
The favorable international context — following the United States' atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 — created a power vacuum in Indochina. The Viet Minh, the alliance led by Ho Chi Minh, quickly seized the moment and issued a general uprising order across the country. In Saigon, the Nam Ky Regional Committee and the Uprising Committee mobilized dozens of mass organizations — workers, youth, and women's groups — to rise together.
On the morning of August 25, hundreds of thousands of people from Saigon–Gia Dinh and surrounding provinces marched toward the city center. Government offices, police stations, and weapons depots were taken over in an orderly fashion. The Provisional Administrative Committee of Nam Bo was established under Tran Van Giau, declared the takeover of power, and raised the red flag with yellow star across the city. For the first time in nearly 90 years, a Vietnamese-led government administered Saigon.
However, the joy of independence was short-lived. On September 23, 1945, French forces — following British troops who had entered to disarm the Japanese — opened fire to retake Saigon, beginning the Nam Bo Resistance Day. The people of Saigon voluntarily evacuated the city, leaving it empty for the invaders, then continued fighting for 30 years.
The August Revolution in Saigon left a deep mark on the city's history. August 25 is commemorated each year at many locations, including the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Revolution (65 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1) — which holds thousands of artifacts and documents about the city's revolutionary movement from 1930 to 1975.