At 11 p.m. the same day, the Committee issued Military Order No. 1, calling for a general uprising. The order declared:
"Compatriots and soldiers across the nation!
At noon on August 13, 1945, fascist Japan surrendered to the Allies; its army has collapsed on all fronts. Our enemy has fallen.
The hour of general uprising has struck!
This is the one and only chance for the Vietnamese people to rise and seize national independence.
The National Uprising Committee has been formed to lead the insurrection to total victory.
Soldiers of the Vietnamese Liberation Army!
Under the command of the Committee, gather your forces, swiftly attack the enemy’s strongholds and urban centres, cut off their retreat, and disarm them. Overcoming every obstacle, advance resolutely!
Compatriots nationwide!
Under the command of the Committee, give your full support to the Liberation Army — join its ranks, march to the front, and drive out the enemy.
We must act swiftly, with the utmost courage and caution. The Fatherland demands your greatest sacrifices.
Final victory will surely be ours!"
That same day, the Tonkin Party Committee stepped up preparations for the uprising.
News of Japan’s defeat ignited an unprecedented surge of patriotism and revolutionary fervour among the northern population. On August 13, 1945, the Tonkin Party Committee convened a meeting to discuss how best to seize the moment. After analysing the situation, the meeting resolved to “hasten preparations for the uprising; wherever conditions permit, seize power.” Following the meeting, a Committee member made contact with the Viceroy of Tonkin to assess the enemy’s position.
On the same day, the Tonkin Viet Minh Committee issued a communiqué to all levels, declaring: “The period of preparation is over; we are now in the direct stage of uprising.”
Implementing this directive, Party organisations and Viet Minh branches across rural districts and communes in most provinces under the Tonkin Party Committee’s jurisdiction promptly advanced preparations, ready to mobilise the masses for the General Uprising.
