80 years of unwavering faith in the Party
At the age of 100, veteran Party member Tran Dinh Niem (Van Kieu commune, Nghe An province) was honored to receive the 80-Year Party Membership Badge – a prestigious award marking a life of unwavering loyalty to revolutionary ideals. From a farmer to a Party cadre, a soldier who matured through two wars of resistance, and then returned to contribute to building his homeland in peacetime, his life is a vivid testament to the qualities of a communist Party member: utterly loyal to the Party, devoted to the people, and completely devoted to his homeland.
Gia Huy /Present:Hong Toai• June 10, 2026
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At the age of 100, veteran Party member Tran Dinh Niem (Van Kieu commune, Nghe An province) was honored to receive the 80-Year Party Membership Badge – a prestigious award marking a life of unwavering loyalty to revolutionary ideals. From a farmer to a Party cadre, a soldier who matured through two wars of resistance, and then returned to contribute to building his homeland in peacetime, his life is a vivid testament to the qualities of a communist Party member: utterly loyal to the Party, utterly devoted to the people, and completely devoted to his homeland.
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In his simple house nestled in the peaceful countryside of Van Kieu commune, veteran Party member Tran Dinh Niem welcomed us with a gentle smile.
Although his steps have slowed, his hands tremble with age, and his voice is no longer as clear as it once was, his eyes still shine with the sharpness and unwavering determination of a man who has dedicated his entire life to the revolution.
His greatest joy these days is having just been awarded the 80-Year Party Membership Badge. Every time he mentions that prestigious award, his voice softens with emotion.
For him, it was not only the Party's recognition of his dedication but also a sacred milestone in a life devoted to revolutionary ideals.
Born in 1926 into a poor farming family in Vinh Tuy village, formerly Yen Thanh district, Mr. Niem's childhood was marked by hardship.
His father worked as a servant for wealthy families, then as a river digger, while his mother toiled in trade, taking on farmland and raising cattle for landlords. It wasn't until he was nine years old that he began learning Sino-Vietnamese characters, and later joined a literacy class to learn the national script.
The years spent witnessing the suffering of the people under the oppression of colonialism and fascism, and especially the terrible famine of 1945, instilled in young Tran Dinh Niem the will to fight for independence.
In his carefully preserved memoir, he still vividly remembers the afternoon in June 1945 when, while plowing his field, he saw Viet Minh cadres coming to the village to mobilize the people to prepare for an uprising and seize power for the people.
“They said that the immediate priority was to organize a volunteer youth force, with a spirit of volunteerism. Eleven young men from Tri Noi village volunteered, and I was appointed as their chief leader. Everyone forged their own swords… About a week later, Viet Minh cadres returned for the second time and confiscated the insignia of the village chiefs and officials. The Viet Minh assigned one person to stay in Tri Noi village to practice singing the national anthem and other propaganda songs promoting patriotism and resistance against foreign invaders… The rural people felt like they were reborn,” Mr. Niem wrote in his memoirs.
After the August Revolution, when the revolutionary government was established in the locality, he continued to participate in the guerrilla militia forces and was assigned to be the Political Commissar of the Guerrilla Militia Platoon, as well as the Political Commissar of the Commune Militia Command Board.
In the early days of the fledgling revolutionary government, young people like him participated in fighting hunger and illiteracy while also being ready to take up arms to defend the achievements of the revolution.
April 5, 1948, became a special milestone in his life when he was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Immediately afterwards, the Nghi Loc District Party Committee assigned him the task of being the first Party cell leader in Tri Noi village. (At this time, the villages of Tri Noi, Hoi Yen, etc., had been transferred from Yen Thanh district to Nghi Loc district).
"From the moment I joined the Party, I resolved to live up to the oath of a Party member," Mr. Niem recalled emotionally.
The following years were a journey of nearly 20 years in the military, closely linked to the nation's two protracted wars of resistance.
In 1950, while also serving as a Party committee member of the Tam Thai branch (formed by the merger of three communes: Nghi Lam, Nghi Van, and Nghi Kieu), Mr. Niem was sent by his superiors to receive political cadre training at the Military Political School of Inter-Region IV. After the course, instead of taking up a local assignment, he volunteered to join the main army to fight directly.
He served in the 403rd Regiment, then participated in military training courses in China, before being transferred to the 803rd Regiment of Military Region 5. In his battlefield memoir, he meticulously recorded every stage of his march through various regions, every battle, and even memories of the sacred bond between soldiers and civilians, and the camaraderie among comrades.
Throughout the nine years of the resistance war against the French, he directly participated in nine battles, both large and small. One of his most vivid memories is the battle at Ai Rieng outpost (Phu Yen), where his unit captured 12 enemy soldiers and seized all their weapons without firing a single shot. In this battle, Mr. Niem was the platoon leader of Company 4, Battalion 59, assigned by the Regiment to burn down the enemy's fortifications before dawn. But what he remembers most vividly is not that victory.
That was right after the victory at Dien Bien Phu, along with the rest of the country, the people and soldiers of Military Region 5 from all over the region flocked to Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province to celebrate the great victory.
Following orders from above, Mr. Niem's regiment also marched to Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province. Mr. Niem was assigned the task of overall command of the operation of Battalion 59 of Regiment 803.
As the unit marched through Binh Dinh amidst a sea of welcoming people, a young man suddenly rushed out, embraced Mr. Niem, and lifted him up. He said he was a prisoner of war who had been captured during the battle at Ai Rieng outpost years ago and had been treated humanely by the liberation army before being released. "He recognized me among thousands of people. That moment made me understand that victory comes not only from guns and bullets, but also from the humanity of the revolution," he recounted.
After peace was restored in the North, he continued his training, held various command positions in the army, and served on international missions assisting Laos.
When the resistance war against the US entered its most intense phase, he was transferred to the 18th Regiment, 3A Division of the Liberation Army, marching into the South and fighting on many battlefields in Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, and other areas.
Recalling those years, he still couldn't hide his emotion when remembering his comrades. "There were times when the unit suffered heavy losses, with only half the number of soldiers remaining. But we shared hunger and thirst, and in battle, we were ready to protect each other. It was this camaraderie that helped us overcome everything," he said.
In December 1968, Mr. Tran Dinh Niem was assigned to the position of Deputy Battalion Commander of the Quyet Thang Battalion, tasked with transporting weapons and ammunition to the South. He was later transferred back to the 3A Division. During his time in the army, he was awarded 7 medals and 2 commendations for his combat achievements.
In 1970, after suffering from severe malaria multiple times and experiencing declining health, he received his retirement notice and returned to his hometown.
Returning home after more than two decades in the military, Mr. Tran Dinh Niem began a new "front" - the front of rebuilding his homeland.
Those were the difficult years for the country, when people had to reclaim and cultivate land to stabilize their lives. As the eldest son in the family, he felt obligated to shoulder the family responsibilities, support his parents, wife, and children... The former soldier personally cleared land, planted cassava and sweet potatoes, planted hundreds of eucalyptus trees, and raised buffaloes as the foundation for his family's economic development.
But for him, retirement didn't mean ceasing to contribute. In 1971, he was elected to the Party Committee of Nghi Van commune, and subsequently held many important positions such as Standing Committee member of the Party Committee, Vice Chairman of Internal Affairs, Head of the Commune Police, in charge of military affairs, transportation, patriotic emulation...
Having grown up in the mass movement and been tempered in the army, he always believed in being close to the people, understanding them, and working for them. He, along with the local Party committee and government, mobilized the people to fulfill their civic duties and actively contribute manpower and resources to the front lines. Many patriotic emulation movements flourished in Nghi Van during that period, contributing to making the locality a shining example in the district.
After completing his duties at the commune level, he continued to serve as the village Party branch secretary for many terms. Notably, when the Vietnam Veterans Association was established, he was one of the first officials to build the organization at the local level.
In his capacity as Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the Veterans Association of the commune, he boldly sought ways to raise funds by contracting fish farming to support members in developing their economy and building a stronger association.
Thanks to his innovative and effective methods, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit and commended by the Nghe An Provincial Veterans Association at the Nghe An Provincial Exemplary Veterans Congress for the period 1990-1994.
Not only is Mr. Niem an exemplary party member, but he is also a highly responsible father and grandfather in his large family of 7 children, 20 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.
Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, Mr. Niem's eldest daughter, shared: "My father lived a simple and hardworking life. While doing social work, he also took care of the family's finances and raised seven children to adulthood. Despite his advanced age, he still takes care of himself, reads books daily, and maintains his modest lifestyle as before."
What is admirable is that this tradition continues to be preserved through successive generations.
Mr. Niem's youngest daughter, Ms. Tran Thi Tham, was elected by the people as the village head for nearly 20 years (before that, her husband (Mr. Niem's son-in-law) also served as the village head).
With a sense of responsibility and the motto "actions speak louder than words," Ms. Tham, along with the Party committee and the village's leadership board, mobilized the people's efforts to build a transportation system, a cultural center, a sports field, etc., contributing to making the residential area a shining example in the movement to build advanced new rural areas and smart villages.
According to Ms. Tham, the greatest lesson her father left behind was not the medals or positions he held, but the ethics of a cadre and party member.
"My father always told us that when working for the people, we must be sincere, responsible, and transparent in order to gain their trust," she said.
In our conversation, veteran Party member Tran Dinh Niem still felt emotional when recalling the moment he received the 80-year Party membership badge.
He expressed his emotion at the speech by Comrade Nguyen Khac Than, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, at the ceremony awarding the 80-year Party membership badge to veteran Party members: “Throughout their revolutionary activities and work, regardless of their position or circumstances, veteran Party members have always maintained their stance, upheld their responsibilities, set a good example in ethics and lifestyle, and remained closely connected with the people and the Party organization in their place of residence. These qualities are invaluable spiritual assets that need to be cherished, preserved, spread, and promoted…”
It is not only his pride, but also that of his descendants, family, clan, and hometown.
Eighty years in the Party meant eighty years of steadfastly upholding the unwavering oath of a communist, enduring war, peace, hardship, and reform. His life is like the simple verses recorded in his memoir:"Living thanks to the blessings of the Nation, the people, the Party, and Uncle Ho/ From youthful days until now, my hair has turned gray..."
A century has passed, but the flame of ideals within that veteran party member continues to shine brightly, becoming a precious spiritual asset for his descendants and future generations to follow.
