Hero and martyr Le Thieu Huy - the man who used his body to shield Prince Souphanouvong from bullets

Hero and martyr Le Thieu Huy (standing in the middle, front row). Photo courtesy

The Indochina prodigy

Hero Le Thieu Huy was born on March 28, 1921 in Lac Thien village, Trung Le commune, Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh) in a family with a tradition of mandarin education. His father was Professor, veteran teacher Le Thuoc, his mother was Mrs. Phan Thi Dich, a descendant of leader Phan Dinh Phung.

Since childhood, Le Thieu Huy was famous far and wide for his outstanding intelligence. At the age of ten, he took the entrance exam to Al-be-xa-rô School, a school reserved for children of French colonialists in Hanoi. Teachers and students at this school nicknamed him “The Unrivaled Champion” because he scored high in all the tests, far above his peers. At the age of 16, he passed the Baccalaureate 1 with excellent results. At the age of 17, he passed the full Baccalaureate in Mathematics with exceptional distinction.

Not only excelling in Math, Le Thieu Huy had a special talent for foreign languages. He was proficient in Chinese, English, French, Esperanto and always achieved maximum scores in Literature, History, and Geography. Therefore, after 3 months of passing the Baccalaureate 1 in Math, he became the valedictorian of the Baccalaureate 1 in Literature. Also in that year, he won the Special Prize in the National Excellent Student Exam of the French Republic and France abroad with a 3-point difference compared to the student who won the First Prize. The French press at that time called him "The Prodigy of Indochina". The reputation of Le Thieu Huy's outstanding intelligence after the exam was so widespread that the Governor General of Indochina had to invite Mrs. Phan Thi Dich to receive the award with her son and to see what was so special about this Annamese woman that she gave birth to such a remarkable son?

The outbreak of World War II meant that Le Thieu Huy no longer had the opportunity to go to the Paris Institute of Mathematics to study at the invitation of the French Ministry of Education. In 1942, the Indochina government opened a university of science to train bachelors in Hanoi. Le Thieu Huy was a student of the first course with an unprecedented academic record: two years of passing three bachelor's degrees in General Mathematics, General Physics and Mechanics.The theory is excellent.

Hero and martyr Le Thieu Huy. Photo archive

The Japanese coup against the French and the famine of 1945 made the country miserable! Schools in Hanoi had to close, Le Thieu Huy and his friends joined relief teams, buried the dead... Hating the invaders, he and his classmates Hoang Xuan Binh, Nguyen The Van, and Dang Van Viet left Hanoi for Hue to study at the Youth Military Academy founded by Phan Anh and Ta Quang Buu.

When the August Revolution broke out, Le Thieu Huy and his classmates in the military academy enthusiastically participated in seizing power in Hue. As a military commissioner of the Hue City Uprising Committee, Le Thieu Huy directly commanded the capture of the French soldiers led by Lieutenant Castena who parachuted into Hien Sy.

After the August Revolution, lawyer Phan Anh was appointed as Minister of National Defense, most of the students of the Youth Military Academy were recruited into the agencies of the Ministry of National Defense and the Command of War Zone 4. Being fluent in many foreign languages, Le Thieu Huy was chosen as a liaison officer for Foreign Minister Ta Quang Buu with representatives of the British and American governments in Vietnam. He had the honor of being an interpreter for Uncle Ho during the talks between our government and representatives of the British and American governments in Hanoi in October 1945.

The person who contributed to opening the way to buy weapons from Thailand to Vietnam

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs really needed cadres like Le Thieu Huy, in order to set up a line to buy weapons from Thailand to Vietnam, Minister Phan Anh chose him and his favorite students to bring a large amount of money and gold to Quang Tri via Route 9 to Xavan (Laos) to enter Thailand. This was an extremely difficult and arduous trip. On Route 9, French, Japanese, Chiang Kai-shek, Laotian, and Vietnamese military posts were densely packed and patrolled strictly. Le Thieu Huy's Chinese and French language skills and improvisational skills helped the group complete the mission. Not only did they clear the way to buy weapons from Thailand to Vietnam, but they also entered the Lao-Vietnamese coalition headquarters in Thakhek, met with Prince Souphanouvong, and personally handed over to the Prince the money and gold that our government had donated to support the Lao revolution.

Based on the reality of the Route 9 trip, Le Thieu Huy focused his efforts on building the “Route 9 Project”. In this project, from clarifying the strategic position of Route 9, he proposed: We must win and maintain this strategic route to promote, support, and connect “Indochina is a battlefield”. Aid and help the Lao-Cambodian revolution to succeed.

Minister of National Defense Phan Anh highly appreciated the far-sightedness and strategic significance of this project. A special working group was established, including Le Thieu Huy, Hoang Xuan Binh, Nguyen Trong Thuong, and Duong Cu Tam, and immediately departed from Hanoi to War Zone 4.

In Vinh, after listening to the working group report on the "Route 9 Project" and the General Command's decision, Commander of War Zone 4 Le Thiet Hung signed the decision to establish the Laos - Vietnam Joint Command of the Route 9 front, including: Comrade Hoang Dien - Chief of Staff of War Zone 4 was appointed as Commander, Le Thieu Huy - Chief of Staff, Dang Van Viet - Deputy Chief of Staff directly commanding the Nguyen Thien Thuat Regiment, Hoang Nguyen Binh - Chief of Operations and proposed that the Lao side appoint comrade Thao-O as Deputy Commander of the front.

While still in operation, the Vietnam - Laos coalition achieved many victories, liberating Dong Hen, Ken-Khang, Muong-Phin, Sepon, and quickly controlling Route 9.

"Uncle Ho with Prince Souphanouvong" oil painting by artist Nguyen Trong Hiep.

On March 6, 1946, the Preliminary Agreement between us and France was signed. Under the secret order of our Government, Le Thieu Huy, Hoang Xuan Binh, and Nguyen Trong Thuong secretly left the Front Command, disguised as merchants from Sepon, infiltrated into Xa Van, went to Tha Khec to enter the Lao-Vietnamese joint command headquarters commanded by Prince Su-va-nu-vong.

The second time he met Prince Souphanouvong (who at that time held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commander-in-Chief of the Pathet Lao Armed Forces, Commander of the Lao-Vietnamese joint forces in Central Laos), he greatly admired Le Thieu Huy's talent, intelligence, determination, and modesty. He was chosen by the Prince to be his personal secretary.

The brave man used his body to shield Prince Souphanouvong from bullets.

At this time, the French colonialists returned to invade Laos. They mobilized forces to attack Thakhek Town (Kham Muon province). Under the command of Prince Souphanouvong, the Lao-Vietnamese coalition force bravely and steadfastly fought back fiercely against the enemy, but due to the difference in troops and equipment, in order to preserve the force, on March 21, 1946, the Prince decided to take the coalition force and some people across the Mekong River to Thailand for temporary refuge. When reaching the middle of the Mekong River, enemy bullets on the bank poured into the boat. The Prince was wounded. In the dangerous and urgent situation, Le Thieu Huy used his body to shield the Prince from bullets and heroically sacrificed himself.

Prince Souphanouvong, the Lao-Vietnamese Joint Command and a large number of Lao, Thai and Vietnamese people held a memorial service and buried Le Thieu Huy on a mound at Km269 of the Ubon-Na Khon road. Saying farewell to Le Thieu Huy, Prince Souphanouvong called on the Lao people to take March 21 every year - the day of the sacrifice of volunteer soldier Le Thieu Huy - as "the day ofhate the French invaders

It was not until November 1946 that Professor Le Thuoc, who was holding the position of Head of the Production Increase Committee of the Resistance Administrative Committee of Inter-Zone 4, received the news of Le Thieu Huy's sacrifice. The professor wrote in pain:

Heartbrokenoh my child

Twenty-six springs of youth in a lifetime

Seeing the scene, I was so scared that my guts broke.

Hear any other news that thunders in the ears

Hanging martyrs' mirrors to worship three countries

Uhe is only half a talented person

The West is full of the soul of the old countrysnail

The enemy has not been destroyed, hatred has not subsided.^(2).

And it was not until July 1951 that Prince Souphanouvong had the opportunity to send a letter to Professor Le Thuoc, recounting the heroic sacrifice of Le Thieu Huy, expressing the infinite condolences of the Lao People and Army for the young, talented, and ambitious volunteer soldier.

The Prince's letter reads:“Le Thieu Huy, your most beloved son, has passed away. Not only has your family lost a beloved son, but the Lao people have lost a soldier with a spirit of sacrifice for justice. As for me, Le Thieu Huy's death makes me sad and regretful. Le Thieu Huy fought side by side with me for the Lao people and the Lao country.”⁽³⁾.

Prince Souphanouvong receives flowers from children of Hanoi at a solemn rally of Hanoi people on April 28, 1961. Photo courtesy

After the country was reunified, Hoang Trong Binh - a comrade, a fellow countryman, a friend who had gone through life and death together, the only one still alive among the trio Hoang Xuan Binh, Nguyen Trong Thuong, and Le Thieu Huy - worked hard to find his grave to bring it back to the country. But unfortunately, a great flood in 1950 made his grave disappear.

References

1-Red Rose, Hero of Laos, Youth Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City - 2004

2-The Youth Frontline Military Academy, a historical phenomenon, NXBCAND – 2008

3-My Father: Hoang Xuan Binh. Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House – 2005

4-History of the Vietnam Volunteer Army - NXBQĐND H - 2002

5- Volunteer duo of Military Region 4 (Archived files of TCCT Office)

6-Old soldier Dang Van Viet with heroic road number 4 - Tre Publishing House 2000

7- Hoang Xuan Binh, younger brother of Professor Hoang Xuan Han, from Duc Tho - Ha Tinh

(1) Records are kept at the office of the Ministry of National Defense General Staff.

(2)(3): Records kept at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum - Hanoi