Ben Thuy then… and now

(Baonghean)In the golden sunlight of the revolutionary autumn, Vinh City was resplendent with flags and flowers, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Nghe An - Thinh Hoa Soviet Uprising. The people of this "Red City" will forever engrave in their hearts: this independence was built with the blood and sacrifices of countless ancestors…

The war is a thing of the past, but the historical evidence, the heroic and tragic tales of Ben Thuy… live on forever in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.

In the 1930s, Ben Thuy had become a major industrial zone in Central Vietnam. The French built over 20 factories there (7 in the Ben Thuy area alone), employing over 7,000 workers. Some large factories, such as the Truong Thi railway carriage repair factory with 3,700 workers; the Match Factory with 400 workers; even the smallest factory, the Lamp Factory, had over 100 workers…

A view of Vinh city.

From the beginning of 1930, under the leadership of the Party, the struggle movement of the working class, peasants, and laborers in Vinh - Ben Thuy took place with great force. On March 13, 1930, workers at the Thai Hop sawmill went on strike to protest against a foreman who had beaten and dismissed three workers. Nine days later, 500 workers at the Ben Thuy match factory went on strike simultaneously. They demanded that the owners increase wages by 25% and reduce working hours from 16 hours to 12 hours a day…

On the morning of May 1, 1930, the Vinh Provincial Committee, directly led by Le Mao, mobilized thousands of farmers from the villages of Yen Dung Ha, Yen Dung Thuong, Loc Da, Duc Hau, and An Hau to march into the city to coordinate with workers in Vinh-Ben Thuy to demand that the colonial government address the rights of workers and peasants. Despite the colonial and feudal authorities' efforts to suppress and intimidate, the masses, like a surging tide, bravely advanced. More than ten thousand farmers and city workers marched in droves in front of the French capitalist industrial establishments. The red flag with the hammer and sickle of the Party was planted on a lamppost at the Ben Thuy intersection, further boosting the revolutionary spirit of the masses. Slogans rang out incessantly: "Down with the colonialists who plundered our country!"; "Increase wages and reduce working hours for workers!"; "Abolish head tax, worker tax, ferry tax…" creating a commotion throughout the Ben Thuy area.

The newspaper "The Suffering Worker" of the Central Committee of Vietnam, in its May 2nd, 1930 issue, published a detailed report on this demonstration: “The resounding shouts of the brothers and sisters terrified the capitalist imperialists. The guards pointed their guns and shot at the brothers and sisters… Thus, the imperialist and bourgeois troops ruthlessly killed the peasants and workers… The demonstration had to disperse, leaving 6 dead and 18 wounded.” The blood of workers and peasants from Vinh-Ben Thuy stained the road at the Ben Thuy intersection red.

Following the example of the workers and farmers of Vinh-Ben Thuy, a series of struggles by the working masses broke out in many places in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, thereby creating a revolutionary high tide unlike any other in Vietnamese history.

"Look, Ben Thuy is the first to rise up."
Thanh Chuong then followed suit and moved forward.
Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen
"Brother Son, Ha Tinh, has once again risen up."
(Revolutionary Song - Dang Chanh Ky)

This fierce struggle had a strong impact on rural areas, creating the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviet Uprising, shaking the colonial and feudal administrative apparatus in villages and communes, and forming a Soviet government over a vast region. Red flags spread from Vinh-Bến Thuỷ, engulfing the two provinces of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh in flames.

Building upon the historical traditions and heroic spirit of our ancestors, Ben Thuy Ward today is on the path of development, striving to build a beautiful and prosperous revolutionary homeland, focusing on economic development in the direction of trade and services, creating conditions for the sustainable development of small-scale industries, construction, and agriculture. In the last 5 years, the economic development rate has been high, with an average growth rate of over 17%. The total value of non-state production at the beginning of the term was 111 billion VND, estimated to reach 249 billion VND by 2010, of which trade and services accounted for 201 billion VND, nearly 81%. Proud to have Vinh University located within its boundaries, and simultaneously creating conditions for the Ward's development of trade and services, in addition to the ward's 15,400 residents, there are also 7,000 temporary residents of Vinh University, creating a vibrant and bustling urban space.

Besides developing trade and services, the Party Committee and the ward government have created favorable conditions and an environment for households to invest in and develop production and business in many sectors: carpentry, small-scale mechanics, repair mechanics, interior decoration, consumer goods, transportation, construction, etc. Many establishments have developed strongly, attracting many workers with decent and stable incomes. In the past 5 years, Ben Thuy ward has made efforts to invest in building a comprehensive infrastructure, with many significant and beautiful projects springing up, meeting the aspirations of the people. More than 40 projects have been completed: a stadium, an FM broadcasting system, 4 multi-story school buildings with 26 classrooms and functional rooms for 3 levels of education, the construction of 7 block cultural centers, the renovation and upgrading of the memorial monument for martyrs and the Con Mo historical site, the construction of sidewalks on Nguyen Du and Phong Dinh Cang streets, etc., with a total investment of over 14 billion VND. In addition, the people were mobilized to contribute to the construction of a cultural center, drainage ditches, concrete roads, a water supply project, and street lighting… with a total investment of nearly 5 billion VND.

In the area, national defense and security are maintained, with no hotspots occurring. The ward has been built to achieve the status of a safe and self-reliant base, ready for combat. For many consecutive years, the people and officials of Ben Thuy ward have been awarded the flag of "Leading Unit in the Movement of the Entire People Protecting National Security" by the Ministry of Public Security. The ward regularly maintains combat readiness and flood prevention; and effectively implements policies supporting the families of soldiers. Few places can do as well as Ben Thuy, always paying attention to the education and training of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and revolutionary traditions for today's young generation.

The younger generation of Ben Thuy ward will preserve and promote the fine values ​​of their homeland, so that these fine traditions will flow like an underground stream forever on this sacred land.