Nghe Tinh Soviet climax - the choice of history

In Nghe An, in 1928 and 1929, the wave of struggle spread continuously in many factories, workshops, and among students. Meanwhile, in the rural areas of the province (Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen,...), the struggles of farmers against the tyrants, bullies, and Western officials became increasingly fierce.

On February 3, 1930, in Kowloon, Hong Kong (China), under the chairmanship of comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc,The Communist Party of Vietnam was officially established.Immediately after its founding, the Party called on the working class and laboring people to rise up and fight against French colonialism and its puppet government to demand rights and fight against oppression and injustice.

From February 3 to 7, 1930, in Kowloon (Hong Kong, China), under the chairmanship of comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc, the conference merged three communist organizations in Vietnam, namely the Indochinese Communist Party, the Annam Communist Party, and the Indochinese Communist Federation, into a single party, the Communist Party of Vietnam. Illustration

Also during this period, the worker-peasant struggle movement developed vigorously across the country. In Nghe An, workers and peasants rose up in both urban and rural areas. From the end of 1929 to April 1930, 15 struggles broke out in the whole province, including 5 by workers in Vinh - Ben Thuy city, 9 by farmers in Thanh Chuong and Anh Son districts.

In the suburbs of Vinh - Ben Thuy, the most prominent was the struggle to demand compensation for more than 300 hectares of rice fields of Yen Dung farmers that were seized by French colonialists to build an airport in mid-1929.

On May 1, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam launched a movement to celebrateInternational Workers Dayfirst in Vietnam. In Vinh - Ben Thuy, a large demonstration of workers and farmers in and out of the city broke out. This demonstration was directly directed by comrade Le Mao (Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the Central Region Party Committee in charge of Vinh - Ben Thuy Provincial Party Committee). Having been carefully prepared in advance, on the morning of May 1, 1930, 1,200 farmers from Yen Dung, Loc Da and Duc Thinh villages (formerly Hung Nguyen), An Hau, Duc Hau (Nghi Loc) protested and marched into Vinh city to coordinate with factory workers to fight to demand that the French colonialists fulfill their demands such as: demanding salary increase, tax reduction, 8-hour work day,...

The French Consul in Vinh mobilized soldiers to guard and protect the factories and ordered the Hung Nguyen District Chief to send soldiers to stop them, but the soldiers did not shoot at the crowd, and the protesters continued to advance toward the gate of the Truong Thi Factory. The protesters then marched to Ben Thuy. Here, the two sides clashed. The newspaper Nguoi lao kho, published on May 2, 1930, wrote:

“...The warden, the chief of police, the secret police (Robe) all pointed their guns and fired continuously. Calabi also stood in the factory and fired. So the imperialists and the bourgeoisie killed the peasants and workers... The demonstration had to be dispersed, leaving behind 6 dead and 18 wounded... The struggle in Annam had reached its peak. But for every one of our brothers and sisters who died, thousands and thousands of others followed. No matter how cruel the French imperialists were, they could not stop the revolutionary movement...”.

Also on May 1, 1930, outside Vinh - Ben Thuy, at the Thanh Chuong French - Vietnamese Primary School, over 100 students gathered at Ngu Phuc restaurant (Vo Liet village) to hold a rally to celebrate International Labor Day and then marched around the district town. In Hanh Lam commune, a demonstration broke out by nearly 3,000 farmers from La Mac, Hanh Lam, and Nhuan Trach villages demanding the return of land and roads seized by Nguyen Truong Vien (aka Ky Vien). Vien was terrified and fled; the farmers burned down his entire residence. Two days later, the French Resident and the Governor of Nghe An, along with the judge, the lieutenant colonel, and the district chief of Thanh Chuong, brought soldiers in green uniforms to Hanh Lam to quell the "communist chaos". Under the leadership of the party cells and the Executive Committee of the Red Peasant Association, for two days and nights, the farmers fought to demand that they fulfill the people's demands. They tried to entice and threaten but could not break the increasingly tight siege of the masses in the villages of Hanh Lam, La Mac, Nhuan Trach, Lac Son, Yen Lac. Finally, they opened fire on the dense siege of farmers to open a bloody path and flee, killing 18 people and injuring 17 others.

The events that took place in Nghe An on May 1, 1930, the first International Labor Day in the country, had a great resonance, strongly encouraging the fighting spirit of the working masses. Assessing these events, the Party Central Committee affirmed: "This is truly a great victory for the workers and peasants of Nghe An and also for the workers and peasants throughout the country."

The Workers-Farmers-Soldiers Monument at the Thi School, Ben Thuy 1930-1931 (left) and the Nghe Tinh Red Self-Defense Statue at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum. Photo: Hai Vuong

On May 10, 1930, 500 workers of the Match Factory (mostly women) protested, demanding that the factory owner implement the Labor Law, an 8-hour workday, improve the environment and working conditions for workers, and protest against the act of terrorizing protesters and beating workers. The factory owner did not respond and brazenly sent the police to force the protesters to disperse. The workers responded by marching to Yen Dung village to hold a rally and then declare a strike.

After the Match Factory, 300 workers from the Sawmill, SIFA Company; 400 porters at Ben Thuy Port; 120 workers from Truong Thi Factory went on strike to fight for practical rights.

On June 27, 1930, the Vinh Trade Union directed over 1,000 workers from match factories, electricity plants, sawmills, and rickshaw pullers to strike at the same time to demand that the owners fulfill the stated demands.

The workers' movement in the city strongly stimulated the fighting spirit of the farmers in the villages and communes. The beginning of the farmers' struggle movement in June 1930 was the demonstration of 3,000 farmers, including over 100 women and students of Thanh Chuong on June 1, 1930. On June 2, 1930, more than 2,000 farmers of Anh Son, including farmers from Lang Dien and Dang Son communes and students of the French-Vietnamese School marched towards Luong market and went to the government office.

Also on June 2, 1930, nearly 500 Nghi Loc farmers from three communes: Thuong Xa, Dang Xa, Kim Nguyen protested at the district office against the suppression of the demonstration in Ben Thuy and demanded tax reduction and postponement. The Nghi Loc district chief also had to promise to forward the demands of the masses to higher authorities. On June 11, 1930, about 500 farmers from the lower Anh Son area (now Do Luong) protested.

People who refused to submit to oppression and injustice (Relief at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum). Photo: Dao Tuan

On June 15, 1930, 200 farmers and workers of Sapanhơ Plantation in Thanh Chuong protested and fought to demand the implementation of the demands of workers and farmers. On June 18, 1930, 600 farmers from Nam Dan gathered at Cho Don to rally and protest. District Chief Le Khac Tuong intended to escape to Vinh by rickshaw but was stopped by the protest group's self-defense force and forced to return to Cho Don to meet the people. He had to accept the protest group's demands and promised to report to his superiors...

Saten, the Resident of Central Vietnam, admitted in his report to the French Government on July 5, 1930:“For a long time, we have only known the methods of operation of the old revolutionary parties. This time, the officials seem to be confused and bewildered about the perfect organization of the European-style communists... ”.

From late August, early September 1930,revolutionary movementin Nghe An developed to its peak with increasingly fierce struggles. The beginning was the struggle of nearly 3,000 Nam Dan farmers on August 30, 1930. Here, the masses gathered in rallies at 3 locations in the district and then marched to Sa Nam town, stormed the district office, burned archives, broke into prisons, and freed prisoners. The Nam Dan district chief, Le Khac Tuong, was forced to sign and stamp the petition.

Vo Liet Communal House in Vo Liet Commune (Thanh Chuong) is also the place that marked many typical historical events in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement (1930-1931). Photo: Huy Thu

On September 1, 1930, a large-scale demonstration took place in Thanh Chuong. The special issue of Nguoi Lao Kho newspaper, published on September 6, 1930, reported: "The entire Thanh Chuong district rose up to fight. The demonstration involved 20,000 people"... District Chief Phan Si Bang and the European Thanh Qua Station Chief ordered the soldiers to fire on the left bank of the Lam River (where the demonstrations from Dai Dong and Xuan Lam communes were gathering), killing one person (Mr. Nguyen Cong Thuong). Immediately, the masses crossed the river, together with the groups on the right bank of the Lam River, and poured into the district office. The district chief, his officials, and soldiers fled. The masses destroyed the liquor agency in Ro market, burned down the district office (including the private residences of officials), beat to death Bang's white horse, and burned down the house of Cuu Ngac (father of District Chief Phan Si Bang) at the gate of the palace (in Vo Liet commune - about 2km from the district office). The crowd pursued the district magistrate and soldiers to Thanh Qua station, but because of the rain of bullets, everyone had to turn back.

The historic demonstration on September 1, 1930 in Thanh Chuong is considered the opening milestone marking the birth of the Soviet government in Nghe - Tinh...

The revolutionary movement developed dramatically, beyond the initial plans of the Regional Party Committee and the Provincial Party Committee. The strong pressure of the peasants' struggle paralyzed and disintegrated the colonial-feudal government apparatus from the district to the villages. In that situation, the Red Peasant Association Executive Committees represented the people in managing all village affairs. The Soviet government was formed in almost all villages in Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan and many other areas in Anh Son (including present-day Do Luong), Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen. In the mountainous areas, in Mon Son and Luc Da (Con Cuong), there were Soviet party and government bases.

Articles of the Central Region Party Committee with content encouraging the revolutionary fighting spirit of the people in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. Photo: Duc Anh

While the movement in the countryside was on the rise, in the city, also on September 1, 1930, the Vinh General Labor Union promptly launched a general strike among factory workers to coordinate actions with farmers in Thanh Chuong and Nam Dan districts.

On September 8, 1930, about 7,000 Anh Son farmers protested and marched to the government office to make demands. The French colonialists sent planes to bomb the crowd twice, killing 9 people and injuring many others. In addition, soldiers from the Do Luong garrison, when returning to the Ro ferry, fired at the protesters who were trying to cross the river, killing 1 person and injuring many others. Unable to contain their hatred, immediately after the funeral, some of the masses went to destroy the house of Deputy General Can.

In Hung Nguyen, on September 12, 1930, about 8,000 farmers from 3 communes: Phu Long, Thong Lang and Nam Kim (Nam Dan) lined up, armed with sticks, spears, ropes, and raised red flags of hammer and sickle, marched down to Yen Xuan Station. The Command Board ordered the stationmaster to be tied up and the telegraph line cut off, and at the same time signaled the train from the North to stop. Passengers on the train joined the protest, turning it into a large rally.

To protest the brutal terrorist acts of the French colonialists, workers in factories in Vinh - Ben Thuy went on strike. Workers at Song Con Plantation also protested. Students from schools in Anh Son, Do Luong, Nghi Loc, and Phu Dien districts went on strike. People from Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, and Quynh Luu districts protested and marched to the district and prefecture to present demands against the colonial-feudal government.

Painting of the Nghe Tinh Soviet climax by author Nguyen Duc Nung.

WhenThe first protesters arrived in Thailand., the French colonialists sent two planes to drop bombs and fire machine guns into the crowd, killing and injuring many people. At the same time, they also sent soldiers to suppress. In the afternoon, when the farmers came out to mourn and bury their fallen compatriots, the French planes came to massacre them again. The total number of people killed was 217 and 125 were injured. In addition, they also imprisoned dozens of others. The extremely brutal massacre shocked public opinion at home and abroad.

The French colonialists thought they could quickly extinguish the Nghe Tinh Soviet fire with bombs and bullets, but they were wrong. The fire of hatred boiled in the hearts of millions of people and the revolutionary wave rose higher and higher everywhere in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. On the night of September 12, 1930, nearly 5,000 people in Nam Dan beat drums and gongs to protest, marching to the district office to protest the murderous actions of the colonial-feudal government. French soldiers stationed at the district office shot and killed two people. Also on that night, about 4,000 farmers from the two communes of Bich Hao and Vo Liet (Thanh Chuong) protested against the inhumane actions of the French imperialists and held a memorial service for the martyrs.

Since mid-September 1930, rallies, demonstrations, and memorial services were held throughout the province to honor the compatriots who died in Thai Lao on September 12. The largest was the memorial service organized by the Provincial Party Committee in Loc Da village (now Hung Loc commune, Vinh city) and at Con market (Thanh Chuong district). The rally and memorial service at Con market were attended by tens of thousands of people, protected by hundreds of Red Guards.

Graves of Soviet martyrs who died on September 12, 1930 in Thai Lao, Hung Nguyen district (photo above); Memorial stele and list of XVNT martyrs who died on September 12, 1930. Photo: Hai Vuong

At the end of October 1930, in the context of the revolutionary movement developing despite the enemy's brutal terror and having to start dealing with their new plots and tricks, the Nghe An Party Committee held the First Congress of Delegates in Dong Xuan village (Xuan Lieu commune, Nam Dan district, now that location belongs to Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district).

The Congress elected the official Executive Committee of the Party Committee, including comrades: Nguyen Tiem (Secretary), Ton Gia Chung, Nguyen Sinh Dien, Phan Dinh Dong, Nguyen Tran Tham, Phan Huy Thuong, and Tran Thi Minh Chau.

After the Congress, although the French imperialists used bombs and bullets to suppress the revolutionary movement, in October and November 1930, large demonstrations still took place, the most prominent and significant of which were the two demonstrations commemorating the October Revolution in Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts on November 7, 1930.

Faced with the strong development of the revolutionary movement and the brutal repression of the enemy, in September and October 1930, the Party Central Committee issued a directive to the Central Committee to guide the movement and mobilize the people nationwide to support the Red Nghe-Tinh: “The urgent duty of the entire Party in the whole country is to fully defend the Red Nghe-Tinh, expand the movement of demonstrations and protests against the evil tricks of imperialism. The lives of our brothers and sisters, the peasants of Nghe-Tinh now depend on the response and protection of all the workers and peasants in the whole country... The Party Central Committee's announcement urged the fighting spirit of the masses of workers and peasants from North to South. Many demonstrations and struggles in support of the Nghe-Tinh Soviet with the slogan "Don't touch the workers and peasants of Nghe-Tinh" broke out in the provinces and cities: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hon Gai, Thai Binh, Ha Dong, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Thanh Hoa, Saigon, Cao Lanh, ...

Many new constructions have sprung up on Hung Nguyen land, including the VSIP Modern Urban and Service Area. Photo: Hai Vuong

However, due to the lack of a revolutionary situation, seizing power could not be the immediate goal of the Communist Party. The Central Region Party Committee and the party committees at all levels in Nghe An and Ha Tinh did not have a policy of uprising to seize power. Meanwhile, before the revolutionary storm of the masses, the colonial-feudal government system of Nghe - Tinh was shaken. The French officials, civil servants and soldiers were extremely confused and scared. In Vinh, each Frenchman had prepared a shelter for self-defense, while the ranks of the feudal mandarins of the Southern Dynasty, some found excuses to resign, others asked for transfers. In the last 6 months of 1930, the Central Region Resident and the Hue Court had to change 3 governors in Nghe An and 2 governors in Ha Tinh. The district and commune government apparatus was crumbling.

Faced with that situation, the Executive Committees of the Red Peasant Associations of the villages, under the direction of the Party cells, took on the function of governing the villages. The first thing the Commune Agriculture Department did was to redistribute land to the farmers, ending the payment of taxes to the feudal-national government; at the same time, it forced the village chiefs to return the collected taxes to the people, forced creditors to postpone debts, landowners to reduce rent, and regulated wages for servants and hired workers. The Commune Agriculture Department also organized dam building, ditch digging, and water pumping to fight drought. In some places, public land was used to organize collective production for farmers according to the cooperative model.

The Soviet government abolished the colonial-feudal government apparatus and old laws, and implemented freedom and democracy for the people such as: freedom to go to school; gender equality in marriage and in all social and family affairs. Red self-defense teams were established to suppress and punish counter-revolutionaries, and to protect order and security in villages...

The unprecedented strong development of the workers and farmers' struggle in Nghe An was thanks to the uprising spirit of the masses and the direction of the Central Region Party Committee and the Nghe An Party Committee...

Ben Thuy Bridge connecting Ha Tinh and Nghe An seen from Dung Quyet Mountain. Photo courtesy of Sach Nguyen

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The article uses many historical documents.