'My father stayed up all night sewing red flags with yellow stars'

Lights and sewing machine sound

“I am from Dien Hanh commune, my father is Nguyen Thung (born in 1909) and is a tailor. At that time, people were still poor, the demand for clothing was low, and my uncle Ta (my mother's younger brother) helped, so my father's work was quite easy. The family had many children, although I was not the youngest, I was always pampered, slept with my father, tucked my head into his armpit, rested on his arm, and crossed my legs over his hips, so the smell of his sweat became familiar.

The activities of Mr. Nguyen Thung (father of Mr. Nguyen Trong Ban) are recorded in "History of the Party Committee and People of Dien Hanh Commune". Photo: Cong Kien

One night… I woke up, sat up, and groped around the bed but couldn’t find my father. I listened, and in the next room there was the sound of a sewing machine. A light shone through the top of the curtain. I lifted the curtain and crept into the next room. Suddenly the light went out, and the house was pitch black. I heard the sound of scissors falling to the floor, and then there was an eerie silence. I was so scared that I cried out.

Suddenly, someone hugged me tightly, and through the familiar smell of sweat, I knew it was my father. He took me back to the room and comforted me. In my sleep, I felt like my father was not lying next to me, and the sound of the sewing machine was still coming from the next room.

Then another night, also in the middle of the night, I woke up and didn’t see my father beside me. Unable to sleep, I cried uncontrollably. The next room had no lights and no sound of the sewing machine like every night. I didn’t dare get out of bed, a vague fear took over my mind. I screamed. From inside the room, my mother called out tiredly: “If you want to sleep more, come here.”

Mr. Nguyen Trong Ban recounts memories of his father. Photo: Cong Kien

I could feel my mother’s anger, because many nights when my father was absent for no reason, some strangers came to invite him to play cards. In my mother’s mind, my father had become a “bad man”. Those days, the atmosphere in the family was very stuffy… But then, it seemed like my mother sensed that something important was about to happen. She no longer hinted about my father. At every meal, even though she knew my father would not return, she still kept him under the blanket.

My bed had been “abandoned” for many nights. The curtains were still covered, and I occasionally lifted them to look. Every time I did, I longed to sleep with my father. Then one evening my father came home. I was holding my younger brother, my eyes half-closed. Hearing my father ask, “Where is Cu?” (my childhood nickname), I jumped up and ran to hug him.

Father reached out to catch me, the wicker bag under his arm fell down, revealing a red cloth with a five-pointed yellow star in the middle. That night was August 16, 1945. That very night, Father secretly climbed to the top of the areca tree in front of the communal house yard of my village - Tu My village, now Dien Hanh commune to plant the "Viet Minh flag".

“History of the Party Committee and People of Dien Hanh Commune” records Mr. Nguyen Thung as Chairman of the Viet Minh Front of Tu My village. Photo: Cong Kien

The next morning (August 17, 1945), the whole village, regardless of age, gender, holding sticks and spears, marched out to the communal house yard shouting: “Long live the Viet Minh!”, “Down with the Japanese fascists!”, “Down with the traitorous Vietnamese government!”, “Establish a revolutionary people’s government!”. Later I learned that the people who often came to my house were Mr. Bui Tu Cuong, Ngo Sy Luc, Nguyen Ngoc Xuyen, Tran Khai… They were communists who came to “play cards” to organize the masses to rise up in a general uprising.

On August 17, 1945, under the command of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Xuyen, my village and neighboring villages rose up.seize powerMy father, as the youth “Leader”, led the group singing the song “Youth, oh nation, the day of liberation…”.

Remember the first Independence Day

The revolution succeeded, the provisional people's government of the village was established, my father was elected Chairman. This was recorded in the document "History of the Party Committee and People of Dien Hanh Commune 1930 - 2008".

At that time, my mother just knew that my father left home all morning to participate in revolutionary activities. And I also suddenly remembered that night my father stayed up to sew a red flag with a yellow star to plant on the areca tree in front of the village communal house. After that, my father continued to participate in local activities. In 1989, my father passed away at the age of 80.

The red flag with yellow star fluttered on the day Uncle Ho read the "Declaration of Independence", giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Photo: Archive

During the days of the general uprising to seize power, although he was only 10 years old, he still enthusiastically participated in the parade. On the night of August 20, 1945, the whole village organized a parade, everyone had swords and spears in their hands. I also borrowed my grandmother's stick, tied a string to it, carried it across my shoulder, and joined the crowd. On the main roads, candles were brightly lit.

The candles were made from resin, dark brown in color, and were placed on the treetops along the road. I had the feeling that no one slept that night. When the rooster crowed, the whole village, the whole commune, the whole district came down to the government office to protest and seize power. I was too young to go, and the next day I heard adults tell the story of the prefect Ngo Xuan Tich surrendering and handing over the seal to the revolution.

In those days, the village communal house was always crowded with people. Under the areca trees, people built a high hut for information and propaganda workers to climb up and broadcast news from all over. On that occasion, almost all business was put aside, everyone focused on taking care of "national affairs".

Mr. Nguyen Thung and his wife (Mr. Nguyen Trong Ban's father). Photo: GĐCC

We kids were so busy playing that we forgot to eat. Each of us made ourselves a stick with a string tied across our shoulders. We formed two lines like adults, with the tall and big standing behind and the short and small standing in front to practice walking in sync. Then we practiced revolutionary songs. We quickly memorized songs like “Bac Son”, “Heroic Song”, “Vietnamese Militia, Hurry Up, Carry Your Guns to the Battlefield”…

On September 2nd, my hometown carries the flagIndependence, every house had a red flag with a yellow star made of paper pasted in front of the door. That day, we lined up neatly and were solemnly announced as the National Salvation Youth Team. When Mr. Nguyen Chuong - the Chief of Viet Minh shouted "Attention!", Mr. Duong Tan used his pistol to fire a shot into the air, we sang in unison "The Vietnamese army marches with the same heart to save the country...".

That day, I had a chance to look closely at the older brothers and sisters in the Self-Defense Force. They did not carry sticks like in the old days, but carried fake guns on their hips. Barefoot, bareheaded, but they looked very impressive!

At night, the whole village carried the portrait of leader Ho Chi Minh. Everyone shouted: “Long live President Ho Chi Minh!”, “Long live the Democratic Republic of Vietnam!”. It was very late but no one wanted to go home…

Growing up, I continued studying and then joined the frontline militia. After that, I studied pedagogy and worked as a teacher until I retired. Now 85 years old, I still remember clearly the memories of when I was 10 years old with the atmosphere.August Revolutionseething with joy and victory. Remembering my beloved father who stayed up all night sewing the red flag with a yellow star…”.