The silk shirt Uncle Ho gave to an outstanding son of Yen Phuc village

(Baonghean) - The Military Region 4 Museum is preserving a very special artifact - the silk shirt that Uncle Ho gave to Mr. Nguyen Van Uy - Captain of the Yen Phuc Red Self-Defense Team (now Phuc Son - Anh Son).

Talking about Mr. Nguyen Van Uy (1890-1968), until now generations of Anh Son people, especially Phuc Son commune, always express their respect and gratitude. He was born and raised in a peasant family in Yen Phuc village (Anh Son district), early had to witness the bitterness and humiliation of the enslaved people and the brutality of the colonialists and feudalists, so he soon became enlightened with his ideals.

Responding to the struggle movement under the leadership of the Party, in 1930-1931, Yen Phuc people organized demonstrations demanding the colonial-feudal government to abolish taxes and social injustice. The masses of Yen Phuc village came to punish the local landlords, established a Soviet government, and organized the redistribution of land to the poor.

Mr. Nguyen Van Uy. Photo archive

Determining that sooner or later the colonial-feudal government would return to suppress the revolutionary movement, the Party advocated the establishment of Red Self-Defense teams with the mission of supporting the masses in revolutionary struggles and protecting the young Soviet government. In Anh Son at that time, there were 27 Red Self-Defense teams, of which Yen Phuc village was one of the places where the Self-Defense team was established early and operated most systematically.

Under the command of Captain Nguyen Van Uy, the Yen Phuc Red Self-Defense Force has repeatedly carried out punishments and harshly suppressed the evildoers in the ruling apparatus. The Self-Defense Force is truly an important support for the masses and the Party organization.

At the end of 1931, the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement entered a period of decline. In Yen Phuc, this period was a dark time, because villages were burned down, everywhere there were scenes of searches, arrests, beatings and brutal torture. Many people had to leave their homes and villages to go deep into the forest, near the Vietnam-Laos border to avoid being hunted by the enemy.

Mr. Nguyen Van Uy, commander of the Red Self-Defense Team of Yen Phuc village. Photo courtesy

Captain of the Red Self-Defense Team Nguyen Van Uy fell into the hands of the enemy and was imprisoned in Vinh prison, then transferred to Kon Tum prison. In prison, the outstanding son of Yen Phuc village was tortured with savage and brutal torture, but he was always determined to maintain his bravery and integrity as a communist.

He and his fellow prisoners organized a struggle to demand certain rights, forcing the prison guards to make concessions. Kon Tum Prison has now become a relic, a place that marks the crimes and barbarism of the French colonialists and their feudal lackeys. At the same time, it is also a place that affirms the loyalty and will of the communists in prison.

Here, the story of a prisoner nicknamed Co Uy, from Yen Phuc village, Anh Son district (Nghe An) - one of the leaders of the struggles that made the prison guards wary is often mentioned by the narrators.

The silk shirt Uncle Ho gave Mr. Nguyen Van Uy is on display at the Military Region 4 Museum. Photo: Cong Kien

In early 1945, the revolutionary movement grew stronger and more widespread, forcing the colonial-feudal regime to release a number of prisoners. Nguyen Van Uy was one of those released from prison, returning to his homeland after nearly 15 years in prison. Like a bird returning to the sky, he sought to contact the revolutionary base to continue participating in the struggle.

During the historic autumn days, the revolutionary atmosphere in Yen Phuc began to boil. On August 18, the people of Yen Phuc and the communes poured into the center of Anh Son district to participate in the rally. Then, on the night of August 22, 1945, Mr. Nguyen Van Uy led the Yen Phuc village Self-Defense Team, coordinated with the villages in the commune, divided into 4 directions to advance into Kim Nhan post, the revolutionary atmosphere was like "water broke the bank" forcing the Japanese soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender.

Having captured Kim Nhan fort, the Self-Defense Force and the people of Yen Phuc returned to the village to continue fighting with the local authorities, forcing them to surrender and hand over their seals, which was the earliest place to gain power in Anh Son prefecture. The next morning, the people of Yen Phuc and tens of thousands of people from all over the region gathered at the government office to witness the inauguration of the provisional revolutionary government, the colonial-feudal regime was officially abolished.

The silk shirt that Uncle Ho sent to Mr. Nguyen Van Uy was a gift from the Association of Chinese-Vietnamese Soldiers' Mothers and the Women's Union of Lang Son Town to Uncle Ho. Photo: Cong Kien

The country and homeland were independent and free, and the people of Yen Phuc recognized Mr. Nguyen Van Uy as the pioneer in mobilizing farmers to reclaim land for production. During his first visit to his hometown (June 1957), after hearing the story about the fighting example of revolutionary soldier Nguyen Van Uy, Uncle Ho asked the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee to present him with a silk shirt, a gift from the Association of Chinese-Vietnamese Soldiers' Mothers and the Women's Union of Lang Son Town.

A year later, Mr. Uy was able to go to the capital to attend the Northern Agricultural Congress and met President Ho Chi Minh and was honored to receive his badge.

Yen Phuc village has really changed, life in all aspects has improved, the people always remember the merits and blood of their ancestors. Among them, we must mention Mr. Nguyen Van Uy, the staunch communist soldier who made his homeland famous./.

Cong Kien