Tam Mai Communal House: Red address of Quynh Luu people

Tam Mai Communal House is located in Quynh Thuan Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An Province. From Vinh City, follow National Highway 1A to Cau Giat Town, turn right for 10km to reach the relic.

Quynh Thuan is a coastal plain commune, the people live mainly by making salt and catching seafood. Life is very hard but the people of Quynh Thuan are still studious, many of them pass exams. According to the Ho family genealogy, Quynh Thuan commune has 9 dukes who will forever be famous. The most prominent is duke Ho Van Xu, a general who contributed to the defeat of Mac and was appointed as Thuong Tru duke. His descendants Ho Van Luc, Ho Van Hieu, Ho Van Khoa, Ho Tien Bang, Ho Van Thoa all passed the Hoi exam and were appointed as dukes.

Tam Mai Communal House was built in 1873 and restored in 1908. The communal house consists of a square two-storey building with 4 pillars and 8 roofs, pagoda-style. The entire communal house is made of ironwood and covered with yin-yang tiles. The architecture of the communal house follows the four-pillar and straight-line style, with intricately carved patterns. The communal house has 8 curved roofs shaped like flying phoenixes. On the roof of the communal house are 2 dragons holding pearls. The communal house is built around the perimeter and nestled under tall trees, giving it an ancient and sacred look.

Tam Mai Communal House is the cultural center of the village. Every year, on the full moon day of January and August, the villagers hold a grand ceremony. The festival lasts for 3 days with solemn rituals and many traditional games such as swinging, wrestling, singing, singing...

Since 1927, Tam Mai communal house has recorded many revolutionary historical events of Quynh Thuan people. In July 1927, comrade Nguyen Duc Mau, a teacher at Quynh Luu French-Vietnamese Primary School, came to teach in Quynh Thuan. He propagated and mobilized people to follow the revolution, fight against the tyrants and established the Tan Viet organization. In May 1930, the Party cell in Quynh Thuan was established with comrade Dao Chi Thanh as Secretary.

Under the leadership of the Party, the Red Peasant Association, Red Self-Defense Force, and Women's Liberation Organizations were established and operated vigorously. Tam Mai Communal House became a meeting place, a printing place for Party leaflets and newspapers, and a gathering place for the masses to protest in the years 1930-1931.

With the agreement and direct guidance of the District Party Committee, the Party Cell launched a major struggle of farmers and salt workers. The demonstration was carefully prepared a week in advance. Thousands of leaflets detailing the crimes of the French and the suffering of salt workers were printed at Tam Mai communal house and went to all villages and hamlets, calling on and mobilizing people to fight for their rights. On the evening of June 19, the Red Farmers' Association organized a flag-raising ceremony on the banyan tree in the communal house market to encourage revolutionary spirit.

As planned, on the morning of June 20, 1930, Quynh Thuan salt workers brought weapons, salt making tools such as gourds, embroidery, scrapers... gathered at Tam Mai communal house and then together with a large number of people from Quy Hoa, Thuong Yen, Thanh Son, Quynh Doi, Huu Nghia villages... marched to the communal house market to fight. After listening to comrade Hoang Huu Duyet's speech, the masses raised flags, stretched banners, and marched through the villages shouting slogans demanding tax reduction and rights for salt workers. Arriving in front of Thuong Chinh station, the protesters made demands with the following content:
- Don't almost bite people
- Freely pour water and scrape salt
- Must be brought back some salt to use
- Salt prices must increase by 30%.
- Do not suppress protesters.

The strong momentum of the masses forced the station chief and the group leader to accept the demands. The protesters continued to march down to Thanh Dam station, the soldiers were scared and ran away, the station chief was pale because he could not escape in time. He stood up and promised that from now on he would not dare to bully the salt workers anymore. The demonstration ended in victory. This was the first struggle of the salt workers, and also the beginning of the people of Quynh Luu "standing up" in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement.

To commemorate the day against imperialist war (August 1) and the Russian October Revolution in 1930, the Quynh Thuan Party Cell organized a flag-raising ceremony at Tam Mai communal house, distributed leaflets, gathered people to listen to speeches and marched around the commune to strengthen the spirit of the masses.

Responding to the Provincial Party Committee's struggle policy, the Quynh Luu District Party Committee launched a district-wide demonstration in January 1931. 600 protesters were divided into 4 groups and marched to the Quynh Ba district office. On the way, the people vandalized the house of Deputy Head of the delegation Pham Quang Vi in Son Hai. After the demonstration, the communes continued to hold rallies and marches to suppress the village chiefs and tyrants. They were like headless snakes and had to hand over their seals and books to the Commune Agriculture Department. Thus, the Soviet government was born to manage the villages, replacing the local tyrant apparatus.

The new government abolished unreasonable taxes imposed by feudal imperialists; organized people to take rice from the rich (Quynh Thuan collected 2,040 kg of rice to give to the poor); eliminated bad customs in funerals, weddings, and festivals; and promulgated a new way of life in the village.

Tam Mai Communal House was a place to learn the national language, hold meetings, practice military exercises... People lived in a free and friendly atmosphere. The village was bustling day and night, everyone was absorbed in "social" work. For the first time, they were masters of society with deep faith in the Party and the revolution.

In mid-February 1931, the enemy suppressed the Quynh Luu revolutionary movement. A series of party members and active people were arrested. All six party members of Quynh Thuan, despite being brutally tortured, still maintained their integrity. The heroic sacrifice of comrade Dao Chi Thanh, the indomitable spirit of comrades Nguyen Ngon, Nguyen Duc Nghinh... set a shining example for the people of Quynh Thuan to continue to rise up against white terror. On May 1, 1931, the whole commune beat drums and gongs, hung flags, and distributed leaflets to celebrate International Labor Day.

During the August Revolution of 1945, Tam Mai Communal House was the place where the militia prepared to seize power. In 1964, the people of Quynh Thuan gathered at the communal house to listen to Prime Minister Pham Van Dong speak. After that, the Prime Minister visited the salt fields of the people. Tam Mai Communal House was the place where the farewell ceremony took place for 124 Quynh Thuan children who were leaving to join the army to fight against the Americans to save the country.

Tam Mai Communal House - a revolutionary relic of the Nghe Tinh Soviet period, was recognized as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information under Decision No. 599, dated March 11, 1992.