Comrade Ho Tung Mau (1896-1951): A shining example of patriotism and unwavering communist integrity.
Comrade Ho Tung Mau, whose real name was Ho Ba Cu, was born on June 15, 1896, in Quynh Doi village, Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province.
Born and raised in a family with a tradition of patriotism and scholarship, Ho Ba Cu harbored great aspirations and ambitions from an early age. After a period of teaching in Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An province), Ho Ba Cu decided to leave teaching to dedicate himself to revolutionary activities.
In the spring of 1920, Ho Ba Cu changed his name to Ho Tung Mau and, along with Le Hong Son, Nguyen Thi Tich, and Dang Quynh Anh, under the guidance of Dang Xuan Thanh, secretly went to Siam (Thailand) with a number of patriotic youths. After three months in Trai Cay, Ban Dong (Phi Chit province), Ho Tung Mau was sent to China by Mr. Dang Thuc Hua to carry out revolutionary activities. In March 1924, Ho Tung Mau was assigned by Mr. Phan Boi Chau to bring documents back to Vietnam for propaganda and to encourage young people to go abroad. In 1923, Ho Tung Mau, together with Le Hong Son... founded the "Tam Tam Society".
In November 1924, Nguyen Ai Quoc returned from the Soviet Union to Guangzhou (China). He met with patriotic Vietnamese youth in the "Tam Tam Society." Based on this, in 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc recruited some of these young people into the "Communist League." In June 1925, he established the "Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Comrades Association" and opened political training classes for young people from Vietnam. The "Special Political Training Center" was located at house number 13, Van Minh Street (Guangzhou). Ho Tung Mau and Le Hong Son were Nguyen Ai Quoc's assistant lecturers.
In March 1926, due to the demands of the revolution, Nguyen Ai Quoc introduced Ho Tung Mau to join the Chinese Communist Party. From 1927 to 1929, Comrade Ho Tung Mau was arrested three times and endured all kinds of torture in imperialist prisons.
In early 1930, Comrade Ho Tung Mau and Comrade Le Hong Son actively prepared for the unification conference of communist organizations convened by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc in Kowloon, Hong Kong (China) on February 3, 1930.
In June 1930, Comrade Ho Tung Mau was arrested by British police in China and handed over to the French colonial authorities in Indochina. On February 6, 1931, the Southern Court of Nghe An Province sentenced Ho Tung Mau to life imprisonment with hard labor and exile to Kon Tum. Throughout his time in prisons in Vinh, Kon Tum, Ban Me Thuot, Tra Khe (Phu Yen)..., he always maintained his communist integrity, transforming prisons into revolutionary schools. He wrote plays, composed patriotic and revolutionary works in prison.
After the Japanese coup against the French, Ho Tung Mau and his fellow political prisoners broke out of Tra Khe Prison and returned to their hometown to continue revolutionary activities.
Following the success of the August Revolution in 1945, Comrade Ho Tung Mau was entrusted by President Ho Chi Minh with the task of organizing a communication system between the revolutionary People's Committees of localities from North to South. In 1946, he was appointed Director and Political Commissar of the Central Military Political School. When the nationwide resistance war broke out, he was assigned by the Party and Government to be Chairman of the Central Resistance Administrative Committee and a member of the Inter-regional Committee of Inter-region IV. In 1947, he held the position of Inspector General of the Government.
In 1951, at the Second National Congress of the Party, Comrade Ho Tung Mau was elected to the Central Committee of the Party. He was the first President of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association.
On July 21, 1951, Comrade Ho Tung Mau was killed in action in Thanh Hoa while en route to Military Region IV for work. President Ho Chi Minh wrote an obituary for Comrade Ho Tung Mau.
Comrade Ho Tung Mau was posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Order. Streets are named after him in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Vinh City, and other locations.
