Comrade Nguyen Huu Dung - First Secretary of Yen Thanh District Party Committee

From mid-1926, Vo Mai and Bui Xuan Nom returned to the villages of Quy Lang, Xuan Lai, Yen Dinh, and Gia My to build a secret base for the Quy Trach Youth Organization. They approached and recruited a number of local patriotic youth into the organization, including comrade Nguyen Huu Dung. Under the direct leadership of comrade Vo Mai, the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth sub-groups in Van Tu and Quy Trach quickly began to propagate and educate the people about patriotism.

In mid-October 1930, comrades Nguyen Huu Binh, Chu Trang, and Phan Lac held a secret meeting at comrade Bui Xuan Nom's house.[1]. Attending the meeting were typical patriotic youths, such as comrades: Nguyen Huu Dung, Bui Xuan Nom, Luyen Nhan, Le Dieu,... The meeting disseminated the Provincial Party Committee's policy on organizing a district-wide demonstration on the occasion of the anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (November 7) to demonstrate force, demand economic benefits and protest against the terrorist policy of France, the feudal puppet government against the workers and farmers of Vinh - Ben Thuy, and the people of Hung Nguyen.

To carry out that policy, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung and the group of patriotic youths divided themselves into villages and communes, skillfully propagandizing and mobilizing people to prepare for the demonstration.

Early in the morning of November 7, 1930, the sound of drums and gongs resounded, and the masses of the villages gathered at the gathering place, waiting for the departure time. Comrades Nguyen Huu Dung, Luyen Nhan, Bui Xuan Nom, and Luu Xuan Gian led the demonstration group of Quy Trach commune, marching down and gathering at Yen Ma school. Then, the group marched through the villages of Thanh Dat, Lac Thien, and Tuong Lai. Wherever the group went, the people of the villages poured out and joined the group. The heated fighting atmosphere between the demonstration group from the lower district up from Quy Trach and the demonstration group from the upper district down from Van Tu commune made the puppet apparatus panic.

The Yen Thanh district chief mobilized all his henchmen, combined with the Foreign Legion soldiers in the district to deal with the situation. When the protest group in the lower district under the direction of comrades Nguyen Huu Dung, Luyen Nhan, Bui Xuan Nom, and Luu Xuan Gian went to Muong bridge (Tuong Lai village), they were shot by the Foreign Legion soldiers, killing 10 people and injuring many others. The comrades had to guide the people to retreat to limit casualties.

On the evening of November 9, 1930, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung and the people of Quy Trach commune gathered at Con Diec.[2], to hold a memorial service for those who died in the November 9 demonstration, and at the same time denounce the crimes of the feudal colonial government, raising high the flag of struggle for the people.

On November 10, 1930, the Provisional Party Executive Committee of Yen Thanh District was established. Comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was a member of the Provisional District Party Committee. After its establishment, the Provisional District Party Executive Committee sent members to the grassroots to build the organization.

According to the assignment of the district committee, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung directly went to Quy Lang to promote propaganda work and build the organization. Thanks to his activities, after a short time, the first merged party cell of the three villages of Quy Lang, Lac Thien, and Tuong Lai was established. Comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was both a close leader and also the one who, together with the party cell, organized many meetings, propaganda, and enlightened the masses. Thanks to that, the fighting spirit of the people was increasingly strengthened. Quy Lang party cell became one of the three strong party cells of Yen Thanh at that time.

However, before the development of the revolutionary movement in Quy Lang in particular and Yen Thanh in general, the French and the puppet Southern Dynasty government mobilized more legionnaires and blue-clad soldiers to coordinate with the system of porters and lieutenants, organizing many sweeps and arrests of communist soldiers and patriotic people. In a short time, a number of comrades in the Yen Thanh Provisional District Party Committee fell into the hands of the enemy.

In December 1930, implementing the policy of the superiors to consolidate the Party leadership system in Yen Thanh. Under the chairmanship of comrades Ton Gia Chung and Ton Thi Que, the first official Party Executive Committee of the district was established, consisting of 6 comrades. Comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was elected by the organization as the first Secretary of the District Party Committee of Yen Thanh district.

In his new position, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung and the district committee members overcame all difficulties to lead the people of Yen Thanh to fight against the enemy's terrorist policies. Under the leadership of the district committee and party cells, in just the first few months of 1931, there were nearly 40 demonstrations in the entire district with the appearance of the red self-defense force carrying sticks, clubs, spears, and halberds for protection.

During this time, in addition to sweeping raids, the enemy also used the trick of issuing "surrender cards" to bribe, entice, and suppress the people's struggle movement. Realizing that sinister plot, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung and the Yen Thanh District Party Committee organized a meeting in Ngoc Luat village to propose measures to disrupt the ceremony, not allowing the Governor to present a proclamation, carry the yellow flag, and issue surrender cards.

On the morning of February 7, 1931, at the Ke market session, under the direction of the District Party Committee, the party members led the people of Van Tu commune to gather at the Ke market communal house. Yen Thanh district chief Phan Minh Bat, the deputy chief of the commune, the village chief, and dignitaries of the villages in Van Tu commune all came here one after another. Next, the car of the French consul, Governor Nguyen Khoa Ky and the guard Pơty from Vinh came to attend. Accompanying them were a group of legionnaires from Dien Chau and soldiers from Tru Phap garrison who were mobilized to protect the ceremony. When the ceremony was about to begin, the yellow flag had just been raised, Nguyen Khoa Ky was about to give the signal when the party members who had been arranged in advance immediately called on everyone to stand up. The leaflets of the Indochinese Communist Party calling on the peasants to join the Farmers' Association to unite against the French were scattered everywhere. The "surrender ceremony" organized by the enemy had completely failed. The victory of the February 7, 1931 struggle not only encouraged and motivated the fighting spirit of the people of Yen Thanh, but also created echoes throughout the province.

In order to stop the revolutionary wave, the enemy increased the number of foreign legionnaires, blue-clad soldiers, and coolies and lieutenants to stalk and arrest party members and patriotic people in Yen Thanh. In that situation, on June 26, 1931, the district committee decided to move its office from Giap Nay.[3]about Ngoc Luat village[4]However, when the comrades went to Truong Lung, Trang Ke[5]was discovered and captured by the soldiers of Tru Phap garrison. Faced with an unequal situation, Yen Thanh District Party Committee suffered serious losses: comrade Nguyen Thuc was sacrificed, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was chased by soldiers, shot and wounded, and captured at Truong Ke.

The enemy then imprisoned comrade Nguyen Huu Dung in Vinh Prison. Unable to subdue the will of the communists, on November 18, 1931, the puppet Southern Court sentenced comrade Nguyen Huu Dung to death. Later, the enemy reduced the sentence to life imprisonment and exiled comrade Nguyen Huu Dung to Lao Bao. On October 8, 1932, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung continued to be exiled to Buon Ma Thuot Prison. In 1934, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung's sentence was reduced from life imprisonment to 13 years in prison.

Having been through 3 imperial prisons, facing bribery and cruel torture, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung - the first Secretary of Yen Thanh District Party Committee, always upheld the spirit of a communist. During the dark years of prison, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung, together with communist soldiers, lit the flame of patriotism and revolution. They used many forms such as: making noise, hunger strikes, propagating poetry and literature... to turn imperial prisons into revolutionary schools, fighting to gain basic rights for life.

In the report of the Central Region Resident to the Governor General of Indochina on October 4, 1937, there was a special report about comrade Tran Huu Dung:“… no favors can be given to Nguyen Huu Dung, who the Buon Ma Thuot Resident reported as an element that always shows disobedience…”

With the desire to return to the Party and contribute to his homeland, in early 1943, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung successfully escaped from prison and returned home to continue his activities. Comrade Nguyen Huu Dung and the Quy Lang Party members did not fear hardships, contributing to the complete victory of the uprising to seize power in the entire district on August 25, 1945.

With his contributions, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was elected as Chairman of the Quy Lang Provisional Revolutionary Committee. In January 1946, during the first election of the commune, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was elected by the people as Chairman of the Sao Nam Commune Administrative Resistance Committee.[6].

After a while, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was assigned to the district to do general mobilization work, then continued to be assigned to the Central. When transferring jobs, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung donated his house to the District Party Committee to demolish and use as headquarters in Trung Thanh commune.[7].

With 47 years of Party membership, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung has become one of the shining examples for generations of descendants to learn and follow. For his great contributions to the national liberation movement, comrade Nguyen Huu Dung was recognized by the Party and State and awarded the Second Class Independence Medal, according to Decision No. 546 KT/CT dated October 29, 1998. On July 22, 2020, the People's Council of Nghe An province also issued Resolution No. 06/2020/NQ-HDND naming a street in Yen Thanh town after comrade Nguyen Huu Dung as a tribute from today's generation to the merits of the first Secretary of the Yen Thanh District Party Committee.

References:

- History of Yen Thanh District Party Committee (1930-2017), Nghe An Publishing House, 2017

- History of Lang Thanh commune (1930-2017), Nghe An Publishing House, 2018.

- French secret police files on comrade Nguyen Huu Dung exploited at the Ministry of Public Security.