Comrade Nguyen Lam Yen - the heroic Red Self-Defense Captain in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement

The image of the self-defense team with primitive weapons but full of revolutionary enthusiasm, daring to confront the enemy's modern machine guns has entered the history pages of the Soviet homeland, giving strength to countless outstanding children to continue to stand up and fight for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. Among the hundreds and thousands of heroic and indomitable Red Self-Defense soldiers was comrade Nguyen Lam Yen - Captain of the Red Self-Defense Team of Bich Hao commune, Thanh Chuong district. In his memoirs, he was always moved and proud every time he recalled the heroic days of fighting under the glorious flag of the Party:“Decades have passed, but I still clearly remember the day I held the baton to command the Red Guards to practice in the Mon and Am mountains. Every time I recall my life of activities, I am still secretly proud that I had the merit of founding and commanding the Red Guards of Bich Hao commune at that time…”.

Comrade Nguyen Lam Yen was born in 1906 in a poor family in Thanh Mai commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An. Having no fields or gardens, his parents had to work as hired laborers, working hard to raise their children. His childhood was filled with poverty, and at the age of fifteen, his father passed away due to a serious illness, leaving a heavy burden on his mother's shoulders.

Nguyen Lam Yen's hometown is a land rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions, and was once the anti-French base of Phan Dinh Phung's insurgents. The people here are hard-working, patient and passionately patriotic. Many people joined General Cao Thang's army to save the country. In the years (1926-1927), the movement to fight against colonial and feudal rule of the people here developed strongly. In 1929, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen was enlightened by comrades Ton Gia Chung and Ton Thi Que, who led him onto the path of revolutionary struggle.

In September 1929, comrade Nguyen Phong Sac and comrade Phan Thai At went to Thanh Chuong to establish the first Indochinese Communist Party cell of the district. After the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, on March 20, 1930, the Thanh Chuong District Communist Party Committee was established, opening a new period of revolutionary struggle for the people of the whole district. From a common Party cell, Thanh Chuong developed 7 more cells with 55 party members. Mass organizations such as the Red Peasant Association, Communist Youth Union, and Women's Liberation all developed rapidly.

From a nimble, resourceful young man, enlightened by the Party's ideals, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen was honored to join the Party's ranks, undertaking many important tasks. Not afraid of difficulties and dangers, with the youth, intelligence and enthusiasm of a Party member, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen successfully completed the task of communication between Party cells in the district. To deceive the enemy, he disguised himself as a woodcutter, sometimes as a trader, sometimes carrying a heavy load of coal to sell...

In the atmosphere of the fighting spirit of workers and farmers of Nghe Tinh, Thanh Chuong District Party Committee organized a conference to discuss the implementation of the policy of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee. After analyzing the enemy's plot, the sinister tricks of District Chief Phan Sy Bang, and clearly stating the immediate task of organizing the masses to fight on a larger scale, the Conference decided to organize a general demonstration in the whole district on September 1, 1930.

To prepare for the demonstration today, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and the Bich Hao General Party Cell met to discuss and deploy the plan. In order to support the masses in the struggles, the Party Cell and comrade Nguyen Lam Yen decided to establish the Red Self-Defense Team. Although newly established, the Bich Hao General Red Self-Defense Team already had more than 100 enthusiastic participants.

On September 1, 1930, joining the struggle atmosphere of the people of the whole district, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and more than 1,400 farmers of Bich Hao commune, under the leadership of the Party Cell and the support of the Red Self-Defense Team, marched to Thanh Chuong district office to fight for tax reduction and the release of political prisoners...

The group of people from Cat Ngan commune crossed the Giang and Trai rivers to join the groups of Vo Liet commune, Xuan Lam and Dai Dong communes, and gathered together, filling the Nguyet Bong ferry. Frightened by the spirit of the masses, the soldiers fired at the protesters, killing comrade Nguyen Cong Thuong and injuring two others. At that moment, the group of Bich Hao commune arrived, causing Phan Sy Bang and the soldiers to panic and run away. Comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and the masses, with a fervent spirit, stormed the district office, broke into the prison to free the prisoners, smashed the district office, burned the house of the district chief Phan Sy Bang, and then continued to march to Thanh Qua station to fight. To protect the district chief who was hiding in the station, the soldiers rained bullets down, forcing the protesters to disperse to avoid loss of life of the masses.

The demonstration in Thanh Chuong district on September 1, 1930 ended in victory, the Soviet government was established in 65 villages and communes. In many places, under the leadership of the Party cell, the commune agricultural committee represented the new government and worked openly right in the middle of the village communal house. During the day, the masses focused on production, and at night, they enthusiastically participated in meetings and learned the national language...

Promoting the patriotic and revolutionary tradition of his homeland, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and his comrades in the Bich Hao Party Cell actively propagated day and night to expose the terrorist plot of the colonial and feudal government, calling on the people to continue to unite in the struggle. With those active activities, in March 1931, he was appointed as Secretary of the Bich Hao Party Cell and Captain of the Red Self-Defense Team. After the victory of the struggles, the people supported by the Self-Defense Team became more confident and excited, and more and more young men and women volunteered to join this organization. Under the leadership of comrade Nguyen Lam Yen, the suicide squad was established with the participation of about 200 of the most enthusiastic Red Self-Defense Team members. Although the weapons were still rudimentary, such as forged spears and roofed spears (used for hunting), and the tactics and training techniques were still simple, the training spirit of the Red Self-Defense Team members was always enthusiastic, regardless of hardships and difficulties.

Implementing the Party's directive to save the people from famine, the Bich Hao Party Cell and the Red Self-Defense Team under the leadership of comrade Nguyen Lam Yen protected the people in the struggle to seize rice from three notorious landlords, Nguyen Lam Tin, Ho Thinh and Ho Vieng. Hundreds of people hurriedly carried shoulder poles and baskets to the landlord's granary, about 120 red self-defense soldiers held spears and halberds and stood guard for the poor people to get rice. In the bustling, excited atmosphere like a festival, the people's faith in the Party and the revolution grew stronger. After this victory, the Bich Hao Red Self-Defense Team had a greater influence on the people's faith, was a source of encouragement and motivation for the masses to continue fighting to regain freedom, food and clothing...

Since July 1931, the French colonialists and the feudal government tried their best to suppress the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. Not only did they use the trick of "using domestic officials to rule domestic people", they also gathered troops from the provinces to suppress the Nghe Tinh revolutionary movement. On the one hand, they used the policy of bribing and luring the people, on the other hand, they increased the establishment of military posts everywhere to suppress and terrorize the people. In addition to the two military posts that existed before, they built 5 more military posts in Bich Hao and set up guard posts in the hamlets, sending soldiers day and night to search and arrest cadres and party members...

Facing the enemy's fierce sweep, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen led the Tong Bich Hao Party Cell to retreat into the mountains to operate secretly to preserve its forces. At night, the comrades still defied the danger, bravely returned to the village to actively mobilize the masses and punish the evil henchmen. The Party Cell also decided to destroy the Con Den post to shock and strengthen the people's spirit. Comrade Nguyen Lam Yen, on behalf of the Party Cell, reported the plan to the District Party Committee and asked for instructions. Overcoming all difficulties and shortages, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen - Party Cell Secretary, Self-Defense Team Leader, and comrades in the Party Cell created a special type of mine to destroy the post. The mine was made by taking small pieces of glass and putting them into a bottle with gunpowder, putting the bottle in a bamboo tube, then stuffing the pieces of glass tightly around the bottle, then threading the fuse into the bottle's mouth and splitting thin bamboo strips to wrap around the outside of the bamboo tube. After successfully making 12 bottle mines, the Party Cell met and decided to send comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and comrade Nguyen Lam Chuong (from Kim Son Party Cell) to bring mines to destroy the fort.

One evening in August 1931, comrades Nguyen Lam Yen and Nguyen Lam Chuong followed the plan to carry 4 bottle mines along the rice field to Con Den post. In front of the enemy's strong fence, the comrades lit a mine and threw it into the post, injuring some of the enemy soldiers. They were frightened and fired out. Quan Don at Thanh My Son post brought soldiers in green uniforms to support them. Surrounded by the enemy, knowing they could not retreat to the base, the two comrades ran into a house to hide. The next day, the gang commander Thang herded the soldiers into all four villages in an attempt to capture the two comrades alive. Protected by the people, comrades Nguyen Lam Yen and Nguyen Lam Chuong escaped the enemy's net and retreated safely into the forest. In front of the enemy's pursuit to the edge of the forest, with mines in hand, the two comrades waited for them to come close and threw 2 mines at the group of soldiers, injuring 4 of them, forcing them to give up.

The event of throwing mines to destroy Con Den station caused a great stir, and made the enemy panic, they became more frantic in terror. Faced with the difficult situation of the revolution when most of the cadres and party members were arrested and sacrificed, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen secretly retreated to the mountains of Vo Liet to operate and planned to go to Siam. But before the sweep of the French colonialists, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen also fell into the enemy's net, was arrested and imprisoned at Quang Xa station (Vo Liet). After more than 2 months, they took him to Vinh prison. The enemy's brutal tortures made him only sit and not lie down for 4 months. Unable to subdue the will of the staunch communist soldier, after being sentenced by the Southern Court, they took comrade Nguyen Lam Yen and many other comrades to Buon Ma Thuot prison. After a year of imprisonment and torture at Buon Ma Thuot Prison, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen was sent to Da Lat Prison, then to Phu Quoc Island. In April 1933, he was transferred to Con Ga Prison in Da Nang, Hue Prison and Vinh Prison.

After returning to Vinh Prison for a while, he was transferred to Cua Lo prison, then to Cua Rao. In 1939, he was released and returned to his hometown. Nguyen Lam Yen continued to participate in revolutionary activities, dedicating all his efforts to the glorious cause of the Party and the people.

Nearly 10 years living in imperialist prisons, experiencing many brutal tortures, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen fought bravely and steadfastly for the honor of a party member, a Red Self-Defense soldier who never bowed to the invading enemy. The three words "Red Self-Defense" became the driving force, urging him to overcome life-and-death moments for the homeland. Therefore, the image of Red Self-Defense soldiers in general, comrade Nguyen Lam Yen in particular, with bare feet, cloth clothes, spears in hand and homemade bottle mines bravely confronting the enemy, has become a sacred, immortal symbol in the heroic Soviet homeland.