Comrade Pham The (1911-2004)

At the age of five, Comrade Pham The Hoc began studying Chinese characters at school. In 1921, he continued his studies in the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script and French. Being intelligent, he passed the primary school exams and completed the second year of the French-Vietnamese primary school in Ha Tinh town.

During this period, a movement was rising in Ha Tinh province demanding that the French colonialists release the patriotic scholar Phan Boi Chau and organize a memorial service for Phan Chu Trinh. As a young man with progressive patriotic ideals, Comrade Pham The quickly joined these vibrant political struggles. Because of his patriotic activities, in 1927, Comrade Pham The was arrested and imprisoned by the French colonialists for about a month.

In November 1928, through the introduction of comrades Le Ba Canh and Nguyen Huy Lung, Comrade Pham The was admitted to the Tan Viet Party. To build a base, taking advantage of the summer break, Comrade Pham The returned to his hometown and contacted a number of patriotic and progressive young people in the area. In June 1928, the Tan Viet Nhượng Bạn sub-group was established.⁽¹⁾It was established. Under the active efforts of Comrade Pham The and the comrades in the sub-group, propaganda work and raising national consciousness among the people through patriotic literature and poetry, and Vietnamese language classes were continuously promoted, creating a foundation for the development of patriotic mass organizations later on.

In late 1929, Comrade Pham The joined the Indochinese Communist Party branch at the French-Vietnamese Primary School in Ha Tinh town, where Comrade Le Ba Canh served as Secretary. In March 1930, after Comrade Le Ba Canh was arrested by French secret police, Comrade Pham The was appointed Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party branch at the French-Vietnamese Primary School, and also Secretary of the General Student Association of Ha Tinh province.

Amidst the general struggle throughout the province, under the direction of the Provisional Provincial Party Committee of Ha Tinh, the Party Branch of Nhuong Ban commune was established on June 30, 1930. With his prestige, Comrade Pham The was elected as the Party Branch Secretary. In his new position, Comrade Pham The led the Party Branch in strengthening propaganda work, raising public awareness, and building mass organizations to prepare all the necessary conditions for the struggle.

Following the announcement from the Provisional Provincial Party Committee of Ha Tinh regarding the launch of a struggle to commemorate the Day of Resistance Against Imperialist War (August 1st), Comrade Pham The directed the Party branch to urgently carry out preparatory work. He also directly undertook the task of writing and printing leaflets at Mr. Pham Thien's house. After the leaflets were printed, Comrade Pham The assigned Party members and sympathetic masses to distribute them. By the evening of July 31, 1930, the leaflets calling on the people to rise up and fight in response to August 1st had spread throughout the streets, greatly encouraging the people and further strengthening their faith in the Party organization.

In September 1930, Comrade Pham The was elected to the Provisional District Party Committee of Cam Xuyen District. In harmony with the struggle movement of the province and the entire district, Comrade Pham The directed the Party branch to conduct propaganda and mobilize the people of Nhuong Ban. On the evening of September 8, 1930, the Party branch organized a large demonstration at Hom Market. Following the drum signal, people from all directions converged on the gathering point. After listening to the Party members' guidance and speeches, the masses straightened their ranks, ready for the demonstration. Early in the morning of September 9, 1930, under the leadership of Comrades Pham The, Tran Huu Chuong, Pham Truyen, and others, more than 500 people from Nhuong Ban commune, in coordination with the communes east of Van Tan district, marched to Ha Tinh town to fight. When the group reached Quan Kho, Phuong Due village...⁽²⁾Then the guards sent soldiers to suppress them. Faced with the defiant spirit and the marching flags of the people, the enemy, after firing warning shots into the air, opened fire on the crowd. To minimize further losses, the Party cell instructed the protesters to temporarily disperse.

Faced with the strong development of the revolutionary movement in Nhuong Ban, the French colonialists and their collaborators mobilized many armed troops to the village with the aim of terrorizing and hunting down Comrade Pham The and other patriotic party members and the masses. On September 24, 1930, Comrade Pham The was captured by the enemy. Imprisonment and torture could not break the will of the communist Pham The. The Southern Court of Ha Tinh province sentenced him to 13 years of exile and confiscated all of his family's property. In early January 1931, Comrade Pham The was exiled to Kon Tum prison by the French colonialists.

Kon Tum Prison was established by the enemy to imprison and isolate political prisoners from their activities, exploiting their strength to continue the construction of Route 14 (from Dak Sut to Dak Pek) and, in particular, taking advantage of the harsh jungle terrain to gradually eliminate communist fighters. However, these difficulties did not discourage the communist prisoners there, including Comrade Pham The. They united and bravely stood up to fight for their rights and improved living conditions. Comrade Pham The participated in many struggles of political prisoners at Kon Tum Prison, most notably the struggle against the second transfer of political prisoners to Dak Pet. On the morning of December 12, 1931, the prison guards and their henchmen divided the prisoners into groups to continue transporting them to the Dak Pao and Dak Pet construction sites. Having prepared beforehand, Comrade Pham The and his fellow political prisoners ran straight into their cells, shouting slogans of protest. Faced with such fierce resistance, the French Commissioner and Military Commander deployed soldiers to surround the prison. Undeterred, the comrades stood united in formation before the prison gates, continuing to shout slogans: "Protest and go to Dak Pet!" Following the Commissioner's orders, the soldiers opened fire on the comrades, killing seven on the spot. Comrade Pham The and six others were wounded.

Following the bloody struggle on December 12, 1931, the enemy identified Comrade Pham The as one of the leaders of the struggle, and they increased his sentence from 13 years to life imprisonment, deporting him to Lao Bao Prison.

On March 8, 1932, Comrade Pham The was transferred to Lao Bao Prison.

In December 1936, Comrade Pham The was again taken to Buon Ma Thuot Prison.

In September 1939, Comrade Pham The was released from prison.

Thus, within nine years (1930-1939), Comrade Pham The was imprisoned in four different prisons: Ha Tinh, Kontum, Lao Bao, and Buon Ma Thuot. Regardless of the environment, Comrade Pham The always upheld the unwavering and indomitable spirit of a son of the heroic Soviet homeland, readily standing alongside his fellow political prisoners to transform imperialist prisons into revolutionary schools.

In August 1945, following the directives of the Nghe Tinh Inter-provincial Viet Minh Conference, a secret meeting was held to establish the Southern Ha Viet Minh Sub-region.⁽³⁾He was summoned to Comrade Pham The's house. Due to his prestige, Comrade Pham The was elected to the Standing Committee of the Viet Minh in Southern Vietnam and assigned to take charge of Cam Xuyen district.

Subsequently, in response to the changing circumstances and new demands of history, on August 13, 1945, the Viet Minh of Southern Vietnam held a meeting in Nhuong Ban and decided to establish the Southern Vietnam Uprising Committee to lead the people in preparing for the seizure of power. Comrade Pham The was re-elected as one of the committee's members. Under the leadership of the Southern Vietnam Uprising Committee, the people of Can Loc, Thach Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh districts and Ha Tinh town enthusiastically rose up, contributing to the victory of the August Revolution throughout the province.

Given his important role in the revolutionary movement, in April 1946, Comrade Pham The was trusted and elected to the position of Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and concurrently Head of the Viet Minh in Ha Tinh province.

In May 1947, Comrade Pham The was assigned by the Inter-Regional Committee IV to work in personnel organization and as the Chief of the Provisional Regional Committee Office.⁽⁴⁾.

In July 1949, at the Congress of Delegates of the Party Committee of Zone IV, Comrade Pham The was elected to the position of Deputy Secretary, in charge of personnel organization work of the Zone Party Committee.

At the end of 1953, Comrade Pham The was sent to study at Nguyen Ai Quoc School II and later became the Deputy Director of Nguyen Ai Quoc School I.

From August 1960 to November 1964, Comrade Pham The transferred to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serving as the Consul General of Vietnam in the Republic of Indonesia.

In December 1964, Comrade Pham The transferred to work at the Central Party Committee's Foreign Affairs Department until his retirement in January 1976.

Having joined the revolution early, Comrade Pham The was a shining example of patriotism, fighting spirit, and willingness to sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and the happiness of the people. For his contributions, Comrade Pham The was recognized by the Party and the State, receiving many prestigious awards, including the First Class Independence Medal, etc.

Note:
(1) Includes 6 comrades: Pham The, Pham Truyen, Ton Sy Khue, Pham Thien, Hoang Ngoc Oanh and Nguyen Tam Huong.
(2) Now belonging to Can Thanh commune, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province
(3) includes: Can Loc, Thach Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh districts and Ha Tinh town
(4) At that time, the newly established Provisional Regional Committee of Inter-region IV had 3 members: Hoang Quoc Viet (Secretary), Ho Tung Mau (Chairman of the Regional Committee), and Hoang Van Hoan (Permanent Member).

References:
- History of the Cam Xuyen District Party Committee.
- History of the Party Committee of Cam Nhuong Commune.
- Memoirs and documents provided by relatives of Comrade Pham The.