Comrade Tran Duc Nghinh - A staunch communist soldier of his hometown Quynh Thuan
The life and revolutionary career of comrade Tran Duc Nghinh is always a shining example for today's young generation to learn and follow.
Comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was born in 1908.(1)in a patriotic middle-class peasant family in Thanh Dam Trung village, now Quynh Thuan commune, Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province. Born and raised in a country where the country was destroyed and the people lived in the dark night of slavery, he soon realized the hardships of life. The desire to fight and liberate himself from oppression and chains led him to the path of revolution.
In early 1927, Mr. Duong Dinh Thuy, Mr. Nguyen Huu Giang, and Mr. Hoang Ngoc An returned to Quynh Luu, contacted Mr. Chu Trang and Mr. Chu Hue in Quynh Giang, and proceeded to establish revolutionary youth bases in Quynh Luu. Very quickly, by mid-1927, a series of Revolutionary Youth bases appeared in the communes of Quynh Doi, Quynh Hong, Quynh Yen, Quynh Phuong, and Son Hai.
Also in 1927, a cadre of the Tan Viet Party (a patriotic organization founded in Vinh city in 1925) named Thai Ba Duc contacted him.Nguyen Duc Mau, began to build the Tan Viet Party bases here. In turn, 8 bases of the Tan Viet organization were established with 28 party members, mainly concentrated in the communes of Quynh Doi, Son Hai, Quynh Thuan, and Quynh Hong. By the end of 1927, a base of the Tan Viet Revolutionary Party was established at the house of Mrs. Dao Thi Co (also known as Mrs. Tho) in Thanh Dam Dong village, including Mr. Nguyen Duc Mau, Dao Quang, and Dao Chi Thanh. During this time, many other spontaneous groups such as the Roofing Association, the Friendship Association, etc. were also formed, gathering a large number of people to participate, gradually creating a large solidarity bloc in the locality.
In December 1928, comrades Tran Duc Nghinh, Nguyen Duc Mau, Dao Quang, Dao Chi Thanh, Dau Sau, Tran Quy, Ho Gioi, Ho Mac, To Minh and To Tri established a mass organization called "Khuyen Gioi Doan", the organization location was Mr. Ho Gioi's house in Thanh Doai village. With the motto: integrity, honesty, humanity, cultivating the mind and character, solidarity and mutual assistance, eliminating superstition, eliminating social evils (gambling, drinking, drugs), loyalty, keeping the organization of the Doan secret. It can be said that "Khuyen Gioi Doan" was the revolutionary organization that was the predecessor of the Party cell in Quynh Thuan commune later.
In 1929, after being established in the North, the Indochinese Communist Party sent two comrades, Nguyen Phong Sac and Tran Van Cung, to Nghe An to join with comrade Vo Mai, in order to expand and develop the Party's bases, moving towards establishing the Central Region of the Indochinese Communist Party. The revolutionaries in Quynh Luu quickly contacted the Central Region of the Indochinese Communist Party, and then established the first Indochinese Communist Party in Quynh Luu district.
At the end of November 1929, comrade Nguyen Duc Mau convened and chaired an important meeting at the house of comrade Dao Chi Thanh (aka Dao Vi), with the participation of comrade Dao Quang as a representative of the higher-level Party Committee. The meeting later became the Founding Ceremony of the Indochina Communist Party Giap Thanh Duong branch.(2). During the meeting, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was admitted to the Party along with comrades Dau Sau, Nguyen Ngon and Tran Quy. This was the first Communist Party cell of Giap Thanh Duong (later Quynh Thuan).
After the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, comrade Nguyen Phong Sac, Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, advocated selecting outstanding party members of the Indochina Communist Party and the Tan Viet Revolutionary Party to join the Communist Party of Vietnam. In Quynh Luu, on April 20, 1930, the provisional executive committee of the district party committee was established, including 5 comrades: Nguyen Duc Mau, Dao Quang, Nguyen Huu Giang, Hoang Van Hop, Nguyen Xuan Dao, with comrade Nguyen Duc Mau as Secretary.
After the conference, comrade Nguyen Duc Mau returned to Son Hai and Quynh Thuan to gather revolutionary soldiers. In May 1930, the Quynh Thuan village Party cell was established, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was elected to the Party cell's Executive Committee. The comrades in the cell passed the first resolutions to lead the people of the commune to fight against the local colonial and feudal forces. The cell determined that, in the immediate future, public economic struggle (specifically, the struggle to demand an increase in salt prices) was the most feasible option, which could easily attract the participation of the masses. Comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was assigned the task of mobilizing people to sign a petition to increase salt prices.
“I was assigned by the Party cell to read the petition and collect signatures from each family… looking at the burnt black arms signing and pointing at the petition, I was both happy and moved. “If only there were a leader, yes - I thought to myself - If only there were a leader, those arms could crush the bones of the French soldiers in an instant”(3).
After the Party cells at the grassroots level were established, under the leadership of the Party, the revolutionary movement in Quynh Thuan village in particular and Quynh Luu district in general developed strongly. Along with the establishment of the Party cells, revolutionary mass organizations such as the Red Peasant Association, Liberation Youth, Liberation Women, Red Self-Defense... were also established one after another and operated very vigorously.
On the occasion of the International Labor Day on May 1, 1930, the Central Region Party Committee, headed by comrade Nguyen Phong Sac, launched a massive struggle movement among workers and all classes of working people. The first was the struggle of workers in Vinh - Ben Thuy and people in Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc, and Hung Nguyen districts. After the struggle of workers and farmers in Vinh - Ben Thuy, the Quynh Luu District Party Committee launched a struggle movement following the example of workers and farmers in Vinh - Ben Thuy.
According to the District Party Committee's plan, on June 20, 1930, a large demonstration was organized, about 3,000 people from the streets of the villages in the southeast of the district marched to Dinh market. After listening to comrade Hoang Huu Duyet stand up to speak out against injustice and call on everyone to stand up and fight, the group went to Phu Duc military post to make the following demands:
- Increase salt price by 30%
- Let people take some salt home to use, do not enter the house to check salt without permission.
- Free to pour water and scrape salt
- Must release political prisoners in all places...
The protesters, with banners in hand, were in high spirits. The enemy in Thanh Vien and Phu Hau communes did not dare to suppress them. The soldiers of Phu Duc station closed the gate and fled before the protesters arrived, leaving only the French station chief, Guyôơ. The protesters broke into the station and entered. The station chief, frightened, was forced to accept the demands and promised to respond to the people within 3 days. Leaving Phu Duc station, the protesters also moved to Thanh Dam station. The French stationed there also had to respond to some of the people's demands.
This historic demonstration brought the revolutionary movement in Quynh Luu up to speed with the movements in other places during the early period of the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. In this struggle, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was assigned the task of distributing leaflets and was one of the leading participants in the demonstration.
After the demonstration, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was arrested and taken to Phu Duc commercial station for identification, then taken to Quynh Luu district prison with comrade Nguyen Duc Mau and comrade Dau Sau.
Here, the enemy tried every way to beat and torture, but still could not shake the spirit and will of the brave communist soldier. The enemy turned to tricks to find ways to bribe and entice. With a strong spirit and determination and hatred for the enemy, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh seemed to give him more strength to overcome the challenge. Unable to get any information from him, the enemy transferred him to Vinh prison. At this time, Vinh prison was packed with communist party members and patriotic masses in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. Here, Tran Duc Nghinh always maintained his steadfast revolutionary spirit.
After a period of imprisonment, in August 1931 he was released from prison. Returning to the village, he quickly contacted comrade Nguyen Xuan Mai. Not long after, at the end of 1931, comrade Nghinh and comrade Nguyen Xuan Mai were arrested and imprisoned in Quynh Luu district prison. This was the second time he was imprisoned.
After the Nghe Tinh Soviet revolutionary movement of 1930 - 1931, the French colonialists carried out extremely brutal white terror. Most of the movement's leaders and the people who actively participated in the demonstration were arrested, many mass organizations were broken up. The revolutionary movement temporarily subsided.
Since 1935, the Quynh Luu District Party Committee was restored with comrade Phan Huu Khiem as Secretary. The District Party Committee urgently led the restoration and establishment of Party cells at the grassroots level.
In June 1935, comrades Tran Xuan Mai, Ho Phiet (Quynh Doi), and Tran Duc Nghinh met at the banyan tree of Gieng Huong temple to discuss the restoration of the Party's base. Afterwards, at comrade Tran Duc Nghinh's house, the "Buoi" Party Cell was established. Comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was elected as Secretary, with the alias Thach, and represented the cell to attend the District Party Conference.
Under the direction of the District Party Committee (District Party Secretary Tran Xuan Mai was directly in charge of the Youth Union), the Buoi Party Cell continued to organize the masses to fight in public and legal forms. During this period, the Popular Front government came to power in France and implemented a number of limited democratic policies in the colonies, releasing political prisoners...
The revolutionary movement of the masses of Quynh Luu district was on the rise during the Democratic Front period. Comrade Tran Duc Nghinh, on behalf of the local people, wrote a petition to the Central Vietnam Parliament demanding the rights of the people and democracy for the salt farmers. The Party cell also actively organized propaganda and mobilized support for the Indochina Congress, while gradually bringing the Party's books and newspapers into public circulation.
Comrade Nghinh also wrote a petition directly to comrade Phan Thanh.(4)when he was sent to attend the "Indochina Economic Conference" with the content clearly stating the oppression and injustice that salt workers were suffering, proposing to establish a "Salt Union" to ensure the rights of salt workers.
Under the direction of the Buoi Party cell, directly led by comrade Tran Duc Nghinh, the people actively participated in legal struggles according to the general policy of the district Party Committee, such as: arranging people to run for the positions of village chief and local mandarin; protesting against the "Project of poll tax and land tax increase" of the Central Region House of Representatives (September 1937)... In early 1938, when the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee issued a policy calling for "Supporting China to resist Japan", the Party cell also mobilized local people to actively respond, each person supporting one silver coin...
In 1939, the danger of World War II was getting closer. The French Popular Front government collapsed. This had a negative impact on the Vietnamese revolutionary movement. To avoid consequences, the French colonialists and the Southern feudalists launched a campaign of terror, relentlessly hunting down communist soldiers. The revolutionary cadres of Nghe An in general and Quynh Luu in particular suffered heavy losses. The Quynh Luu District Party Committee was almost wiped out: Secretary Nguyen Xuan Mai and District Party Committee members Ho Thi Nhung and Ho Huu Loi were captured by the enemy. The Quynh Thuan Party Cell (at that time the "Buoi Party Cell") once again lost contact with the higher-level Party Committee. However, Party Cell Secretary Tran Duc Nghinh and other comrades continued to try to maintain their activities to fight the enemy in a legal form from 1940 to 1945.
On March 9, 1945, Japan ousted France from Indochina, many party cadres and members escaped from prison to find ways to build a movement. In April 1945, some Quynh Luu party members such as comrades Ho Viet Thang, Nguyen Thach Kim... contacted the Thanh Hoa Viet Minh organization and urgently organized Viet Minh in the district and villages. At that time, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was the village Viet Minh Secretary and Chairman of the Thanh Dam Trung Village Uprising Committee.(5).
After the successful August 1945 Revolution, Quynh Luu District Party Committee sent cadres to urgently restore grassroots Party cells.
In early 1946, the Party cell of Thuan Hoa commune(6)The establishment called "Tien" cell included 3 comrades: Tran Duc Nghinh, Dao Chi Thanh and Dao Nguyen Giao, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was the cell secretary.
From 1947 to 1975, he held many different positions such as: Member of the official Executive Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee, Chairman of the Administrative Resistance Committee, assigned as Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of Quynh Luu District, Head of the Propaganda Department and in charge of the re-education schools of Nghe An province, Head of the Organization Department of Nghe An province, Deputy Head of the Inspection Department of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Director of Le Hong Phong I Provincial Party School - Nghe An... In any position, he always contributed his best to excellently complete all assigned tasks.
Born and raised in a land of outstanding people, rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh's will and steadfast character were forged. His life and revolutionary career are always a shining example for today's young generation to learn and follow.
Note:
(1) According to the History of the Quynh Luu District Party Committee, comrade Tran Duc Nghinh was born in 1903.
(2) Page 51-52 History of Quynh Thuan Commune Party Committee, Labor Publishing House - Hanoi 2020
(3) Page 127-128 Red Sunset Hong Lam, Nghe An Publishing House
(4) According to the History of the Quynh Thuan Commune Party Committee, Labor Publishing House - Hanoi 2020
(5) Party member's biography provided by family
(6) Thuan Hoa commune was merged from 3 villages Thanh Dam Trung, Thanh Dam Dong, Thanh Dam.
