Comrade Tran Phu: 'Maintain your fighting spirit!'

Comrade Tran Phu was the fourth son of Mr. Tran Van Pho and Mrs. Hoang Thi Cat. His father's hometown was Tung Anh village, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province. His mother's hometown was Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province. In 1901, Mr. Tran Van Pho was assigned to work as a teacher in Tuy An district, Phu Yen province. It was there, on May 1, 1904, that Tran Phu was born. Having lost his father at just over four years old, Tran Phu developed a strong sense of self-reliance and perseverance, striving to excel in his studies.

In the summer of 1922, after graduating at the top of his class at Hue National School, Tran Phu was appointed to teach at Cao Xuan Duc School in Vinh. There, Tran Phu trained enthusiastic students who later followed their teacher's patriotic path and became pioneering revolutionary fighters in the Nghe Tinh Soviet Uprising of 1930-1931, such as comrades Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Ngoc Ba, and Sieu Hai…

On July 14, 1925, teacher Tran Phu, along with intellectuals such as Le Huan, Tu Kien, Ton Quang Phiệt, Tran Mong Bach, and others, gathered at Con Meo Mountain in Ben Thuy to found the Phuc Viet Society. To mobilize the people's struggle, the Phuc Viet Society printed thousands of leaflets on purple lacquer, distributing them throughout the districts, demanding amnesty for Phan Boi Chau, aiming to amplify the people's fighting spirit and intimidate the enemy. Tran Phu and the leading members of the Phuc Viet Society actively engaged in various activities, such as distributing leaflets in factories, schools, and rural areas, calling on the people to rise up and fight; and sending petitions and protests against the French colonialists demanding the release of Phan Boi Chau.

Faced with the nationwide struggle, the French colonialists were forced to pardon and reduce Phan Chu Trinh's sentence, placing him under house arrest at Ben Ngu Slope (Truong An Ward, Hue City). Then, on March 24, 1926, Phan Chu Trinh, a renowned patriot, passed away. Out of grief and inspired by his spirit, Tran Phu and the Phuc Viet Society seized the opportunity to organize a memorial service, transforming it into a large and solemn rally at Diec Pagoda. Taking advantage of the large crowd, Tran Phu propagated and praised the national spirit of both Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Chu Trinh. The people and students in Vinh schools enthusiastically responded, and the movement quickly spread throughout the districts.

In July 1926, Tran Phu was sent to Guangzhou, China, to attend a special political training course led by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc (also known as the Hung Nam Society, which changed its name to the Tan Viet Party in 1928). This was a crucial turning point in Tran Phu's revolutionary career; from patriotism, he embraced communism.

From 1927 to the early 1930s,Comrade Tran PhuHe studied at the University of the East in Moscow (Soviet Union). Thanks to his excellent academic achievements and research in Marxist-Leninist theory, especially his exchanges with fraternal communist parties on national and colonial issues, Comrade Tran Phu was sent back to Vietnam by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc to work and build the revolutionary movement.

Shortly afterwards, Comrade Tran Phu was appointed to the Provisional Central Executive Committee and entrusted with the extremely important task of drafting the Party's Political Thesis. The Political Thesis was drafted in light of the Resolution of the 6th Congress of the Communist International in 1928, and also supplemented by the results of practical surveys of the revolutionary struggle in Vietnam.

In October 1930, the first plenary session of the Central Executive Committee, held in Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, adopted the famous Political Thesis drafted by Comrade Tran Phu. This is an important document of the Party, applying the principles of Marxism-Leninism on the national and colonial question, along with the basic arguments presented in it."The brief political program"and"Brief Strategy"of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. Also at this conference, Comrade Tran Phu was elected the first General Secretary of the Party. Under the direct leadership of Comrade Tran Phu, the revolutionary movement throughout the country developed strongly, culminating in the Nghe Tinh Soviet.

The Nghe Tinh Soviet was the peak of the revolutionary movement in Vietnam in 1930-1931, taking place throughout the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. The movement began with a demonstration commemorating International Labor Day on May 1, 1930, by workers in Vinh-Ben Thuy and farmers in Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, and Thanh Chuong districts. On August 1, 1930, over 500 farmers from Can Loc district demonstrated, raising red flags and banners, marching to the district headquarters to present their demands. On September 12, 1930, over 8,000 farmers from Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan districts demonstrated but were bombed by French colonial aircraft, killing 217 and injuring 125. The Nghe Tinh Soviet movement not only resonated strongly with the people of Vietnam but also with peace-loving people around the world, due to the bloody repression by the French colonialists and the tenacious and indomitable fighting spirit of the revolutionaries.

Thanks to the resounding influence of the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, the Party's prestige was enhanced and recognized by the Communist International. On April 11, 1931, the Communist International issued an important resolution: "The Indochinese Communist Party, which had long been a branch of the French Communist Party, is now recognized as an independent branch of the Communist International." From then on, our Party stood shoulder to shoulder with its fraternal parties, raising the banner of Marxism-Leninism and leading the revolution to this day.

Amidst the new developments in our country's revolutionary movement, fear arose...indomitable and resilient spiritFollowing the death of Tran Phu, the enemy sent secret agents to track and capture him at the Party's document printing facility in Saigon on April 18, 1931. They took him to Saigon's Central Prison and subjected him to all kinds of torture, coaxing, and bribery, but they could not shake the iron will of the communist Tran Phu. There, he continued to communicate with his comrades about the domestic and international situation and the tasks of the Vietnamese revolution, proposing measures to fight against opportunistic, surrendering, and traitorous elements within the revolutionary forces.

The brutal prison regime severely weakened Comrade Tran Phu's health. On September 6, 1931, he died at Cho Quan Hospital, in the arms of his comrades, at the young age of 27. In his final moments, he still mustered his remaining strength to tell his fellow fighters: "All I hope is that you all maintain your fighting spirit." Comrade Tran Phu's words were like a battle cry, inspiring millions of descendants to bravely charge forward in the struggle for national liberation. And today, in the context of our country's development, with the negative impacts of the market economy and foreign cultural influences, Comrade Tran Phu's saying "maintain your fighting spirit" still retains its value and has a great influence, reminding every cadre and party member to always maintain their ideological stance and remain steadfast on the path to socialism, the path that leader Nguyen Ai Quoc and his outstanding disciples have outlined.

The Nghe Tinh Soviet was the Party's first rehearsal, with Comrade Tran Phu as its supreme leader, whose legacy will forever endure. Although his life was not long, Comrade Tran Phu made immense and crucial contributions to the Party's revolutionary cause during the most intense and dynamic period of 1930-1931. Comrade Tran Phu's name is inextricably linked to the Nghe Tinh Soviet, like a sacred flame that will never be extinguished in the hearts of the Vietnamese people and international friends.