Activities of comrade Tran Van Thang and patriotic youth in Nghe Tinh Soviet

Comrade Tran Van Thang (also known as Tran Van Chiem) was born in 1888 in But Da village, Thuan Trung commune, Anh Son district (now hamlet 5, Da Son commune, Do Luong district), a rural area with a rich history and revolutionary tradition. His father was Mr. Tran Van Duc, a patriotic farmer, and his mother was Mrs. Tran Thi Chung, a gentle, simple, and hard-working woman.

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Realizing that Tran Van Thang was a straightforward, upright, and patriotic young man, the comrades directly propagated, mobilized, and trained him. Comrade Tran Van Thang's house soon became a place for activities and the exchange of progressive books and newspapers for the patriotic young people of But Da at that time.

In 1926, the “Secret Friendship Association” [1] in Anh Son established contact with the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association (Youth Association). The Youth Association sent comrade Duong Dinh Thuy to build a base and establish the first sub-group of the Association in Anh Son at Hieu Yen Xuan [2]. In 1927, comrades Nguyen Canh Con and Nguyen Van Thong, from But Da village, were admitted to the Youth Association and continued to receive the task of propagating and mobilizing patriotic members in the locality.

At the end of March 1930, under the direction of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee's representative, the Anh Son Provisional Party Committee was established. The establishment of the Provisional Party Committee created conditions for the establishment of party bases in the cantons and villages in the district, including the But Da Party Cell. The But Da Party Cell was established with comrade Nguyen Canh Con as Secretary. Comrade Tran Van Thang was one of the first three party members of But Da village.

Immediately after its establishment, with the attention and direction of the superior Party Committee, Comrade Tran Van Thang and his comrades in the But Da Party Cell continued to promote propaganda and education work to enlighten the masses. Comrade Tran Van Thang's house was one of the facilities for printing leaflets and documents to serve the Party Cell's propaganda work. Thanks to the active and enthusiastic activities of Comrade Tran Van Thang and his party members, 8 Red Farmer's Association groups with 70 members were established in But Da village.

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In response to the September 1, 1930 struggle of the Thanh Chuong people, comrades in the But Da Party Cell held many meetings to discuss plans and coordinate the struggle at the house of comrade Tran Van Thang.

On the morning of September 8, 1930, under the direction of comrade Tran Van Thang and the But Da Party Cell, the members of the Red Farmers' Association guided the people to gather at the village communal house. After listening to comrade Tran Van Thang announce the plan, the demonstration group beat drums, cymbals to cheer and started moving towards the gathering place. At Truong Con Doi, the people of But Da coordinated with groups of people from villages in the two communes of Thuan Trung and Bach Ha to form a large force with over 2,000 participants [3].

After listening to the speeches of the party members, the protestors marched and shouted slogans of struggle, demanding that the colonial and feudal authorities abolish market tax, ferry tax, reduce land tax, poll tax, etc. Frightened by the strength of the people's struggle, the enemy sent planes from Vinh to bomb the protestors, killing 7 people and injuring 30 others. Faced with that situation, comrade Tran Van Thang and the party members led the protestors of each village to temporarily retreat.

Two consecutive days later, on September 9 and 10, 1930, the But Da village Party cell, together with comrade Tran Van Thang, led the people to gather at Con Den (in Phu Van village, now in Thuan Son commune) to protest against the terrorist policies of the feudal colonial government.

Faced with the strength of the masses, in order to promptly suppress the protests, the French colonialists and their puppet government set up a green-clad military post commanded by Colonel Nguyen Van Thuong to hunt down revolutionary soldiers and Party cadres.

After a short time, comrade Tran Van Thang was captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Kim Nham prison (present-day Anh Son area). During his imprisonment, although the enemy used many tricks from torture to seduction, with a steadfast heart, comrade Tran Van Thang did not reveal a single word.

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In mid-1931, right after being released from prison, comrade Tran Van Thang was assigned by the Anh Son Party Committee to go to the Rom area (now Tan Ky district) to establish contacts and build a Party base. After a period of activities, he recruited a number of new Party members. Here, secret agents sniffed out and discovered comrade Tran Van Thang's patriotic activities, and they colluded with the gangs to search for him relentlessly. On April 15, 1934, while on a trip, he was surrounded by the enemy and heroically sacrificed himself.

With the contributions and dedication of comrade Tran Van Thang to the local revolutionary movement, on February 23, 1973, comrade Tran Van Thang was posthumously awarded the Certificate of Merit by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong on behalf of the Government according to Decision No. 65/TTg./.

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