Martyr Ho Ngoc Tang heroically sacrificed himself in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement 1930 - 1931

Comrade Ho Ngoc Tang (1896 - 1930), was from Phu Luu Thuong village, Phu Luu commune, Can Loc district (now Hong Loc commune, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province). His father was Ho Ngoc Bat, a gentle and simple farmer. His mother was Nguyen Thi Nhung, a hard-working woman who loved her husband and children.

Born and raised in a land rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang soon absorbed patriotic and progressive ideas. When he reached adulthood, with his intelligence, good study, and knowledge, Ho Ngoc Tang opened a self-taught class, lecturing on poems by predecessors such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chau Trinh... to propagate and enlighten patriotism to local students.

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In 1927, the revolutionary movement in Can Loc district developed strongly, under the guidance of comrade Hoang Khoai Lac (from Dinh Lu village, Tan Loc commune), comrade Ho Ngoc Tang was admitted to the Tan Viet Party. The comrades in the organization propagated revolutionary consciousness to the masses, mobilized the masses to abolish superstitious customs, weddings, funerals, and fought against the tyrants.

In April 1930, after the provisional Party Committee of Can Loc district was established, the first Phu Luu Thuong Party cell was also established, consisting of 5 party members with comrade Ho Ngoc Tang as Secretary. He and the Party cell promoted propaganda work and consolidated the grassroots Party organization, thanks to which the number of party members continuously increased.

Responding to the call of the Regional Party Committee and the Provincial Party Committee to organize the celebration of International Labor Day on May 1, 1930, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang organized a meeting to discuss the struggle plan. After assigning tasks, the comrades quickly started printing leaflets right in the kitchen of comrade Ho Ngoc Tang's family.

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On May 1, 1930, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang and other party members mobilized the people in the village to join the struggle, organized the hanging of the hammer and sickle red flag at the Dinh Lu banyan tree, distributed leaflets in several villages in the commune to expose the enemy's crimes and call on the masses to support the Party and the revolution, thereby mobilizing the masses to protest, both to demonstrate and to make demands for the people's rights.

On August 1, 1930, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang directed the people of Phu Luu Thuong and the masses of the villages in Phu Luu and Lai Thach communes to gather at Truong Gio (Hong Loc) to listen to comrade Hoang Khoai Lac - representing the protest's Steering Committee - clearly explain the plots and tricks of the French colonialists and their lackeys, then marched to Ha Vang ferry and the district capital area, continued to the north of Nghen bridge, raised the Party flag and banners, and made demands. As they walked, the protest group shouted slogans:

Expel French colonialists, reduce poll tax and land tax, abolish market tax and ferry tax, redistribute land to the people… Hearing the news of the mass protests, the district chief Tran Manh Dan hastily led five armed soldiers to deal with them. Faced with the rising power of the masses, the district chief used a delaying tactic to persuade the protesters, not daring to suppress them and signing the 10-point demand that the masses put forward and promising to “Report to the provincial authorities, and respond in 10 days”.

Then, on September 7, 1930, the second large demonstration broke out in Can Loc. Comrade Ho Ngoc Tang and his group raised high the hammer and sickle flags and banners, gathered at Truong Gio (the foot of Dong Han) and marched to Soc communal house (Phu Loc), went up to Ha Vang and then gathered forces from the Thuong Can region and marched to Can Loc district office, with the purpose of demanding that district chief Tran Manh Dan respond to the demands as promised in the previous demonstration. Seeing that the mass spirit was too strong, the district chief and his men fled, the protesters stormed into the office and destroyed it, and freed some people who had been arrested.

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Following the spirit of the revolutionary soldiers and responding to the struggle movement of the workers of Ben Thuy - Vinh, on the evening of September 17, 1930, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang commanded the people of the two communes of Noi Ngoai and Phu Luu to organize a rally at Truong Gio with torches lighting up the whole sky, carrying out a demonstration to demonstrate power. Some local officials panicked and fled their homes. This event further urged the people in the Ha Can area to rise up and fight more fiercely.

In mid-October 1930, the first Party Congress in Can Loc district was held in Phu Luu Thuong village. Phu Luu Thuong Party cell had 2 representatives attending the congress, comrades Ho Ngoc Tang and Ho Thuyet. Both comrades were elected to the Executive Committee of Can Loc District Party Committee.

Faced with the strong development of the struggle movement, on November 10, 1930, the prison warden from Dinh market and 50 soldiers in green uniforms came to search Phu Luu Thuong village and they surrounded and arrested 3 brothers: Ho Ngoc Tang, Ho Ngoc Ba, and Ho Ngoc Khoa.

On the way to Ha Tinh Prison, the enemy used every trick and every form of brutal torture to torture comrade Ho Ngoc Tang to extract secret Party documents. Faced with his steadfast and indomitable attitude, they could not subdue the staunch communist soldier, so they shot him right in his own home.

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Under the gun and with their bribes and enticements, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang calmly sent his last message to his compatriots and comrades:
"Why live as a slave and be miserable?"
"Death with the mountains and rivers is also fragrant".

On the afternoon of November 11, 1930, under the leadership of the Party Cell, the people of Dinh Lu and Kim Chuy villages with nearly 500 people held a memorial service for comrade Ho Ngoc Tang, the first party member of his hometown Phu Luu Thuong.

With his great contributions to the national liberation movement, comrade Ho Ngoc Tang was posthumously awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Party and State according to Decision No. 151/TTg dated April 19, 1961./.

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References:

History of Loc Ha District Party Committee, National Political Publishing House, 1993

History of Hong Loc Commune Party Committee (1930 - 2010), Culture Publishing House - Hanoi 2011

Story and documents of Mr. Ho Ngoc Phuong's family. Comrade Ho Ngoc Tang's grandson.