Martyr Thai Van Da and his contributions to the overseas revolutionary movement

Although living in a large family, Thai Van Da was still allowed by his parents, Mr. Thai Van Thang and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tuong, to complete primary school at Anh Son French-Vietnamese Primary School. During his time in school, reading many types of books and newspapers with patriotic ideas, witnessing the oppression of the colonialists and feudalists on the people, the student Thai Van Da soon formed a love for the country and people. Fortunately, he met the eldest son Huynh (the eldest son of Mr. Phan Boi Chau, who went to Yen Lang village to sell traditional medicine to find someone to send to Siam to do revolutionary activities) through chess games, learning Chinese characters, and discussing literature, Thai Van Da gradually became enlightened, absorbed revolutionary theories, and from there, nurtured the will to go out and find a way to save the country following in the footsteps of his predecessors.

Due to the impact of the Eastern Travel Movement and stemming from the situation of the country being immersed in the darkness of slavery, many young people from all over the country decided to leave to find a way to save the country. The movement to go abroad took place vigorously from the years before World War I to the mid-20th century. The new feature of this movement was that the direction of going abroad was no longer "Eastern Travel" to Japan, but "Western Travel" to Siam and "Northern Travel" to China.

The person who pioneered the “Western Journey” to Siam was Dang Thuc Hua, from Thanh Xuan, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An. With the help of overseas Vietnamese, he and a number of comrades established the Cay Camp – a form of organization for overseas Vietnamese to both produce and propagate and enlighten the revolution. From 1909 to 1925, hundreds of Nghe Tinh youths left to follow Dang Thuc Hua’s footsteps.

Joining the general movement of the whole country, many young people from Nghe An left their homeland to seek the truth, including comrade Thai Van Da. On March 6, 1925, comrade Thai Van Da said goodbye to his family and went to Siam. After a period of trekking through forests and wading through streams, he arrived at Mr. Dang Thuc Hua's Farm in May village (near Na Khon town, Thailand).

After 1 month of secretly leaving the country, the Governor of Nghe An issued a wanted order for him. The search was intense but without results, and finally the Southern Court of Nghe An tried him in absentia for the crime of “deserting a foreign country and plotting rebellion” with a sentence of hard labor and exile.

After a short period of training at Trai Cay, at the end of 1925, comrade Thai Van Da was summoned to Guangzhou (China) to attend a training class taught by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. In early 1926, he was admitted to the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, under the alias Ly Tham and was sent to Thailand to continue his activities and build a revolutionary base. He actively participated in the patriotic activities of the Overseas Vietnamese National Salvation Organization and the "Cooperative Youth" organization, and was closely monitored by the enemy in Phi Chit, Thailand.

After the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded in Guangzhou (China), in May 1930, comrade Thai Van Da was honored to join the ranks of the Party base in Phi Chit, Thailand. In 1933, he was sent to Chiang Mai to work and propagate revolutionary lines among overseas Vietnamese. Working actively day and night, he contributed to building a revolutionary base here. On April 18, 1936, while on a business trip to Chiang Mai, comrade Da was arrested by the Thai authorities and imprisoned in Bang Khouang prison. During his time in prison, he was elected Deputy Secretary of the prison cell. Although often tortured and beaten, he and other imprisoned soldiers remained steadfast and indomitable, maintaining the integrity of communists, united in the fight against the harsh prison regime, actively studying and accumulating knowledge, waiting for the day of release to continue their activities with a firm belief in the victory of the revolution.

At the end of 1936, after completing his prison term and being placed under house arrest in Thailand for another two years, he continued to engage in revolutionary activities. In early 1938, he was transferred to the Northeastern war zone, in charge of training the Thai armed guerrilla team from 1939 to 1945. In August 1945, when the world situation was favorable for the revolution of the three Indochinese countries, comrade Thai Van Da was transferred to Laos to work as a special envoy of the Laotian Regional Party Committee. In Laos, he was assigned to lead an army across the Mekong River to enter the capital Vientiane to coordinate with local forces to overthrow the reactionary government of the Kingdom of Laos. Having completed the assigned task, he was trusted to hold the position of Deputy Secretary of the Vientiane City Party Committee, concurrently a Military Commissioner.

On August 19, 1945, the Vietnamese people rose up in revolt, smashing the domination of Japanese fascists and French colonialists; on September 2, 1945, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh. Those events strongly impacted and encouraged the Lao resistance and patriotic forces, as well as the Vietnamese community in Laos to rise up and fight.

During this time, comrade Thai Van Da led the army and people of Vientiane to rise up and fight, contributing to the victory of the Lao revolution. On October 12, 1945, the independent Lao government was established. Prince Fes-xa-rat solemnly declared the end of French slavery, Laos was unified, and Vientiane was made the capital. The August 1945 uprising in Vientiane and the establishment of the independent Lao government opened the glorious struggle for national liberation, unification of the country and the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. This event united Vietnam and Laos in the struggle for national independence, building a socialist country, and fostering the special friendship and solidarity between the two neighboring countries with the same aspirations for national development.

In 1947, the remnants of the French army, hiding behind the British army, opened fire to invade the capital Vientiane. Once again, comrade Thai Van Da and the Lao army and people rose up to fight against the French and won many victories. In July 1947, due to the unequal balance of forces, the Party decided to withdraw troops from the city to establish a resistance base in Western Laos. Comrade Thai Van Da was assigned to lead the unit and the Party organization along the Mekong River to retreat to the new base. On the way, he and a number of his comrades heroically sacrificed themselves, leaving behind endless sorrow in the hearts of overseas Vietnamese and the people of the Lao ethnic groups.

At the age of 48 and 22 years of revolutionary activities, comrade Thai Van Da fought all his life under the glorious flag of the Party, sacrificed his youth to make revolution, contributed to fostering friendship between Vietnam and fraternal countries, and became a shining example for the young generation in the heroic Soviet homeland to learn and follow.

References:
+ Comrade Thai Van Da's profile is kept at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum.
+ Nghe An communist role models volume 4; Nghe An Provincial Propaganda Department; Nghe An Publishing House; 2012
+ History of Nghe An Party Committee (1930-1954), Volume 1; Nghe An Provincial Party Committee; Nghe An Publishing House; 2019