'A cry for help' from historical evidence of Vinh prison
Vinh Prison is considered a testament to a period of arduous struggle of the nation and a symbol of the resilient revolutionary spirit of the people of Nghe Tinh throughout history. However, the Vinh Prison guardhouse - the only remaining relic of this construction - seems to be forgotten and not given due attention.
A little bit of the old mark remains...
Located on Dao Tan Street (Vinh City), next to the campus of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum, the guard boothVinh PrisonQuietly amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, looking at this building surrounded by countless billboards and full of signs of deterioration, it is difficult to recognize that this is an important historical evidence of the nation.
In contrast to the time-stained ruins above the guardhouse, the lower part of the guardhouse is painted a bright white and modern. Right behind the guardhouse, a large coffee and soft drink shop has opened, seemingly occupying the entire space and partly obscuring the presence of this important historical structure.
In the middle of the guard booth, there is a small sign with the words: "Vinh Prison Guard Booth belongs to the Vinh Ancient Citadel National Historical - Cultural Relic Complex. The People's Committee of Cua Nam Ward strictly prohibits acts of encroachment, damage to the relic, writing, drawing, hanging advertising boards on the relic" which made many people feel sad when reading it.
Looking back at history to better understand the Vinh Prison project, in the book "Vinh Prison" published in 2005 by the Propaganda Department of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, it was affirmed that: Vinh Prison was established in 1804, where the feudal and colonial governments had detained many generations of patriotic and revolutionary soldiers. This was where fierce struggles against the harsh prison regime took place. They turned the prison into a revolutionary school, organized Party cells in prison such as comrades Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Duy Trinh, Le Canh Ton, Le Canh Nhuong...
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During the French colonial period, Vinh Prison was one of the important prisons in the colonial prison system, such as Hoa Lo (Hanoi), Kham Lon (Saigon) and Thua Phu (Hue). During the Nghe Tinh Soviet Movement, the French colonialists consistently used repression and terror as the best policy. They advocated arresting by mistake rather than letting go. Therefore, Vinh Prison was packed with revolutionaries. During the period from 1930 to 1932, Vinh Prison had the largest number of political prisoners.
To oversee the prison guarding, they built 4 guard posts. Each post is 6m high, octagonal, each side is 2m long, built of 0.35m long bricks and divided into 2 floors, each floor has loopholes, soldiers always have to take turns standing guard and keeping watch. There are 2 types of guards at Vinh Prison, the Green-Scarved soldiers and the Green-Scarved soldiers. Of which, the Green-Scarved soldiers are responsible for internal security, only guarding outside and guarding 4 guard posts, only entering to suppress when there is an alarm, such as prisoners breaking out of prison, protesting, fighting. The Green-Scarved soldiers are responsible for letting prisoners in and out to eat, drink, and bathe.
From its formation until its abolition in 1945 (after the success of the August Revolution), Vinh Prison detained and tortured thousands of patriots and revolutionary soldiers. Many revolutionary soldiers heroically sacrificed their lives, such as Le Viet Thuat - Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee (1931).); Sieu Hai (former Secretary of Vinh Regional Party Committee).
Many other comrades were sentenced to death and brought back to the village to be shot, such as Le Canh Nhuong, Nguyen Phong Sac, Vo Van Thanh... And until now, many people still remember the blood letter that comrade Nguyen Viet Luc wrote before he died at Vinh Prison to show the indomitable spirit of a communist before his sacrifice.
The brave examples of generations of political prisoners at Vinh Prison make us even more proud and deeply grateful to the patriotic soldiers. And as a testament to that arduous period of struggle, the Vinh Prison guard post is like a hyphen connecting the past, present and future. More than ever, it is time to pay due attention to this evidence.
Need to resolutely "save" evidence
In the document: "Vinh Prison Relic - The place where patriotic and revolutionary soldiers were imprisoned during the period 1925 - 1945" of Nghe An Department of Culture and Information (Department of Culture and Sports of Nghe An today))and the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum in 2002 confirmed: "Currently, Vinh Prison only has one guard booth left but it is no longer intact."
Based on the significance of Vinh Prison, at many scientific conferences, especially the meeting of revolutionary elders in 1995, many opinions of delegates were recorded that: The restoration of Vinh Prison is impossible because in the area of the former Vinh Prison, many cultural works have been built.
Therefore, it is necessary to protect the Vinh Prison guardhouse and build a memorial and a stele to commemorate the event and those who were imprisoned. At the same time, build a gallery of images and artifacts to serve the purpose of educating and propagating revolutionary traditions to the masses.
Contents such as building a gallery of images, artifacts and building a memorial were deployed and inaugurated on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Nghe Tinh Soviet (September 12, 1930 - September 12, 2005). However, according to the content recorded in the document "Vinh Prison Relic - The place where patriotic and revolutionary soldiers were imprisoned in the period 1925 - 1945" mentioned above, the Vinh Prison guardhouse relic has not been recognized and ranked, so there is no State protection regime for the relic's caretakers.
Archived atNghe Tinh Soviet Museumclearly stated: "In recent years, the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Nghe An province have also clearly seen the great significance of Vinh Prison Relic, so there have been many plans to promote the relic's effectiveness. One of the plans is to rank the relic to prepare a dossier for the Vinh Prison Project".
Although this wish has not yet come true, the Vinh Prison guard booth has been recognized as one of the items belonging to the National Historical Relic of Vinh Citadel.
Working at the Nghe An Provincial Relic Management Board, it is known that in 1998, Vinh Citadel was ranked as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in Decision No. 95 - QD/BVHTT, dated January 24, 1998.
In which, Vinh prison guardhouse is one of 9 items of the Citadel including: Front gate, left gate, right gate; Monument, Uncle Ho's memorial; Guardhouse; Northeast Citadel; Bomb crater; North Citadel; South Citadel; Moat recognized as part of the Vinh Citadel relic cluster. That has affirmed the role and position of this relic in the system of important historical relics of Nghe An province in particular and the whole country in general.
To preserve and promote the value of the relic in modern life, the Provincial Relic Management Board has repeatedly suggested and requested the People's Committee of Cua Nam Ward and the Vinh City Department of Culture to more closely manage the system of shops, billboards and activities around the relic area. This is to ensure that the aesthetics as well as the ancient and historical architecture of the Vinh Prison guard booth are not affected.
Creating a harmonious space around the relic will contribute to protecting cultural values, while attracting the attention of local people and tourists, making this place not only a historical destination but also a place of spiritual significance for future generations.
To increase the value of the connection between the past and the present, the representative of the Provincial Relic Management Board also hopes that the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum, after introducing Vinh Prison to visitors through the museum's exhibition rooms, should guide visitors to the guardhouse of Vinh Prison. This is not difficult because the guardhouse relic is located right next to the museum grounds.
Hopefully in the near future, these measures to protect the relics will be implemented more drastically, bringing a new look to the Vinh Prison guardhouse. From there, helping the relic not to sink into oblivion. This is also a commitment that history is not only recorded by titles but must also be preserved and maintained through real care and concern."
Nghe An Provincial Relic Management Board
