Ben Thuy intersection on the day of the uprising
On these historic September autumn days, visiting the Ben Thuy T-junction relic, I was suddenly deeply moved by the majestic and solemn Workers - Farmers - Soldiers monument. Mixed with the sound of the wind blowing from Lam River and Quyet Mountain, it sounded like the echo of the undulating sea of protesters shouting slogans demanding higher wages, shorter working hours, and land for farmers in the past... Here, on these days 82 years ago, the blood of the workers and farmers of Nghe An had stained the entire Ben Thuy street red.
(Baonghean)On these historic September autumn days, visiting the Ben Thuy T-junction relic, I was suddenly deeply moved by the majestic and solemn Workers - Farmers - Soldiers monument. Mixed with the sound of the wind blowing from Lam River and Quyet Mountain, it sounded like the echo of the undulating sea of protesters shouting slogans demanding higher wages, shorter working hours, and land for farmers in the past... Here, on these days 82 years ago, the blood of the workers and farmers of Nghe An had stained the entire Ben Thuy street red.
As if there was still the electric pole in front of the old Match Factory where comrade Tran Canh Binh (self-defense of Loc Da village) climbed and raised the red hammer and sickle flag to call on the factory workers to coordinate in the struggle. The Party's red hammer and sickle flag was planted on the lamp post in the middle of Ben Thuy intersection to encourage the people to join hands and move forward. Terrified by the fierce fighting spirit of the working class, the soldiers from the second floor of the Match Factory opened fire on the lamp post, comrade Tran Canh Binh and the red flag fell down amid the angry screams of the protesters.
On May 1, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam launched the first International Labor Day celebration movement in Vietnam. Joining the seething atmosphere of struggle of the people in many places across the country, comrade Le Mao - Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the Central Region Party Committee in charge of the Vinh - Ben Thuy Provincial Party Committee directly directed the large demonstration of workers and farmers in and out of the city.
With careful preparation, in the early morning of May 1, 1930, more than 1,200 farmers from An Hau, Tan Hop, Duc Hau (Nghi Loc), Loc Da, Duc Thinh, Yen Dung (formerly Hung Nguyen) villages... marched into Vinh town to coordinate with factory workers to fight directly against the French colonialists. The protesters did not carry weapons, raised the hammer and sickle flag, and chanted slogans as they marched: Increase wages, 8-hour workday, reduce taxes,... and sang "The Internationale". Then, the group marched down to the Match Factory intersection and was blocked by soldiers in blue uniforms and secret police. But the group with boiling enthusiasm still advanced empty-handed into the soldiers' fence, the warden panicked and ordered the soldiers to shoot at the protesters. Some comrades in the protesters were seriously injured, causing everyone to seethe with hatred. When comrade Tran Canh Binh and the hammer and sickle flag were shot down by the enemy, workers from the Match Factory rushed to the gate, broke down the fence to help. The soldiers fired directly at the protesters, killing 6 people, injuring 18, and arresting 100.
The newspaper “Nguoi lao kho” published on May 2, 1930 wrote: “...the struggle in An Nam has reached a day of intensity. But for each of you brothers and sisters who must die, thousands and thousands of other brothers and sisters will follow. No matter how cruel the French imperialists are, they cannot stop the revolutionary movement...”.
The demonstration on May 1, 1930 at Ben Thuy intersection was an important milestone that opened the Nghe - Tinh Soviet movement. The highlight of this demonstration was: "For the first time in the history of our country's revolution, workers - farmers - soldiers joined hands in the middle of the battle" (Party Documents 1930-1935, published by the Central Party History Research Board, 1977, vol. 1, p. 51).
This fierce struggle movement had a strong impact on rural areas, creating the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, shaking the colonial and feudal government apparatus in villages and communes, forming a Soviet government over a large area.
Time and war ravaged the electric pole marking the event of the hammer and sickle flag being planted by the protesters on May 1, 1930, and was severely damaged. In 1960, another pole was restored to its original location. In 2010, the Ben Thuy T-junction Relic Site project was re-planned, and the pole was dismantled to make way for other projects.
In 2012, Nghe An Museum collected and preserved the collection with the hope that one day in the near future, it can be restored and displayed to educate the younger generation about the red history of the heroic Soviet homeland.
Phan Thi Ha Long
