Ben Thuy Junction - the starting point of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Uprising
Ben Thuy Junction, located on the left bank of the Lam River at the foot of Quyet Mountain, about 5 km southeast of Vinh city center, was the meeting place of protesters and factory workers in Ben Thuy on May 1, 1930, marking the beginning of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Uprising.
During the French colonial period, Ben Thuy Crossroads belonged to Yen Dung Ha village, Yen Truong commune, Hung Nguyen district; now it is part of Ben Thuy ward.Vinh City, Nghe An province.
On the occasion of International Labor Day on May 1, 1930, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam decided to launch the first International Labor Day commemoration movement in Vietnam. The Central Committee of the Central Region and the provincial committees in Nghe An and Ha Tinh actively prepared for its implementation.
Despite being terrorized and brutally suppressed by the enemy, the localities still carried out the plan correctly. At dawn on May 1, 1930, in Ha Tinh, across the Lam River, opposite the Ben Thuy Junction, the red flag with the hammer and sickle fluttered atop Mount Com, the Nghi Xuan district headquarters, the Do Trai bridge (Duc Tho), Ru Nam (Huong Son), the Cho Chua communal house (Cam Trung, Cam Xuyen district), and Ban Do mountain (Ky Anh). Many Party leaflets were distributed in Di Long (Huong Khe), Lac Thien (Duc Tho), Lai Thach commune, and Phu Luu (Can Loc).
Along with many places nationwide, on the morning of May 1, 1930, a large demonstration of workers and farmers from both urban and suburban areas broke out in Vinh - Ben Thuy.
The demonstration was directly led by Comrade Le Mao - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Standing Member of the Central Vietnam Regional Party Committee, Secretary of the Vinh - Ben Thuy Provincial Party Committee.
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Thanks to thorough preparation, on the morning of May 1, 1930, approximately 1,200 farmers from the villages of Yen Dung, Loc Da, Duc Thinh (formerly part of Hung Nguyen district, now Vinh city), Song Loc, Tan Hop, An Hau, and Duc Hau (part of Nghi Loc district) marched into Vinh city to join factory workers in demanding that the French colonialists fulfill their demands: increased wages, reduced taxes, and an 8-hour workday.
The protesters waved flags with the hammer and sickle, displayed banners, marched in orderly ranks, chanted slogans, and recited the Internationale:
"O you who are slaves in this world!
All you who are suffering, rise up!
How can this injustice be tolerated?
"Let's just destroy them completely once and for all."
The prefect of Hung Nguyen ordered his soldiers to block the protest march at Quan Lau Crossroads. The protesters tightened their ranks and advanced to Truong Thi Railway Repair Factory, then joined forces with workers from factories in Ben Thuy.
People from Nghi Xuan district (Ha Tinh province) joined the protest. Seeing the enthusiastic spirit of the demonstration, many people in the city also joined in. At factories in the Ben Thuy area, Southern Dynasty officials ordered soldiers armed with bayonets to guard against workers leaving the factories. But the workers still abandoned their jobs and poured into the streets to join the protest.
Comrade Nguyen Canh Binh (from Loc Da village) led the demonstration, waving the hammer and sickle flag and urging everyone to advance. The red flag with the hammer and sickle of the Party, planted for eight hours on a lamppost at Ben Thuy Crossroads, inspired tens of thousands of people. The demonstrators shouted like thunder, "Down with the colonialists who plunder our country!"; "The poll tax, market tax, ferry tax must be abolished..."
The French envoy brought 10 military vehicles to block the protest at Ben Thuy Junction in front of the Match Factory. Comrade Tran Canh Binh was shot dead. The protesters chanted: "Down with the murderers!" The police shot and killed six more people, wounded 18, and arrested 97 others.
Workers and farmers protest in Vinh –Ben ThuyMay 1, 1930, marked the beginning of the revolutionary upsurge of 1930-1931 in Nghe Tinh, initiating a series of vigorous struggles by workers and peasants in the following months in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. The climax came on the morning of September 12, 1930, when approximately 8,000 peasants from three districts: Phu Long, Thong Lang (Hung Nguyen), and Nam Kim (Nam Dan), armed with sticks, spears, and ropes, marched to Yen Xuan train station, waving flags with the hammer and sickle. Passengers on trains disembarked to join the demonstration.
Sister Phia (Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga) stood up and delivered a speech denouncing the French colonialists and the Southern Dynasty. The shouts of slogans echoed throughout the area. A group of soldiers fired warning shots, but the protesters remained steadfast, marching towards Hung Nguyen district. When the protesters reached Thai Lao, the enemy sent planes to bomb and kill 217 people, leaving 125 injured.
The Ben Thuy intersection has gone down in history. To commemorate that period...revolutionIn honor of the glorious years of 1930-1931, Nghe An province erected a monument here to the workers and farmers. On November 16, 1988, the Ministry of Culture issued Decision No. 1288-VH/QD recognizing Ben Thuy Crossroads as a historical and cultural relic for long-term preservation and development of revolutionary traditions.
