Comrade Le Manh Duyet's positive contributions to the Soviet homeland

Comrade Le Manh Duyet (alias Thi Duyet) was born in 1904 into a poor farming family in Duc Son commune, Anh Son district, Nghe An province. His parents died early, so the three brothers Le Manh Duyet had to take care of each other. At the age of 10, Le Manh Duyet started working as a servant, herding buffalo for well-off families in the area to earn a living.

Born and raised in a rural area rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions, experiencing a miserable childhood, witnessing the oppression and unjust exploitation of the colonialists and feudalists every day, Le Manh Duyet soon understood the suffering of his people and hated the traitors even more. In 1928, Le Manh Duyet left his homeland and went to Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, boarded a ship to go to the South, and worked as a coolie in the Phu Rieng plantation.

After 8 days and nights, the ship arrived in the South and after 4 days, it arrived in Phu Rieng. Here, Le Manh Duyet, like many other workers, had to endure heavy exploitation by the plantation owner. The workers worked all day until 7pm, and if they were a little late, they were beaten and had their wages cut. They ate rotten rice and rotten fish, so everyone suffered from dysentery, and without medicine, the life of the plantation workers was extremely miserable.

During the 3 years working at Phu Rieng plantation, Le Manh Duyet became more aware of the suffering of the children of a lost country, the exploitation to the bone marrow by the French capitalists. From then on, he had a burning desire to fight to regain freedom and food. Then the strong struggles of the workers in the plantations broke out, Le Manh Duyet enthusiastically participated without hesitation.

He participated in mobilizing fellow workers to discuss plans for demonstrations demanding wage increases, reduced working hours, improved diets for workers, a ban on brutal beatings of coolies, and women being allowed to take leave 2 months before or after giving birth and still receive their salaries... In February 1930, he participated in the first strike; followed by lively demonstrations that attracted a large number of factory workers and local people.

The French colonialists were frightened and sent in soldiers in blue and red uniforms to suppress the demonstration. The demonstration dispersed, and Le Manh Duyet and a number of his comrades were arrested and taken straight to the Phu Rieng plantation. There, he was called in for interrogation and brutally beaten, but he still refused to confess. They sentenced him to 6 months in prison and then sent him to the Big Prison in Saigon on charges of being one of the leaders of the rebellion.

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After a period of imprisonment, in mid-1930, comrade Le Manh Duyet was released from prison and returned to his homeland. At that time, news of the strong struggle movement of the people in the lowlands quickly affected the people in the mountainous districts of Nghe Tinh.

The fierce struggle of about 1,200 workers and peasants in Vinh - Ben Thuy in response to International Labor Day on May 1, 1930 opened the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. Following that were the typical struggles of the people of Thanh Chuong besieging Ky Vien fort, the struggles of the people of Quynh Luu, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen... as well as many struggles in Anh Son district that had a strong impact on Le Manh Duyet.

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Comrade Le Manh Duyet actively participated in local revolutionary activities day and night and was assigned by the Party organization to give speeches at demonstrations such as in Vinh Son, Do Luong... On October 10, 1930, Le Manh Duyet was honored to join the Party. After participating in the siege of French colonialists at Dua garrison, he escaped to Mon Son (Con Cuong) to work.

In late 1930, the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement began to be terrorized by the colonialists and feudalists of the Southern Dynasty, thousands of party members and people were arrested and killed; many party bases were broken. To maintain the movement, the Central Region Party Committee and Nghe An Provincial Party Committee decided to develop revolutionary forces and move the movement to the mountainous districts of western Nghe An. Realizing that Mon Son was a locality with many favorable conditions for building bases, the Central Region Party Committee sent comrade Le Xuan Dao (Head of the Regional Party Committee's Finance Department), and the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee sent comrade Le Manh Duyet and comrade Nguyen Huu Binh to Mon Son to build the revolutionary movement, creating an important new change in the locality.

Through the propaganda and mobilization of comrades, the people were enlightened about the revolution, united closely, and fought effectively like the March 1931 struggle to expel the Duc Ky contractor and erase the people's debts. During the struggle, many core masses of the movement appeared such as: Vi Van Khang, Vi Van Hanh, Vi Van Lam, Vi Van Quy, Ha Van Hoa... They were the ones who distributed leaflets, propagated the Party's guidelines and policies, mobilized the masses, protected and nurtured Party cadres.

On that basis, in April 1931, the Party Cell in Mon Son was established with 6 party members: Vi Van Khang, Le Manh Duyet, Vi Van Hanh, Vi Van Lam, Vi Van Quy, Tran Ngan, with comrade Vi Van Khang as Secretary. After a short time, mass organizations such as the Red Peasant Association, Red Self-Defense, and Women were born, the revolutionary spirit of the masses rose.

Under the direct leadership of comrade Le Xuan Dao and comrade Le Manh Duyet, the Party cell launched a major struggle on August 9, 1931. Early that morning, about 300 people under the leadership of the Party cell gathered to march around the commune to demonstrate their power. For the first time in Con Cuong, the Party's red hammer and sickle flag was flown on the Con Chua Da tree, the Bai Canh Tro tree... The Vi family's church drum was carried to cheer on the protest group. Starting from Bai Canh village to Nam Bo village, up to Cua Rao, Ca temple, to the Con Chua Da tree, through Hua Na village, the protest group marched to the house of the evil leader of the group, Ba Uon. He was frightened and ran to the district to report the communist movement.

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Soldiers in Ba Uon's house shot poisoned arrows at the protesters, injuring some people, but comrade Le Manh Duyet and his people were not shaken, they surrounded Ba Uon's house, making the family afraid and had to give 500 kg of rice and silver bars to the revolution. The Farmers' Association distributed them to poor families. The struggle of the Mon Son people was victorious like a blazing fire in the highlands of Nghe An, making the enemy panic and fear. These victories were partly due to the great contribution of comrade Le Manh Duyet.

After the struggle on August 9, 1931, the colonialists and feudalists brutally suppressed the movement in Mon Son. The district chief Lang Vi Nang sent soldiers to arrest 30 people, both party members and the masses. Le Manh Duyet fell into the enemy's hands for the second time in Xep Phon (Vietnam - Laos border), and they took him to Yen Phuc station. After brutally torturing him but still unable to get any confession, the French colonialists sentenced him to 3 years in prison and sent him to Vinh prison...

Vinh prison at that time was packed with prisoners and the prison regime was extremely harsh. Here, the lackeys used sophisticated and sinister tricks with extremely miserable living and eating regimes: They ate only moldy rice, rice husks, and sand everywhere. The food consisted only of salt and rotten fish sauce, and once a week they were given meat or rotten fish sauce. Sick prisoners had no medicine, so most of them suffered from scabies, and those with dysentery, cholera, malaria, etc. were taken to the hospital by the enemy and died within a few days.

In addition, they also used tricks to bribe, torture, and beat prisoners with savage methods such as turning political prisoners upside down to beat them or using electric shocks on them, burning the tips of their 10 fingers on an alcohol lamp, burning a red copper tray to force prisoners to sit or stand on, causing their flesh to burn and give off a foul smell. They used nailed sticks to beat prisoners, rubber whips, crocodile bone whips, rope whips, cowhide whips, batons, and many other tools to torture them. As for female prisoners, they also forced them to strip naked and stand on fire ant nests...

All of these tricks were aimed at serving the plot: imprisoning, oppressing, terrorizing, exiled and destroying the Nghe Tinh Soviet revolutionary soldiers both physically and mentally.

However, those sinister plots and tricks could not subdue the political prisoners of Vinh Prison in general and comrade Le Manh Duyet in particular. On the contrary, it became the motivation for the comrades to maintain the spirit and integrity of communists, firmly overcoming all plots and tricks of the enemy. In the imperialist prison, Le Manh Duyet continued to stand up with his comrades to fight on hunger strikes, protest, demand the release of political prisoners, and improve their diet and living conditions...

In 1936, Le Manh Duyet was released and continued to participate in the movement in his hometown. In 1940, he was assigned by comrade Tran Van Quang (a cadre of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee sent to Anh Son to consolidate the Party Committee) to restore some Party bases in Anh Son. Le Manh Duyet actively worked. By the end of 1940, the Lang Dien Party Cell was restored.

The restoration of the Party organization and mass organizations in Anh Son created conditions for the struggle movement to break out quite strongly, mainly in the form of rallies, leaflet distribution, listening to speeches, and hanging flags. Comrade Le Manh Duyet joined the mass struggle movement, contributing to the victory of many armed uprising preparations in his hometown of Anh Son.

After a period of activity, he fell into the hands of the French colonialists for the third time while giving a speech and was taken to Vinh Prison. After 2 months of imprisonment in a solitary cell and tortured in many brutal ways, the enemy could not get any confession, comrade Le Manh Duyet was sentenced to 15 years in prison and exiled to Buon Ma Thuot.

Buon Ma Thuot Prison was built in 1931 to exile and detain patriots, communist party members who were severely sentenced in the Central provinces, and those who were at the forefront of the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. During the period 1930-1945, there were 3,855 prisoners detained in Buon Ma Thuot Prison, the majority of whom were communist party members.

True to its name, “exile”, prisoners - especially political prisoners - were detained in cramped, unsanitary conditions, with inadequate food and drink. “Dangerous” prisoners were shackled and kept in place, and were often brutally tortured. In addition to their time in prison, prisoners also had to do hard labor in plantations and factories. Working hard from 11 to 12 hours a day, being beaten, being sick without medicine, not being allowed to rest, serious illnesses such as pneumonia, edema, dysentery, hematuria... sent hundreds of prisoners to rest in the green forests and deep mountains, especially hematuria, 99.9% of these patients remained in this land.

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However, the brutal oppression of colonialism and imperialism could not subdue the will of the communists. They turned the prison into a “revolutionary school”, where they spread to other prisoners progressive ideas, patriotism and determination to find a way to liberate the nation. In many ways, they passed leaflets and documents to each other. Many communist soldiers were trained and matured in this “revolutionary school”.

During his years of imprisonment here, comrade Le Manh Duyet met many loyal communist soldiers such as Tran Van Quang, Nguyen Chi Thanh, Ho Thi Nhung, Tran Huu Duc... Despite the harsh prison regime, Le Manh Duyet and other comrades remained steadfast and indomitable, turning the prison into a revolutionary school with cultural and artistic activities such as performing plays, composing poetry, literature... and at the same time enlightening a number of fellow soldiers to follow the revolution.

Around the end of 1940, to meet the above requirements, a number of old and new prisoners contacted each other to establish a secret organization called"The Loyal Force"of the prison. Although not called a Party cell, this force actually played the role of a communist cell. The number of members of"The Loyal Force"When it was first established, there were 10 comrades, and by April 1945, there were more than 100 party members. The establishment of the party cell marked a turning point in the struggle movement of political prisoners in the prison, and at the same time contributed to creating a new development step in the revolutionary movement in Dak Lak.

Under the leadership of the Party Cell, comrade Le Manh Duyet actively participated in the struggles in prison. Many struggles broke out to oppose the reduction of food rations, to protest against forced labor, and to protest against the beating of prisoners. Although bloodily suppressed, the authorities here were forced to make concessions to some demands. Through the struggles, the revolutionary spirit and the prisoners' belief in collective strength were enhanced, creating momentum for the following struggles to develop at a higher level. In March 1945, on the occasion of the Japanese coup against the French, comrade Le Manh Duyet was released and stayed in Nha Trang to continue to initiate revolutionary activities.

In August 1945, he participated in the uprising to seize power in Dien Khanh district. In October 1945, due to poor health, he was introduced by the Khanh Hoa Regional Party Committee to be treated at Nghe An Hospital. After stabilizing, he was assigned by the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee to take on the task of consolidating Viet Minh organizations in Yen Thanh district in Catholic areas.

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In June 1946, comrade Le Manh Duyet continued to be assigned by the Provincial Party Committee to Con Cuong district to take charge of national defense tasks, and then became Secretary of the District Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the District Administrative Committee. During his 4 years of working in Con Cuong district, comrade Le Manh Duyet built 6 Party bases in communes such as Mon Son, Luc Da, Chau Yen, Chau Khe, Mau Thach and Con Cuong town. Because he was fluent in Lao, his work in the border area was very favorable.

In November 1949, Nghe An Provincial Party Committee continued to transfer him to be in charge of the Party School. In August 1951, he continued to be transferred to work in trade, then became the administrator of the Propaganda Cadre Training School. Next, he was transferred by the Regional Party Committee to participate in the Upper Laos Campaign, as the Head of Khe Kieu Station. After the campaign ended, he was transferred to be the Head of Y20 Station...

In April 1953, he was assigned to establish the Lao Revolutionary Aid Committee, working in Hoi Xuan district (Thanh Hoa), as the station chief for Laos aid work and preparing a plan to transport food for the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. After the campaign ended, he returned to Hoi Xuan to take charge of the Central's special store to communicate with Laos until the Dien Bien Phu Campaign ended.

In August 1954, the Regional Party Committee transferred comrade Le Manh Duyet to supplement the Thanh Hoa cadres. In January 1955, he was in charge of the correction work in Nong Cong district. During his time doing the correction work, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Provincial Party Committee and Nong Cong District Party Committee. After that, he continued to be assigned to do the correction work in Ha Tinh. After completing his mission, in June 1959, he became the Manager of Thanh Hoa Brick Factory. In December 1961, he was assigned to study at Nguyen Ai Quoc School, Branch 2 in Vinh.

In 1964, due to the consequences of being imprisoned and tortured in imperial prisons, comrade Le Manh Duyet's health declined so the province sent him to a nursing home to await retirement.

In 1990, comrade Le Manh Duyet passed away due to old age and poor health. For his contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the People, he was posthumously awarded the Third Class Independence Medal by the State.

60 years of Party membership, nearly 30 years of revolutionary activities, 3 times imprisoned in imperialist prisons, but comrade Le Manh Duyet was steadfast and indomitable, maintained the integrity of a communist soldier and became a shining example for generations to follow.

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References:

- History of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Anh Son district, Volume 1 (1930-1963), 2003

- Memoirs of comrade Le Manh Duyet kept at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum.

- Biography of comrade Le Manh Duyet provided by relatives.

- Proceedings of the Scientific Seminar commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of Mon Son Party Cell, Con Cuong District - Nghe An.