Phan Dang Luu - a typical revolutionary journalist

Not only becoming a typical revolutionary journalist, comrade Phan Dang Luu also led the revolutionary press force in Hue to develop strongly to call on the masses to stand up and fight against the feudal colonial regime.

The area of ​​the Flag Tower and Hue Imperial Citadel today.

Journalism in many languages

Before working in journalism in Hue, at the colonial prison in Buon Me Thuot, comrade Phan Dang Luu, as a member of the leadership of the communists in prison, secretly published Doan De Prison newspaper in the Ede language, both to carry out military mobilization work for ethnic minorities and as internal propaganda materials. He learned the Ede language himself and called on other comrades to learn it to facilitate revolutionary activities in the colonial prison. Comrade Phan Dang Luu also advocated writing newspapers in both Vietnamese and French, so that when someone was released from prison or through secret channels, he could send them to newspapers to denounce the prison regime and call on public opinion outside to support the prisoners' struggle.

Comrade Phan Dang Luu was released from Buon Me Thuot prison in February 1936 but was forced to “settle down” in Hue. Here, despite being constantly monitored by secret police, he still tried to contact the Party.

Portrait of revolutionary senior Phan Dang Luu. Photo archive

In France, in 1936, the French Popular Front came to power and the new French Government issued a decree of amnesty for political prisoners in Indochina and issued a number of other progressive policies. Due to the favorable historical context, the Party organized the Indochinese Anti-Imperialist People's Front (later changed to the Indochinese Democratic United Front), aiming to unite all democratic and progressive forces under the slogan of peace, democracy, freedom, and food and clothing. The Party advocated combining legal and semi-legal activities to build the Party organization and promote the people's struggle movement.

Faced with that situation, the Party assigned comrade Phan Dang Luu to be in charge of the public and semi-public struggle movement in Hue and Central Vietnam, the headquarters of the French colonialists and the feudalists of the Southern Dynasty.

Gathering and uniting many newspapers to fight for revolution

Comrade Phan Dang Luu was born on May 5, 1902 in Dong village, Trang Thanh commune (now Hoa Thanh commune), Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province. He was a member of the Central Region Party Committee (from 1936), a member of the Central Region Party Committee Standing Committee (March 1937), a member of the Central Party Executive Committee (1937), and a member of the Central Committee Standing Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party (1938 - 1940). He died in 1941.

On March 27, 1937, at the Indochina Inn, No. 7 Dong Ba Street in Hue, the Central Vietnam Press Conference opened with the participation of more than 70 journalists. Comrade Phan Dang Luu and other revolutionary journalists contributed to directing the Conference to the key tasks that were meaningful at that time. The Central Vietnam Press Conference passed two resolutions and action programs. These were to establish a United Front for Indochina journalists to move towards freedom of publishing books and newspapers, to request the authorities to allow freedom of publishing, to mobilize people to fight for freedom of the press, and to call on progressive people in Indochina and France to support the desire for freedom of publishing; to establish the Central Vietnam Press Friendship Association...

Dan newspaper was directly directed by comrade Phan Dang Luu. Historical photo.

After the newspaper Nhanh Lua and Kinh te Tan Van were banned from publication, the Central Region Party Committee no longer had newspapers in hand as public and legal weapons of struggle while the fierce struggle between revolutionary and reactionary forces was still going on. Faced with this situation, comrade Phan Dang Luu bought the copyright of Phan Khoi's Song Huong newspaper, which was operating at a standstill due to low readership, and changed its name to Song Huong without asking permission from the government.

On June 19, 1937, Song Huong continued to publish its first issue and was widely enjoyed by people of all walks of life. Comrade Phan Dang Luu directed the content and directly wrote editorials, commentaries, and sketches. The column "Chieu Dien" by author Nghi Toet - the pen name of comrade Phan Dang Luu, exposed and named the lackeys who sold out the people, harmed the country, and used plots and tricks to deceive voters. The remaining 18 candidates, who were Party members and had progressive ideas, introduced and encouraged by Song Huong continued to publish, were elected to the Central Vietnam House of Representatives. Song Huong continued to publish 14 issues (from June 19 to October 14, 1937) before the colonial government revoked its license.

Dan Tien Newspaper is directly directed by comrade Phan Dang Luu.Historical photo.

Faced with that situation, the Central Committee of the Central Region sought to publish other newspapers to continue the struggle and mobilized progressive journalists and parliamentarians such as Nguyen Trac, Nguyen Dan Que, and Nguyen Xuan Cac to apply for permission to publish a public newspaper called Dan. The main content was directly directed by comrade Phan Dang Luu, the first issue was published on July 6, 1938. Dan newspaper published many articles reflecting the aspirations of all classes of people, demanding tax reform, democracy and freedom, the release of political prisoners, the freedom to establish friendly associations and trade unions; at the same time exposing the rotten face of the feudal colonial regime.

Remembering comrade Phan Dang Luu and the Dan newspaper, poet To Huu wrote in the book "Remembering a time" that:“Mr. Luu said: Our newspaper (ie Dan Newspaper) is a bit dry. If you know how to write poetry, write poems about poor workers. Poverty is not fate, but is due to imperialism, feudalism, and heavy taxes. There are many things to write about beggars, servants, orphans… to awaken the people. Try to write and publish an article in one issue or several issues, maybe thanks to that our people will like to read our newspaper more, but pay attention: easy to understand, easy to remember, and not too long-winded.”. Thanks to that, Dan newspaper united, encouraged, and politically enlightened tens of thousands of people in the widespread political struggle from urban to rural areas. The newspaper published 17 issues (from July to October 1938) before being banned.

Monument to revolutionary veteran Phan Dang Luu in Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province. Photo: VOV

The Central Region Party Committee and comrade Phan Dang Luu continued to publish the Dan Tien newspaper. The Dan Tien newspaper issued a manifesto:“People are people, progress is progress. People progress is people progress, people just keep going. People can be killed, imprisoned, punished, starved… people still live, still go forward”(Dan Tien, No. 3, November 17, 1938). To avoid the strict censorship of the Resident of Central Vietnam, Dan Tien Newspaper was edited in Hue, then brought to Saigon for printing and distribution in the South because the press could "breathe" more easily there. Dan Tien Newspaper was still directly directed by comrade Phan Dang Luu. The newspaper published 5 issues: No. 1 was published on October 27, 1938; the last issue - No. 5 was published on December 22, 1938, then it was closed.

The Central Region Party Committee and comrade Phan Dang Luu continued to publish the newspaper named Dan Muon, still edited in Hue, printed and distributed in Saigon. The newspaper published 2 issues: issue 1 was published on December 20, 1938, the last issue - issue 2 was published on January 25, 1939, then it was discontinued.

In addition, comrade Phan Dang Luu also coordinated actions with the Voice of the People newspaper of Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang, a staunch patriot. At the Voice of the People newspaper forum, he isolated and exposed the worst writers who flattered the colonial regime.

In September 1939, in the face of the outbreak of World War II and the French colonial regime's increasing suppression of democratic freedoms, comrade Phan Dang Luu was directed by the Party Central Committee to withdraw to the South to operate secretly and was assigned to be in charge of the revolutionary movement in the Southern provinces.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of comrade Phan Dang Luu (May 5, 1902 - May 5, 2002), poet To Huu commented:“Phan Dang Luu is an outstanding leader, with profound wisdom and a simple, approachable style that has attracted young intellectuals like us and great intellectuals like Phan Boi Chau and Huynh Thuc Khang...”.