A shining example of devotion to the Party and the people of comrade Ton Thi Que

As a child, Ton Thi Que, whose name was Ton Thi Em, was born on August 10, 1902 in Vo Liet village, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An (according to French colonial records monitoring Communist activities: Ton Thi Que was born in 1906). When she got married, she took her husband's name, Nho Dinh.

Since 1927, when she joined the revolution, to keep it a secret, Ton Thi Que changed her name to Yem, Que, Van, Bon, Do, Phuong, Xu, Nam. Ton Thi Que was her alias from the day she became a member of the Communist Party (1930), the name she used for the rest of her life.

Ton Thi Que was the daughter of Mr. Ton Thuc Dich (1875 - 1929) who was a teacher and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hao, a farmer. Ton Thi Que's family and clan were patriotic and anti-French. Vo Liet was a land of learning and mandarin education, a gathering place for Confucian scholars. To broaden the knowledge of the children in the village, the people of Vo Liet sent Mr. Do Cam to Sen village to invite the Vice-Chancellor Nguyen Sinh Sac to teach their children.

Since ancient times, Vo Liet has been famous as a land of "spiritual people". In the fight against the Ming invaders, General Phan Da of Le Loi was brave, resourceful, pursued the enemy and sacrificed his life in Vo Liet. Remembering his merits, the people built the "Bach Ma" temple (Bach Ma temple has been ranked as a national historical and cultural relic) to worship him. Vo Liet village also has Vo Liet communal house (Vo Liet communal house has been ranked as a national historical and cultural relic), with unique architectural art, used as a gathering place for patriotic scholars to discuss poetry, literature and current events. Currently, the communal house still preserves stone steles, recording the names of Vo Liet's children who passed the Huong, Hoi and Dinh exams. Vo Liet is a land of "heavenly time, favorable terrain, and harmonious people", so it was chosen as the district capital from the time of King Thanh Thai until August 1945.

During the Van Than movement in the year of Giap Tuat (1874), led by Tran Tan and Nguyen Nhu Mai, the Ton family had the idea of ​​fighting to find the enemy and fight. That was Ton Quang Dien and Ton Quang Bon, who participated in the uprising with a determined spirit:

“Guns and flags flutter
This time, I will destroy both the Dynasty and the West."
(The Giap Tuat 1974 Uprising. Nghe Tinh History, Volume 1 - Nghe Tinh Publishing House, 1984, page 219).

After the Can Vuong movement in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, a new patriotic movement was initiated by Phan Boi Chau. Ton Thuc Dich's family actively responded. His house was the meeting place and place for scholars following the Dong Du movement. Although still young, Ton Thi Que did not ignore the important events taking place in her family. Later, Ton Thi Que recounted that:
“… Life became darker and more depressing. Here and there, people whispered about Mr. Giai San… I remember one time at dusk, when the chickens had gone into the coop, a few people wearing clogs, black ao dai, and white pants came into my house. My father welcomed them very warmly. The guests arrived for a while, then Phiet ran down to the kitchen and whispered to my mother: “Mr. Dang Thai Than has come to visit” (Dang Thai Than, nicknamed Ngu Hai, was from Nghi Loc, and was a right-hand man of Mr. Phan Boi Chau in the Dong Du movement. Dang Thai Than was the biological son of comrade Dang Thai Thuyen - a staunch party member trained by Uncle Ho). That night, I don’t know what the conversation between my father and the men was like. The next morning when I woke up, all the guests had gone. From then on, my father quit his teaching job and, along with some relatives, borrowed money to go into the forest to exploit wood to get money to help Mr. Phan operate…”. (Only one way - Party History Research Board - Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, 1972. Page 12).

Ton Thi Que longed to go abroad like Dang Thi Hop, daughter of Ba Hoi from Luong Dien, but the opportunity had not come yet. She wove cloth and learned the national language to distract herself. Because she was smart and diligent, Ton Thi Que learned very quickly, searched for Phan's poems to read voraciously and memorized them. Ton Thi Que began to practice rhyming and writing poems according to her thoughts. All of her later poems were composed from that time.

“

Thanks to her cultural level, when she went to work, comrade Ton Thi Que became a sharp propagandist and campaigner. Currently, many of Ton Thi Que's patriotic and revolutionary poems are being printed in the collection of poems Soviet Nghe Tinh 1930 - 1931.

In the summer of 1925, Ton Quang Phiet returned home from Hanoi. Ton Thi Que saw that during the days her brother was in the countryside, there were many strangers. They whispered and talked all night long. Mrs. Hao took care of the meals for the guests, while Ton Quang Phiet kept watch for lurking criminals. Ton Thi Que helped her mother with housework. Only later did Ton Thi Que know that the times her brother brought guests home were to discuss the founding of the Phuc Viet Association. On July 14, 1925, the Phuc Viet Association was born in Ben Thuy. The Association propagated and campaigned for amnesty and reduction of the death sentence for Phan Boi Chau.

In February 1926, the Phuc Viet Association changed its name to the Hung Nam Association. Knowing that Ton Thi Que was quick-witted, intelligent, discreet, and spoke in an open and easy-going manner, the Hung Nam Association assigned Mr. Trach, a friend of Ton Quang Phiet, from Vo Liet, to propagate and enlighten Ton Thi Que to join the association. Comrade Trach also lent Ton Thi Que "banned books and newspapers" and the Association's operating regulations to study.

On July 14, 1928, the Vietnam Revolutionary Comrades Association changed its name to Tan Viet Revolutionary Party (Tan Viet Party). At the end of July 1928, Mr. Trach secretly informed Ton Thi Que to go to the sandbank in Van Tri village to hold a meeting. When everyone was present, Comrade Trach announced the reason for the meeting was to admit Comrade Que into the association,...

“

According to the initiation ceremony, Ton Thi Que had to recite an oath that:
“Not greedy for money, not greedy for beauty, not greedy for fame, not greedy for profit, only greedy for the noble qualities of a citizen. Not afraid of suffering, not afraid of death, not afraid of prison, only afraid of not being able to bear the will of a revolutionary.”

Joining the Tan Viet Party, Ton Thi Que worked on propaganda, enlightening the masses to participate, support and join the Party. In early 1929, Ton Thi Que was elected to the Executive Committee of the Tan Viet Party of Thanh Chuong district. During that period, after each meeting ended, the chair of the conference read a sentence before disbanding to remind everyone:

“We were born in troubled times, living under the yoke of tyranny, together we organized and united, united in heart and mind, shed blood to seize freedom, used courage to eliminate tyranny, escaped slavery, and walked straight towards civilization. Today's conference has been absolutely perfect, so we hail the success of the Vietnamese revolution, and the world's great unity” (Only One Way.... pages 16, 17).

Ton Thi Que had just grown up but had to endure the pain of her husband and children dying. When she was active, many people said that she was cheating on her boyfriend. Sometimes it was so hard that she had to cry alone. The Party organization and the people understood her and loved her even more...

Right at the time when Ton Thi Que was having difficulty with the public's criticism, Ton Quang Phiet had just finished the final course of the Hanoi Pedagogical College. Ton Quang Phiet was a leading cadre of the Tan Viet Bac Ky headquarters. In order to have the conditions to work, Ton Quang Phiet claimed to be sick and did not attend the graduation exam even though he was a very good student. Using that as an excuse, the comrades in the Tan Viet Party headquarters arranged for Ton Thi Que to go to Hanoi to help the Tan Viet Party headquarters in Bac Ky.

After Ton Thi Que went to Hanoi to work for a while, the Tan Viet Bac Ky Party branch organization was terrorized. Secret agents hunted for Ton Quang Phiet and the branch leaders. On July 23, 1929, the two brothers Ton Thi Que boarded a train to Vinh. The secret agents in Hanoi had telegraphed to the secret agents in Vinh, so when the two of them checked into their old inn the night before, the next morning the soldiers came and arrested Ton Quang Phiet and took him away.

Ton Thi Que lingered in Vinh to make contact and listen to the situation. One day, while walking on De Nhi Street, she met teacher Hoang Tang Binh, a member of the Tan Viet Party operating at the French-Vietnamese Thanh Chuong School. Hoang Tang Binh informed Ton Thi Que about the situation and the expectations of the Tan Viet Party, because at this time the Indochinese Communist Party had been born, which Ton Thi Que had already known while in Hanoi. The Provisional Executive Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party had sent two comrades, Nguyen Phong Sac (from Hanoi) and Tran Van Cung (from Nghi Loc district), to work in Vinh, which had a great influence on the masses. Comrade Tan Viet Party and the Association of Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth were very worried...

Ton Thi Que and the Tan Viet Party were trying to contact the Indochinese Communist Party when the Indochinese Communist Party distributed leaflets calling on the people to respond and organize the second anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (November 7, 1917 - November 7, 1929). At that time, Ton Thi Que was on duty at her father's bedside when her niece, upon seeing a leaflet scattered on the street, ran in and gave it to Ton Thi Que.

After reading the leaflet, Ton Thi Que was shocked, moved, and happy that there was a base of the Indochinese Communist Party operating right in Vo Liet. At that time, Mr. Ton Thuc Dich breathed his last, that was October 13, year of Ky Ty (1929). Ton Thi Que choked up, painfully saying goodbye to her beloved father who had raised her children, who had guided them on the path of saving the country and saving the people. Mr. Dich had worked hard, saving every penny and bowl of rice for Ton Thi Que and her siblings to go to work.

While loving her father and worrying about the revolutionary work, when the revolutionary leaflet calling for struggle to commemorate the October Revolution in Russia was in her hands, Ton Thi Que tried to calm down and arrange her work. While everyone in the family was calculating and discussing the time of burial and preparing for the funeral for Mr. Dich, Ton Thi Que took the leaflet and ran to Mr. Phu's house in Nieu Ninh village to inform Mr. Phu to arrange a meeting to discuss the plan with comrades in the Tan Viet Party in Thanh Chuong....

From comrade Phu's house, Ton Thi Que ran back to her house to be in time for the funeral and burial of her father. After three days of mourning, comrades Phu, Binh, and Trach came to express their condolences to the family and informed Ton Thi Que to go to Hang Tong restaurant in the evening for a meeting.

After the funeral for her father, a vendor from Ro market came to her house to inform Ton Thi Que to go to Vinh to meet Nguyen Thi Vinh (Minh Khai) to receive the goods. Ton Thi Que discussed with comrades Phu, Binh, Trach, they guessed that comrade Vinh would have instructions.
The organization immediately prepared capital and assigned Ton Thi Que to play the role of a cloth trader from Ro market to Vinh. During the days being close to the two sisters Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Thi Quang Thai, Ton Thi Que learned many new things in Vinh's secret activities (these were the last days Ton Thi Que met Nguyen Thi Minh Khai when Minh Khai was stabilizing the base, helping Nhuan, Que, Xuan, Thiu, Phuc, Nha, before she went abroad to work).

During the Lunar New Year of the Horse, business was also easy to make a profit, Ton Thi Que's stall of goods created conditions for the Indochinese Communist Party of Thanh Chuong Headquarters to have more funds to print leaflets and documents for the Party. After three days of Tet, Ton Thi Que went to Vinh to meet Ms. Minh Khai to receive the "first shipment of the year" but in fact, to receive new instructions. That night, Ton Thi Que stayed at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai's house. Ms. Minh Khai asked very carefully about the revolutionary organization and each party member in Thanh Chuong, the activities of the Indochinese Communist Party in Thanh Chuong after the anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia...

Having said that, Minh Khai told Ton Thi Que to return to Thanh Chuong by rickshaw the next morning, not to take the market bus. Nguyen Thi Minh Khai gave Ton Thi Que half of the Ace of Spades and instructed: “At noon on February 5, 1930 (the opening day of summer), go to the Dragon ferry to pick up a “Senior” comrade (written according to the story of Mrs. Ton Thi Que at house number 101, Nguyen Truong To, Hanoi, 1980).
Following Minh Khai's instructions, Ton Thi Que braved the rain to the ferry dock to wait for the "high-class" guest, dressed exactly like a luxurious fortune teller, approximately 30 years old. Accompanying the superior comrade was comrade Le Viet Thuat from Vinh. After greeting with the correct secret code, each person presented half of a card, the two sides put it together just right. Ton Thi Que took the guest to her house, finished eating, went to comrade Trach's house in Nieu Ninh village to fool the enemy, the superior disguised himself as a fortune teller, Ton Thi Que and Le Viet Thuat acted as people going to see the fortune teller.

On the evening of February 5, 1930, a meeting was convened with comrades in the Tan Viet Party. The superior comrade spoke about the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam founded by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. He had united three Party organizations in the whole country to form a political party. After reporting on current events, the comrade said: "According to what comrade Nguyen Thi Minh Khai had said, I, on behalf of my superiors, met with you to discuss the construction of a Party base in Thanh Chuong" (written according to the story of Ms. Ton Thi Que in 1980).

The superior comrade announced the recruitment of active Tan Viet Party members to form a branch of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Ton Thi Que was happy and moved to tears. That superior cadre was Comrade Thinh, also known as Nguyen Phong Sac, from Bach Mai, Hanoi, Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, and Comrade Thuat was a member of the Regional Party Committee, in charge of the movement in Thanh Chuong district.

Under the leadership of the Vo Liet Party Cell, the revolutionary movement developed both extensively and deeply. In addition to mobilizing the masses to support the Party, join the Party, and participate in the revolutionary movement, comrade Ton Thi Que also persuaded and mobilized those who were forced to serve as soldiers for the French colonialists to join the struggle movement.

Because of dissatisfaction with the regime of “fishing in troubled waters” by local dignitaries and mandarins. On February 26, Canh Ngo year, the Saint worship ceremony at Hang Tong restaurant was led by Mr. Nhong (from Vo Liet, who had been a soldier in red pants for 3 years), commanding 60 militiamen to beat drums and gongs to order the villagers to come out and receive the offerings, not allowing the local tycoons and village chiefs to rob the offerings of the people. The initial victory of the struggle led by the Party Cell in Vo Liet brought back confidence and excitement to the people in the area.

Authorized by comrade Nguyen Phong Sac, Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, comrade Ton Gia Tinh contacted comrades Ton Thi Que, Trach, Phu, and Hoang Tang Binh to promote the establishment of the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee. Ton Thi Que was in charge of communications, buying paper, ink, and gypsum to print leaflets and documents. She continued to act as a merchant on the Thanh Chuong - Vinh trip to operate and collect additional funds to contribute to the Party Committee's budget.

Trusted by her comrades, Ton Thi Que worked day and night, printing thousands of leaflets and sewing hundreds of hammer and sickle flags of the Party. Ton Thi Que also mobilized the masses to join the struggle, carefully preparing for the opening demonstration on the occasion of International Labor Day.

On the morning of May 1, 1930, two struggles broke out in Thanh Chuong district under the leadership of comrade Le Viet Thuat and the district Party Committee. The first one involved 3,000 Hanh Lam farmers, the protesters burned and leveled Ky Vien plantation. The second struggle involved more than 100 students of the French-Vietnamese Thanh Chuong primary school, led by comrades Hoang Tang Binh and Vo Thuc Dong. The initial victory of the struggles inspired the people throughout the district. As a member of the district committee who directly led the struggle, Ton Thi Que went from village to village, propagandizing and mobilizing women to establish the Women's Liberation Association and the Red Farmers' Association in Thanh Chuong district.

The Provincial Party Committee directed localities to continue to launch struggles to make demands:
- Tax deferral until October.
- Abolish the patrol tax, crop tax and poll tax.
- Compensation for families of people shot dead in Ben Thuy, Hanh Lam.
-Release political prisoners and those arrested in the struggles…

Thanks to good propaganda and mobilization work, correctly evoking the aspirations of the masses, helping them solve difficulties, Ton Thi Que was trusted by the people, becoming their spiritual support. The people were the eyes and ears to guard and protect the safety of Ton Thi Que and the Party's cadres.

Following the Provincial Party Committee's directive and continuing to mobilize the masses to fight, Ton Thi Que and her comrades in the Party Committee led the struggle at noon on June 1 (ie May 5, Canh Ngo). After lunch, hearing the sound of wooden fish as a signal, the masses gathered at Ro market, then marched to the district office to submit their demands. The Thanh Chuong district chief had to go to the district office gate to receive the demands and promised to carry out all the demands put forward by the protest group. The successful struggles in Vo Liet demonstrated the sense of responsibility, dedication to work, and the organizational and mobilization skills of the Thanh Chuong Party Committee, including the contributions of Ton Thi Que.

To encourage and motivate the masses' struggle, comrade Nguyen Phong Sac wrote an article in the newspaper "Lao Kho" reporting the victory, Ton Thi Que distributed newspapers and leaflets everywhere. Wherever she went, she propagated, mobilized, denounced the crimes of colonialism and feudalism, and called on the people to unite in the struggle.

The revolutionary movement in Nghe Tinh rose up throughout the districts, and because of her busy work, Ton Thi Que rarely had the chance to return home to visit her elderly mother. In the situation where her father had just passed away and Ton Quang Phiet and Ton Quan Duyet were in prison, Ton Thi Que sometimes felt so sorry for her mother that she cried.

Responding to the August 30 struggle of 3,000 people of Nam Dan district according to the plan of the Regional Party Committee commanded by comrade Le Viet Thuat and the direct leadership of Thanh Chuong district Party Committee, Ton Thi Que in the district Party Committee's steering committee, like a shuttle, sometimes in this commune, sometimes in another commune.

Ton Thi Que also mobilized women from the communes of Xuan Lam commune to cook rice and boil potatoes for the self-defense force to eat after they destroyed the Gang bridge on the night of August 31, cutting off the French colonial traffic route from Vinh to Nam Dan to Thanh Chuong. Together with the self-defense force, Ton Thi Que stayed up all night to check the distribution of leaflets, sewing hammer and sickle flags and the forces of the masses participating....

On the morning of September 1, 1930, over 20,000 people from the communes gathered at Thanh Chuong district headquarters to fight. The sounds of drums, wooden fish, cymbals, horns and people calling each other rose up like thunder. Ton Thi Que, in charge of the demonstration group from Dai Dong and Xuan Lam communes, arrived at Nguyet Bong ferry, but the demonstration group was blocked because there was no ferry. At that moment, the Red Self-Defense comrades bravely swam across the river to get a ferry to take the people on the left bank across the river.

Frightened by the fighting spirit of the masses, the district chief Phan Sy Phang ordered the Don team to shoot at the swimming militia team, hitting comrade Nguyen Cong Thuong. With hatred seething, to encourage the masses, comrade Ton Thi Que shouted loudly: “Brothers and sisters! Take revenge for comrade Nguyen Cong Thuong! Bravely charge forward!”

Thousands of people shouted “Charge” in unison and rushed across the river. At the same time, five communes, Cat Ngan commune moved down, Bich Hao commune moved up, Dai Dong and Xuan Lam communes moved over, joined Vo Liet commune to surround the district office. They broke into prisons, freed political prisoners, broke into the Fonten wine agency, burned books, and broke into the district office. The struggle of the Thanh Chuong people was completely victorious. District chief Phan Sy Phang and the soldiers were so frightened that they quickly mounted their horses and fled to Thanh Qua station to hide.

To encourage the fighting spirit of the masses, comrade Ton Thi Que and the District Party Committee directed the organization of a very solemn funeral for comrade Nguyen Cong Thuong. Thousands of people who joined the struggle were moved to see him off to his final resting place. That same evening, the District Party Committee organized a memorial service for comrade Nguyen Cong Thuong, which turned into a rally to launch a continued struggle movement. Comrade Ton Thi Que also began to enter a new phase of activities, the period when the Nghe - Tinh Soviet government was established.

The revolutionary movement in the districts broke out simultaneously, on August 30 in Nam Dan, September 1 in Thanh Chuong, September 7 and 8 in Anh Son district, September 12 in Hung Nguyen district... The Nghe - Tinh Soviet Government was established one after another. To strengthen the work of women's movement, mobilizing women to participate in the struggle and join the Women's Liberation Association, comrade Ton Thi Que was assigned to work at the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial office at that time was located in Phong Nam village, Thanh Chuong district.

In the first days in the province, Ton Thi Que was taught by comrade Nguyen Sinh Dien about women's work. Working at the Provincial Party Committee, she read the newspaper "Nguoi Lao Kho" of the Central Party Committee, in which articles by comrade Nguyen Phong Sac helped Ton Thi Que understand the importance and contributions of women.
“It was during this period of fierce struggle that women also began to fight gloriously.”

Not only did Ton Thi Que encourage women to participate in the struggles, she also encouraged women to learn the national language, participate in the plays Trung Trac and Trung Nhi to propagate the patriotism of the masses, encouraged women to sew pants with legs to practice self-defense, and participate in all activities of the agricultural commune.

During her time working in Kim Lien, where the Nam Dan District Party Committee was based, the French colonialists sent soldiers to station in the village, threatening and trying to destroy the entire Kim Lien village. Ton Thi Que directed the District Party Committee to launch a struggle throughout the district to relieve the siege of Kim Lien.

In October 1930, when the Nghe - Tinh Soviet was suppressed and terrorized, comrade Nguyen Phong Sac wrote an article published in the newspaper "Nguoi Lao Kho" No. 17 explaining: "The struggle is a matter of life and death for the workers and peasants of Nghe Tinh". Thoroughly grasping the ideology of the Secretary of the Regional Party Committee, Ton Thi Que took that article to propagate and explain to the masses, thereby, comrade continued to launch a new struggle movement, preparing to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution on November 7, 1930...

After the Lunar New Year (1931), Ton Thi Que moved to Thanh Chuong to work; the District Party Committee office was located in Yen Lac village, Thanh Chuong district, with comrade Tran Huu Doanh as Secretary of the District Party Committee.

In addition to the tasks of propaganda, building, and directing women's work, Ton Thi Que also went to the districts to persuade people not to listen to the enemy's propaganda, to speak ill of the communists, to speak ill of the Russian October Revolution. She urged people to fight against the enemy's sinister plots and tricks by issuing surrender cards and carrying yellow flags.

On January 20, Tan Mui year, Ton Thi Que went down to the villages to mobilize the people of Yen Thanh to organize a struggle in Trang Ke, to oppose the edict to issue surrender cards and to raise the yellow flag. The struggle was completely victorious, Ton Thi Que happily learned a lesson, to direct other localities to continue the struggle.

To save the people from hunger and maintain the mass struggle movement, Ton Thi Que discussed with comrade Dang Chanh Ky and Yen Thanh District Party Committee, using "tricks" to "borrow rice" from the landlord. They promised to pay back in October when there was a new harvest... Later, due to the Party's work requirements, comrade Ton Thi Que went to work in Anh Son district. Ton Thi Que always received the enthusiastic help of comrade Dang Chanh Ky and through her experience in propaganda, mobilization, and building mass organizations such as Farmers' Association, Women's Liberation, Youth, and Support...

During the time Ton Thi Que worked at the Provincial Party Committee, there was a comrade who worked with her, admired and loved her, and wanted to build a family with Ton Thi Que, so he asked comrade Nguyen Sinh Dien for help. The Provincial Party Committee was very supportive and helped the two of them, but because they were too busy with revolutionary work, secret activities were very difficult, Ton Thi Que refused her comrade's good intentions, to have free hands to focus on Party work.

In February 1931, when comrade Ton Thi Que was devoting all her heart and soul to revolutionary work at the grassroots level, she suddenly received a decision to be demoted because of her policy of "uprooting the intellectuals, the rich, the landowners, and the powerful". This was a major mistake within the Party that left Ton Thi Que and many other comrades stunned.

Fortunately, comrade Tran Phu, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee, convened the 2nd Conference at No. 236, Ri So Street, Saigon in March 1931, and brought this erroneous issue up for discussion. Comrade Tran Phu strongly criticized that leftist policy and requested comrades Nguyen Phong Sac (standing member of the Party Central Committee) and comrade Le Mao (member of the Party Central Committee) to return to Nghe Tinh immediately after the Conference to hold an expanded Regional Party Committee meeting and resolutely correct the mistakes and restore honor to comrades in the Party.

In April 1931, after 2 months of mental suffering due to being demoted, comrade Ton Thi Que and a number of other comrades in the Provincial Party Committee and District Party Committee were reinstated to work, continued their work, directed the struggle movement in the districts, and prepared to launch a struggle to celebrate International Labor Day (May 1, 1931).

Entering September 1931, the enemy was frantically terrorizing, they were on guard against the upcoming struggles to celebrate the Nghe-Tinh Soviet and the Russian October Revolution. To avoid damage to the revolution, the Party Central Committee had a policy of retreating into the forest and going to the mountains to build a base in the western part of Nghe An.

Receiving the directive, comrade Ton Thi Que and other comrades retreated to the "Red Camp" area of ​​Ngoc Lam (Thanh Qua commune, Thanh Chuong district). Ton Thi Que and her comrades continued to print leaflets and newspapers, sneaking back to the village and market at night to distribute them to maintain the people's morale. Despite being terrorized by the enemy, the masses still believed that wherever there were leaflets, there was still the Party's leadership.

During the time in the forest, at first, there were people taking turns providing supplies. Later, the enemy blocked the road, closed the siege, the source of raw materials gradually ran out, there was no food, Ton Thi Que and her comrades in the forest printed leaflets very economically. The people no longer had a supply route, the comrades had to find their own way, the hardships, hunger and cold were countless, Ton Thi Que and her comrades still held Party cell activities to assess the situation, strengthen their spirit, and discuss ways out. Everyone still kept their faith in the path of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. Everyone still fought steadfastly, resisted the enemy, and struggled with themselves to avoid collapsing. Day after day, the enemy surrounded this forest, the comrades moved to another forest. Just like that, they had to move their residence 22 times but still could not make contact.

By the end of November 1931, thanks to the distribution of leaflets, the Provincial Party Committee members found Ton Thi Que and other comrades. The Provincial Party Committee convened a conference in December 1931, the Provincial Party Committee at that time had only 9 members left. Comrade Ton Thi Que was added to the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Executive Committee in charge of propaganda and training, working with comrade Le Xuan Dao and comrade Nguyen Canh Ton. The agency was located in Veu (Anh Son).

The enemy was always probing and hunting, many comrades were sacrificed. Comrade Ton Thi Que tried her best to print leaflets to distribute. The Party cell still maintained its activities. In the midst of the most difficult and arduous times in the forest, comrade Le Xuan Dao in the Party cell meeting asked each comrade to find a way to rebuild the Party cell. He said: "With the Party cell, there will be everything." That statement caused strong emotions, encouraged comrade Ton Thi Que to stand up and fulfill the responsibility assigned by the Party, in any circumstances.

On March 31, 1932, comrade Le Xuan Dao went to find a connection with the Central Region Party Committee but did not return. Waiting impatiently, Ton Thi Que discussed with comrade Giap the decision to return to Trang Ri to establish contact to rebuild the movement. Early in the morning of April 4, 1932, they and their comrades left Veu, and did not arrive at Trang Ri until noon, but unexpectedly fell into an ambush by the gang of bandits and coolies. They searched and found Ton Thi Que carrying a copy of the "Revolutionary Platform", so they happily tied both of them up and took them to Nam Dan district. When they arrived at Sa Nam (Nam Dan), seeing the crowd of people coming to watch, comrade Ton Thi Que seized the opportunity to propagate to the masses: "We were arrested for the people, for the country, although we were arrested, the Party still exists, the revolution still exists, please do not be discouraged" (according to comrade Ton Thi Que in 1980).

After 3 days of detention and torture for interrogation at Nam Dan district prison, without getting any information, on April 7, 1932, they transferred Ton Thi Que from Nam Dan to Vinh prison. When Ton Thi Que entered, Vinh prison was packed with political prisoners from other districts. At that time, Vinh prison had formed party cells.

Comrades who were imprisoned here were classified as "stubborn" such as Nguyen Si Sach, Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Duc Mau, Nguyen Duy Trinh... were exiled to prisons: Lao Bao, Kon Tum, Buon Ma Thuot... Learning the steadfast and indomitable fighting spirit of the previous generation, Ton Thi Que became even more determined and steadfast, actively fighting against all harsh prison regimes.

During her years in Vinh prison, comrade Ton Thi Que, along with Nguyen Thi Nghia, Nguyen Thi Phuc, Nguyen Thi Nha, Nguyen Thi Xan, Nguyen Thi Thiu, Le Thi Vi Ninh, Hoang Thi Ai... endured all kinds of torture. Despite this, Ton Thi Que, Nguyen Thi Phuc, and Nguyen Thi Nha often wrote poems praising the sacrifices of comrades Le Xuan Dao and Hoang Tang Binh to encourage them, strengthen their faith, and be worthy of their comrades who had sacrificed. They also performed the play "Red Blood Drops" composed by comrade Ho Tung Mau and Nguyen Duy Trinh in Vinh prison, to increase their fighting spirit.

Although no information could be obtained during many days of torture, the court of the Southern Dynasty of Nghe An still sentenced Ton Thi Que to 20 years in prison. During her time in prison, she actively campaigned for the struggle, went on hunger strikes, cheered, taught, and spread propaganda. When she left prison, she threw herself into revolutionary work, was arrested again, and imprisoned again...

In February 1941, Uncle Ho returned to the country. He convened the 8th Central Party Conference, advocating the establishment of the Viet Minh Front. To deal with the revolutionary movement in Nghe Tinh, the French colonialists brutally suppressed the movement. Comrades Ton Thi Que, Nguyen Thi Xan, Nguyen Thi Thiu, Nguyen Thi Nha, Ho Thi Nhung... were all sent to Nha Trang prison in Khanh Hoa province. On the day of departure, missing her homeland and her old mother, Ton Thi Que wrote a few verses about her feelings:

"Glory from the moment you step out"
My heart is filled with homesickness
Stepping onto the train felt like cutting
Eyes turned to look at mother tears fell
The merit of upbringing has not been rewarded
"The debt to the country is so high, dare not ignore it..."

Promoting the spirit of female soldiers in the Nghe - Tinh Soviet movement, at Nha Trang prison, comrade Ton Thi Que and her comrades still fought steadfastly and maintained their fighting spirit. Until April 5, 1945, after the Japanese-French war, political prisoners in Nha Trang prison were released. The Japanese army entered the prison and opened the prison door, liberating political prisoners. Ton Thi Que and her comrades were like birds released from their cages, happily returning to their homeland, contributing to leading the struggle to seize power and winning victory in August 1945.

“

After the success of the August Revolution, comrade Ton Thi Que continued her work in women's affairs. On January 6, 1946, among the candidates for the first National Assembly, comrade Ton Thi Que was honored to be elected as a delegate to the first National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Since 1946, comrade Ton Thi Que was both Secretary of the Women's Party Committee of Inter-Zone IV and a National Assembly delegate. In 1960, comrade Ton Thi Que was transferred to the Central Committee as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union. Comrade Ton Thi Que was a National Assembly delegate for the first and second terms.

Due to the requirements of the revolutionary mission, comrade Ton Thi Que was assigned by the Party Central Committee's Organizing Committee to work in the prosecution sector, holding the position of Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Procuracy...

With her tireless dedication to the Party and service to the people, comrade Ton Thi Que - an outstanding revolutionary veteran, was honored to receive many noble awards from the Party and the State: 60-year Party membership badge, First-class Resistance Medal, First-class Anti-American National Salvation Medal, Gold Star Medal. On December 29, 1984, she was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal.

At 4:25 p.m. on January 13, 1992, comrade Ton Thi Que breathed her last at the Vietnam - Soviet Friendship Hospital, at the age of 90. The Party and State held a solemn funeral and buried her at Mai Dich Cemetery, Hanoi.
The Party Committee and people of Nghe An - the heroic homeland of the Soviet Nghe - Tinh, will forever be proud of and learn from the shining example of devotion to the people of comrade Ton Thi Que.

Soviet Union