PV: The Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, although short-lived, held profound historical significance. What were its unique characteristics, and what was its greatest contribution to the August Revolution of 1945 and subsequent revolutionary periods in Vietnam?
Ms. Le Thu Hien:In 1930, shortly after its founding, our Party led the people in a nationwide revolution, culminating in the Nghe Tinh Soviet.
The Nghe Tinh Soviet was a momentous event, a glorious milestone in the golden history of the Vietnamese nation. For the first time in history, the people of Nghe Tinh, primarily workers and peasants, under the leadership of the Party, rose up to fight against the yoke of colonial and feudal rule, shaking and paralyzing their governing apparatus and establishing a Soviet government – the first worker-peasant state model in Southeast Asia.
Although the Nghe Tinh Soviet existed for only a short time, it was of immense significance, leaving a positive mark as the first unprecedented worker-peasant state in history, fulfilling the burning aspirations for independence and freedom of the enslaved people.
The greatest value that the Nghe Tinh Soviet left for the August Revolution of 1945, as well as for the Vietnamese revolution, was the practical affirmation of the leadership and leadership capacity of the working class through its vanguard, the Communist Party; and the affirmation of the strength of national unity capable of overthrowing the yoke of colonial and feudal rule and its puppets.
The Nghe Tinh Soviet was the first general rehearsal of the national democratic revolution in Vietnam, because through this movement, fundamental issues regarding the strategic direction and revolutionary methods were tested. The Party built a solid worker-peasant alliance, showing them the strength in the revolutionary cause; it trained a strong cadre of officials who had endured fierce trials, ready to fight to the death against the enemy.
We can affirm the significance of the Nghe Tinh Soviet through President Ho Chi Minh's assessment: "Although the French imperialists suppressed that movement in a sea of blood, the Nghe Tinh Soviet demonstrated the heroic spirit and revolutionary capacity of the Vietnamese working people. Although the movement failed, it trained the forces for the victorious August Revolution that followed."
PV: The archives of the Soviet-Nghe Tinh Museum have become a crucial resource, a place where countless families of those who contributed to the revolution in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh place their trust in finding information. Could you share some special stories related to this?
Ms. Le Thu Hien:We are delighted that the Museum's archives have welcomed and served many people seeking information and documents about their relatives who were active during the Nghe Tinh Soviet period and were captured and imprisoned by the enemy. The Museum's confirmation certificate is one of the important documents that forms the basis for resolving entitlements and policies for revolutionary activists according to Guidance No. 30-HD/BTCTW dated August 12, 2009, of the Central Organization Committee.
During these document verification sessions, we encountered many special cases with incredibly touching stories. One example is the story of Mr. Tran Tuyen, from Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province, who came to the archives of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum hoping to find information about his father, who had participated in the revolution and been imprisoned by the enemy. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the museum staff, he was fortunate enough to find his father's file among over 6,000 documents, which included a photograph. Upon receiving these documents, Mr. Tran Tuyen, holding his father's photo, wept and said emotionally, "My siblings and I, some of whom are over 70 years old, are seeing our father's face for the first time. Thank you, Museum, for letting me see my father's face."
Another story is that of Mr. Dau Cong Dan, from Dien Phong commune, Dien Chau district. He came to the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum with the faint hope of finding information about his father, Mr. Dau Du. Throughout the revolutionary period and even afterward, Mr. Dau Du's family and descendants were considered landlords and powerful figures. Mr. Dau Du was wrongly accused, but his descendants didn't know where to find information to prove his innocence. When he received the news from the museum staff that they had found his father's records, Mr. Dan couldn't hold back his tears. From the museum's archives, Mr. Dan learned more about his father's activities. In 1928-1929, Mr. Dau Du was actively involved in revolutionary activities in Dien Phong commune. He was relentlessly monitored by French secret agents and had to change his name to Dau Gia to continue his activities. He was assigned by the Party organization to work in many places, from Dien Chau district to Do Luong, including having to compete for the position of Bang Ta (Commander) of Ly Trai commune in Dien Chau district to protect revolutionary cadres. Only when his records were found at the Museum was Dau Du exonerated and recognized as a revolutionary activist before January 1, 1945. And there are many, many other touching stories related to other pre-revolutionary revolutionary cadres that the Museum has preserved and continues to preserve in its records and documents…
PV: One of the important tasks of a museum is collecting documents and artifacts. For the Soviet-Nghe Tinh Museum, what are the difficulties and advantages in this work, given that the events and witnesses took place nearly a century ago? Could you share some of the significant artifacts that the museum staff have collected recently?
Ms. Le Thu Hien:Artifacts are the language of museums, the foundation for all professional and operational activities. Without artifacts, there would be no museum, no museum exhibitions, and no other museum activities. Therefore, artifact collection is a fundamental professional task with a particularly important role in the entire operation of a museum. Artifact collection is both a prerequisite and a continuous process for all museum activities, closely linked to other professional activities to form a unified whole for museum operations.
Regarding our unit's collection activities, we received enthusiastic support from Party Committee and People's Committee officials in the localities, who assigned staff to accompany the collection team to the families of Party members and martyrs of 1930-1931. The families of these comrades also cooperated well in providing information to the collection team. However, currently, the collection work is facing certain difficulties. Firstly, the historical witnesses who participated in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement are no longer alive, only their descendants remain, so their understanding of the stories and events related to the lives and activities of these individuals is often limited. Secondly, there is the loss and damage of artifacts due to objective factors such as natural disasters, floods, and the passage of time. Thirdly, urbanization, local customs and traditions, and the influx of private collectors also significantly affect the preservation of artifacts.
Nevertheless, museum collectors, with responsibility and enthusiasm, have made great efforts to dedicate a lot of time to fieldwork, visiting the homes of each family member of the 1930-1931 Party members and martyrs to collect stories, documents, and artifacts related to the lives and activities of the Soviet Nghệ Tĩnh fighters for preservation, conservation, and promotion of their educational value.
During our field trips, we encountered many artifacts and meaningful stories. On a trip in June 2020, we met Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chien, the grandson of Comrade Nguyen Xuan Hien, in Lien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, and collected an artifact: a rattan suitcase. In the 1930s, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hien participated in the struggle movement in Yen Thanh and was captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Buon Ma Thuot prison. In prison, despite torture, beatings, and shackles, he always maintained his integrity and strong fighting spirit, refusing to surrender to the enemy. To improve his living conditions in prison, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Hien used his skillful hands to create many items for daily life. The rattan suitcase was one of the items he made during his imprisonment in Buon Ma Thuot prison and remained with him throughout his life.
Previously, in 2018, we coincidentally received information about an artifact belonging to Comrade Nguyen Thi Minh Khai – a prominent senior cadre of the Party. Following this, the museum sent a team of collectors to Tan An village, Duc Tung commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province, the maternal hometown of Comrade Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. There, the team met the family of Mr. Dao Cuong, a neighbor of Mrs. Dau Thi Thu (Comrade Minh Khai's mother). After many trips and persuasion efforts, the team successfully collected the wooden mirror that Comrade Nguyen Thi Minh Khai used during her time in her maternal hometown of Duc Tung commune, Duc Tho district. This is a valuable artifact that we plan to display during the upcoming renovation of the exhibition hall.
PV: The Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum is one of the first three museums established nationwide and has the honor of having President Ho Chi Minh's inscription. What is the significance of opening the museum in preserving and promoting the values of the Nghe Tinh Soviet, and how is the propaganda work being implemented to make it a "red address" for revolutionary tradition education?
Ms. Le Thu Hien:Arising from the need to protect and promote the values of the Nghe Tinh Soviet, as well as to commemorate the great contributions of the soldiers who fought and bravely sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, in January 1960, the Central Committee of the Party and the Government directed the Ministry of Culture and Information to issue a decision to establish the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum on the very land where this event took place. This is one of the three earliest museums established in the Vietnamese museum system.
After three years of construction, on September 12, 1963, the museum opened its doors to visitors. A few months later, on the 34th anniversary of the founding of the Party (February 3, 1964), President Ho Chi Minh signed the preface for the museum. This speaks volumes about the significance and importance of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum in educating the public, especially the younger generation, about revolutionary traditions. The establishment of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum in that context was of immense importance. It serves as a place to preserve, display, and introduce the values of the Nghe Tinh Soviet heritage, helping the public understand more about a glorious revolutionary period of our ancestors in the early days of the Party.
In recent years, the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum has placed special emphasis on propaganda and education to make it a significant historical site, further spreading the traditions of the Nghe Tinh Soviet to all segments of the population, especially the younger generation. Besides improving the quality of guided tours and visitor services, we also organize many activities such as traveling exhibitions, cultural exchanges, and thematic talks in localities and schools in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. We also organize experiential education programs for high school students at the museum. These activities are considered very suitable for the educational programs of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Culture. In addition, we also promote our work on social media platforms such as our website, which has 6.6 million visits, and our fan page with over 3,000 followers; and through central and local newspapers and magazines…
Interviewer: Thank you for joining the conversation!