At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, Vietnam sank into a long night of slavery. The people’s movements of struggle against the invaders, though strong, upright, and representative of the patriotic spirit, all failed because of the lack of a proper way. On February 3, 1930, under the chairmanship of Nguyen Ai Quoc, the Communist Party of Vietnam was officially established, marking a turning point in the history of the nation.
In celebration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of comrade Nguyen Duc Canh (February 2, 1908 – February 2, 2018) and the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 – February 2, 2018), in the morning of January 18, the Management Board of Hoa Lo Prison relic site held the special exhibition “Constant Faith”.
The incense offering ceremony and ribbon cutting ceremony
The exhibition shows the firm belief of the soldiers: under the leadership of the Party, the revolution will succeed. After 15 years of hard struggle, the revolution came to victory, giving way to the founding of the independent State of Vietnam. To achieve those great results, our people had to shed much blood and endure many sacrifices. Many outstanding leaders of the Party such as Nguyen Duc Canh, Tran Phu, Le Hong Phong, Ha Huy Tap, Nguyen Van Cu were arrested and detained in Hoa Lo prison, Con Dao prison, Son La prison, Phu Quoc prison, and many others. Despite being imprisoned and even facing the risk of losing their lives, our soldiers still stood proud.
The opening part of the exhibition introduced the content “Nguyen Duc Canh – Imprint of a revolutionary”. Through working and living with workers in factories and enterprises, he gradually built up a revolutionary movement stretching from Hai Phong to Quang Ninh. Losing his life at the young age of only 24, the admirable comrade from Thai Binh left significant imprints for the birth of the first Communist Party branch (March 1929), the Communist Party of Indochina (June 1929), and the General Assembly of the Northern Red Cross (predecessor of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor) (July 1929). During his last days in Hoa Lo prison before receiving the beheading penalty, the comrade with the nickname Baby Boy was still trying his best to write the “Worker Advocacy” to report to the Party on the worker situation and experience drawn on advocacy and instructing the movement.
The second part of the exhibition, namely “Progress under the flag of the Party”, introduced four General Secretaries: Tran Phu, Le Hong Phong, Ha Huy Tap, and Nguyen Van Cu. One after the other, the comrades took part in steering the revolutionary boat of Vietnam step by step to overcome challenges. The highest leaders of the Party bravely sacrificed themselves while not being able to witness the victory of the revolution outlined by them. The beliefs they helped build up, however, inspired the patriotic masses to take action during the height of the 1939-1945 uprising.
“Where faith shines” was the last part of the exhibition where gratitude for the merits of the revolutionary soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the independence and freedom of the nation was shown. Historical relic sites of colonial prisons all over the country, from Hanoi Capital, the heart of the country, to vast mountainous areas and remote islands, were shown to had been preserved for serving as places for fostering faith, patriotism, and will to live for generations of Vietnamese.
Mr. Pham Quang Nghi, Former Member of Politburo, Party Secretary of Hanoi, attends the opening ceremony of the exhibition
Photos taken from exhibition “Constant faith”
At the meeting with historical witness Lam Van Bang, former Phu Quoc prisoner, member of the “Liaison board of revolutionary comrades captured and imprisoned by the enemy” of Hanoi City, Director of the Museum of Revolutionary Comrades Captured and Imprisoned by the Enemy, he spoke: “Lessons on the revolutionary tradition and the spirit of our patriotic predecessors that our teachers taught us have resonated within us from the days we were in school until now. In military operations and on battlefields thereafter, those sacrifices and absolute belief in the Party followed us always. In the fierce battle of Mau Than Lunar New Year of 1968, I suffered 15 injuries. During the 4 years and 8 months thereafter, with no treatment, when a piece of bone was pushed out of my body every month, my beliefs never changed. During the time in Phu Quoc prison when not a day passed by without torture, sun exposure and when we lived under extreme conditions, our absolute faith in the Party was still very bright. The Party had our ultimate trust.
Meeting with Major General Huynh Dac Huong, Head of Liaison board of revolutionary comrades captured and imprisoned by the enemy of Hanoi City, former Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, Head of expert team and Political Commissar of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Laos
Meeting with witness Lam Van Bang, former Phu Quoc prisoner, member of the Liaison board of revolutionary comrades captured and imprisoned by the enemy of Hanoi City, Director of the Museum of Revolutionary Comrades Captured and Imprisoned by the Enemy
There were tunnels of 200 to 300m long that required excavation for 3-4 months. Thousands of us in our subdivision kept it a secret while excavating dozens of blocks of soil. That task showed the ultimate belief. Our secret was discovered by the enemy and several were captured. Comrade Dang Hong Son (in Doi Can, Hanoi) was discovered and captured. The enemy tortured him, but he did not reveal anything. Eventually, nine nails were fixed into his body, two on hands, two on feet, two on knees, two on shoulders, and the last one, before fixing it into his body, they asked if he would go back to digging tunnels if they released him, to which he replied “I’m healthy, I will never stop digging tunnels!”. That last one which was fixed on his head took his life. It was nothing sort of faith that gave us the will to do so. In prison, we used our blood to draw the Party flag and image of Uncle Ho on occasions such as September 2, anniversaries, and admission of new Party members. We also kept our Articles of Association of Labor Party of Vietnam which were written in prison. Those days reflected what we had learned from the predecessors from our days in school and we, revolutionary comrades, firmly believed in the Party and the leadership of the Party. We vowed to be loyal gatekeepers for the Party.
Historical witnesses who are prominent Party members and were captured and imprisoned by the enemy in colonial and imperialist prisons.
Lieutenant Hoang Thi Yen, Secretary of the Youth Union of the Guarding Office of the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Party and National Assembly, Guard Command, Ministry of Public Security, said emotionally: “The youth of today only know about the war and the losses through documentaries, literary works, revolutionary songs or newspapers. Today, however, we were able to listen to the stories about the five outstanding leaders of the Party and the stories of historical witnesses such as Major General Huynh Dac Huong, Mrs. Lam Thi Hong, Mr. Lam Van Bang, thereby learning more about the meaning of the word “independence” and the hardships and losses that you had to endure during the time of detain in colonial and imperialist prisons. You and other predecessors gave your youth, happiness, blood and tears for the struggle for national liberation. Even in prison between the fragile boundaries of life and death, you still held onto the faith and belief in the Party’s leadership, on the success of the revolution to overcome all difficulties and hardships. You lived and have lived with the ideal “The way for the Youth can only be the revolutionary way and no other.” In this emotional moment, your stories urge us to live and work with bravery, ideals, and ambition to make such sacrifices worth it.”
The youth note down their feelings after attending the exhibition
Exhibition “Constant Faith” is an affirmation that under the leadership of the Party, the revolution will succeed. The contributions and sacrifices of the comrades have created happy springs for the nation. Nowadays, these springs help build up the faith, national pride, and responsibility of every Vietnamese, especially the responsibility of the youth in the building and protection of the Motherland.
Bao Han