Comrades who participated in the Hanoi student resistance movement more than 70 years ago now have the opportunity to chat about old stories, about the moment of liberating the capital.
On an autumn morning in October, in the sunny and windy weather, a man with white hair and a hunched back slowly walked from a small house deep in Hang Bai Street (Hanoi) to the main road to catch a bus to Hoa Lo Prison. At the place that used to be a “hell on earth” in the middle of the capital, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tan (87 years old, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) shook hands and happily met his friends and comrades who had joined the Hanoi student resistance group more than 70 years ago.
Hoa Lo Prison has also become a special place to keep, he often visits whenever there is an occasion to celebrate or exhibit. In his heart, this is like a "revolutionary school" to keep the place where his brother - martyr Nguyen Sy Van was also imprisoned here.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tan
Since he was a junior high school student at Nguyen Trai School and then went to Chu Van An High School, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tan actively participated in the activities of the Hanoi Resistance Student Union such as distributing leaflets, organizing strikes to protest the arrest of students, organizing a memorial service for student Tran Van On who was murdered by the enemy on the streets of Saigon...
Mr. Tan's brother, martyr Nguyen Sy Van, was imprisoned in Hoa Lo Prison. Soldier Nguyen Sy Van and two other comrades swam to the Turtle Tower to plant the red flag with a yellow star in 1948 to celebrate President Ho Chi Minh's birthday. The first time the national flag flew proudly in the heart of Hanoi since the Capital Regiment withdrew to the war zone, it became a resounding event.
The days waiting for the troops to return were extremely busy days, because the people of Hanoi had been under the yoke of French colonialism for 80 years. Curfews, arrests, and repressions made Hanoi quiet for many years, the streets sad, and every house closed. But when continuously receiving news of victory from the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, from the diplomatic desk, the atmosphere in the heart of the capital was filled with faith, hope, and anticipation for the day when Hanoi's heroic sons.
People gathered at the Bo Ho intersection (now Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square) waiting for the army to arrive. Photo: Archive
After the victory at Dien Bien Phu, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement, France had to withdraw its troops from Hanoi and other cities in Vietnam. In early October 1954, the administrative and security teams handed over government offices and public works. On October 8, the Binh Ca battalion was the first unit to return to the capital. 214 soldiers stood guard with French soldiers at 35 important locations such as: the Presidential Palace (now the Presidential Palace), the Hanoi court (now the Supreme People's Court), the North Vietnam Police Department (now the headquarters of the City Police Department), Hoa Lo prison, etc.
THE WHOLE OF HANOI IS JOYFUL ON LIBERATION DAY
Mr. Tan recounted that before that, on October 7-8-9, the capital was already bustling with our troops gradually entering the city. “These troops entered important locations but were still not officially deployed, many people were so excited that they waved flags to welcome them on Hue Street and Hang Bai. After that, the soldiers had to ask people to put away their flags because it was not yet time, it could cause chaos,” Mr. Tan recalled.
At 4:00 p.m. on October 9, the last group of French soldiers withdrew across Long Bien Bridge, and our army and people completely controlled the city. On October 10, the Capital Regiment led the 308th Vanguard Division to take over the Capital.
At that moment, Mr. Tan was still an 18-year-old young man joining the crowd welcoming the victorious army back home.
Hanoi girls welcome Major General Vuong Thua Vu at Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo: Archive
At 5am on October 10, 1954, the curfew had just ended and the whole city of Hanoi was bustling. Churches opened to welcome the new day, the streets were decorated with flags, banners and welcome gates. Everyone wore their best clothes, the streets were spotlessly clean to welcome the victorious army back. Red flags with yellow stars, banners and slogans were hung all over the streets. The whole of Hanoi was jubilant in the joy of liberation .
At 8am, the units of the 308th Division, in full uniforms and with the “Dien Bien Phu Soldier” badge pinned to their chests, returned to the warm welcome of their compatriots. “That day, without anyone telling anyone, all the people of Hanoi poured into the streets, students were dressed neatly, women from Trung Vuong School and many other schools wore ao dai, some held flowers, some held guitars and played resistance songs. The scene was bustling, exciting, and joyful, unimaginable. Seeing Major General Vuong Thua Vu’s group, everyone rushed out to give flowers,” Mr. Tan emotionally recounted.
Leading the motorized formation was a convoy of open-top command vehicles. In the first vehicle, Major General Vuong Thua Vu, Commander of the 308th Division and Chairman of the City Military and Political Committee, raised his hand to salute the people. Following him was the vehicle of Doctor Tran Duy Hung, Vice Chairman of the Military and Political Committee, and then the vehicle of the Division Command.
Behind the Molotova column carrying infantry was the artillery formation. The anti-aircraft guns pointed straight up into the sky with the soldiers sitting solemnly on the gun trays.
Major General Vuong Thua Vu and doctor Tran Duy Hung and the entire army solemnly perform the flag salute ceremony. Photo: Archive
Wherever the army marched, cheers rose like waves. The streets were bright with flags and packed with people. Bright faces, smiles, waving hands and even tears.
In the afternoon, there was a historic flag-raising ceremony. The victory flag of the Fatherland flew high on the top of the Flagpole. At exactly 3 p.m., the Opera House siren sounded a long blast, and the whole city turned its attention to Hoang Dieu citadel.
Among the troops returning to the Capital that year was Mrs. Do Hong Phan, who still could not forget the memories of the historic October days. At Hoa Lo Prison, Mrs. Phan and Mr. Tan reminisced about old stories from 69 years ago.
At that time, female student Do Hong Phan of Chu Van An school, although young and small in stature, was extremely brave and enthusiastically participated in movements such as: delivering letters to mobilize for strikes, printing leaflets, throwing leaflets and actively participating in the student resistance group, and was also in charge of a female student group of Chu Van An school.
Although she was a second-year student in class 2B, majoring in mathematics at Chu Van An School (today's grade 11 of high school), she was trusted by the City Youth Union to be assigned as Secretary of the Resistance Student Union of Trung Vuong Girls' School, because she was a former student of the school and at that time Trung Vuong School only had a basic level, the young students needed guidance.
Ms. Do Hong Phan.
Taking advantage of the resounding victory of the Border Campaign, she had the initiative to mobilize her classmates to hang a large red flag with a yellow star made of cloth in the Trung Vuong school campus, combined with throwing leaflets and setting off firecrackers to celebrate. When the red flag with a yellow star flew, the entire schoolyard sang the song Tien Quan Ca in unison. Upon hearing the news, the French colonialists immediately launched a terrorist attack, arresting a series of female students at the school.
Ms. Do Hong Phan was arrested, beaten, and tortured to force her to reveal who was involved in the movement, but she was determined to keep her will and refused to reveal anything.
To preserve her dignity and not want to implicate anyone, when she was imprisoned in her cell, she broke her rice bowl and wrote four slogans on the cell wall: Long live the success of the world proletarian revolution! Long live the success of the resistance! Long live the Indochinese Communist Party! Long live President Ho! Then she cut her own wrist.
After more than 2 months of detention in Hoa Lo prison, the French colonialists released her on January 21, 1951, because she was not yet 18 years old. Immediately after her release, she tried to contact and return to the Youth Union organization and was called to the free resistance zone. In August 1952, the City Youth Union called her to the free zone.
After the liberation of the capital on October 10, 1954, she returned to the movement and school in Hanoi.
Video: News Agency Television
The article uses materials from Hoa Lo Prison Historical Site.
Vietnamnet.vn
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