Memoirs of a staunch patriotic former prisoner

Mr. Tran Dinh Tu in early April 2025. Photo: VINH LOC

Mr. Tran Dinh Tu said that he joined the revolution very early. From 1956, he participated in the struggle for negotiations and rights for the people. In 1964, he joined the guerrillas to fight in the disputed Duy Tan area. In 1967, he was admitted to the Party and became Deputy Police Chief of Xuyen Phu Commune. In 1968, he was Secretary of the Song Lo Party Cell in Xuyen Phu Commune. From 1969 to 1970, he was Head of the "Bringing the People Out and Bringing the People Back" campaign to propagandize and attract people from the Duc Duc - An Hoa area (which the enemy pushed there to cut off contact with the revolution) to return to the village.

Fall into enemy hands

In mid-October 1970, thinking that the enemy had marched back to the station, Mr. Tu disguised himself as a farmer, wearing a conical hat and carrying a hoe to check on the rice fields. While passing through the field, he suddenly heard the enemy lying on a mound about 60m away calling out to him. “Hey, come here - I know I’ve been ambushed,” Mr. Tu recalled. He was carrying a pistol and a grenade at that time. Looking at the enemy, he pretended to say, “Wait a minute,” then suddenly threw down his hoe and ran quickly toward the ravine, shouting, “I’ve been ambushed,” so that the nearby guerrillas could provide cover fire. After about 200m, he was shot and his leg was broken, and he collapsed in the field. Blood was flowing profusely from his body, but Mr. Tu still tried to crawl to the edge of the field and lie down, holding a grenade in his hand. Due to heavy blood loss, Mr. Tu fainted a moment later, only having time to bury the gun and grenade in the mud. The enemy forced a woman who was visiting the field to drag his body to the edge of the mound.

They tied his two good hands and legs together with hoe handles and carried him to the concentration camp. Many people knew but pretended not to know for fear of being implicated, even his family and children did not dare to recognize him. A moment later, the district soldiers came down and took Mr. Tu to Duc Duc sub-district. Mr. Tu's legs were covered in blood and mud, but the enemy only used 2 pieces of plywood to wrap them.

After 5 days of continuous torture, Mr. Tu still refused to admit that he was a Viet Cong, so the enemy took him to Hoi An and imprisoned him in a toilet. The next morning, they shackled his hands to a stretcher and carried him up for interrogation, but he only repeated the same statement as before. Unable to submit, they wrote the words "Communist prisoner of war, village guerrilla" on a piece of paper and attached it to his shirt pocket and transferred him to Duy Tan Hospital (Da Nang). At this time, Mr. Tu's leg was infected and swollen. He waited for nearly a day before being anesthetized and operated on, the pain was excruciating. After nearly 2 months, the wound healed and he was put in a cast, and the enemy took Mr. Tu back to the wounded soldiers' ward of Non Nuoc Prison.

Mr. Tu quickly connected with party members in prison and was elected as Party cell secretary with 9 party members, 20 union members and 23 people. The cell combined with the prison Party Committee to manage and motivate prisoners to fight steadfastly against terrorism, demanding democracy, people's livelihood... The enemy brutally suppressed us. "Every 5 to 7 days we organized a struggle, sometimes violent, sometimes non-violent, not allowing them to enter the camp for roll call, whoever entered was taken hostage to make demands. The enemy responded by shooting bullets in to brutally suppress us" - Mr. Tu recounted.

In the camp, Mr. Tu and the prisoners organized classes for the illiterate people by drawing charcoal on the ground. At the same time, they encouraged the prisoners not to be swayed by their ideology but to return, and to try to endure so as not to leave a bad reputation later when the country was unified.

Mr. Tran Dinh Tu (right) with a former Phu Quoc resident in early April 2025. Photo: VINH LOC

In mid-April 1972, the enemy transferred prisoners to Phu Quoc by boat. They arrived at the island at the end of May. Mr. Tu was imprisoned in section 11. Mr. Tu's room contained 100 people, extremely cramped. Every day the enemy gave prisoners a pot of water, so there was always a lack of drinking water and bathing water. In the camp, Mr. Tu continued to recruit members and organize struggles such as resolutely not passing by the puppet flag, not saluting the puppet flag... The enemy suppressed crazily, many people were injured, even died, but Mr. Tu and his fellow prisoners were not afraid or shaken.

Come Back Alive

Mr. Tu confided that during his years in prison, he never thought that he would return home. However, his faith in the Party, Uncle Ho, and the belief in a day of peace and reunification of the country always burned brightly. On March 17, 1973, Mr. Tu was returned at Thien Ngon airport (Tay Ninh) with 25 others. At the time of the return, the enemy gave each prisoner a puppet soldier uniform, a bag, a pair of sandals, a hammock, a mosquito net, and a blanket. However, when boarding the plane, everyone threw everything on the ground, wearing only prison uniforms or going shirtless.

Mr. Tu was taken to the Central Office of the Southeast Region, where the former prisoners rested and ate comfortably. Half a month later, everyone was assigned to the positions they had held before being arrested. Those who were seriously injured were transferred to the North for recuperation. Although he was still a refugee because his legs were still weak, Mr. Tu refused to go to the North and asked to stay on the battlefield in the South. Mr. Tu was assigned to be the platoon leader of the K4 office. During that time, the Quang Da Special Zone came to receive people.

In January 1974, Mr. Tu went to work at Quyet Thang Farm (present-day Dong Giang District) to receive goods brought in from the North. In mid-1974, he attended the provincial Party School for 20 days, then worked as the chief of the farmers' office in the Hon Tau base, then worked in the mass mobilization department in charge of farmers' work. In 1975, the country was unified, and Mr. Tu joined the Duy Xuyen District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee until 1988 when he retired.

Mr. Tran Dinh Tu and the group of revolutionary soldiers captured by the enemy and imprisoned at Phu Quoc Prison were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the President in 2012. Photo: VINH LOC

At the age of 90, nearly 60 years in the party, Mr. Tran Dinh Tu is probably one of the few former patriotic prisoners who is still healthy and alert. Memories of the years of steadfast struggle in the imperialist prison seem to have never faded in him. Looking back at the past and the changes in his homeland after 50 years of liberation, Mr. Tu affirmed that the sacrifices and hardships of him and other former patriotic prisoners have been duly rewarded, and now, even if he closes his eyes and passes away, he will smile with satisfaction.

On April 27, 2012, Mr. Tran Dinh Tu and a group of revolutionary soldiers captured by the enemy and imprisoned at Phu Quoc Prison were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the President for their outstanding achievements in the resistance war against the US to save the country.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/hoi-uc-cua-mot-cuu-tu-yeu-nuoc-kien-trung-3152622.html