Lesson 1: Dien Hong Conference at Tan Trao Communal House

In the early autumn of the year At Dau 80 years ago, the "once in a thousand years" opportunity to revolt and seize power had come. Despite being critically ill, Uncle Ho still managed to get up and work in a hut in the middle of the Tan Trao mountains. One night, after his fever had subsided, he told comrade Vo Nguyen Giap and his close associates: "Now, the favorable opportunity has come. No matter how much sacrifice is required, even if we have to burn down the Truong Son mountain range, we must resolutely gain independence." That was the call to the nation to stand up.

Seizing the approaching revolutionary opportunity, in early May 1945, Uncle Ho decided to move the "General Headquarters" of the revolutionary leadership from Pac Bo (Cao Bang province) to Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang province). Tan Trao was a solid revolutionary base area, with more convenient transportation and communication with Hanoi and other regions than Pac Bo. Right here, under the roof of the historic Tan Trao communal house, the National Congress opened on August 16, 1945, electing the National Liberation Committee with Uncle Ho as Chairman to lead the entire people in a general uprising, seize power and give birth to a new Vietnam...

From Pac Bo to Tan Trao

After 30 years of wandering in search of a way to save the country, revolutionary Nguyen Ai Quoc returned to the Fatherland on January 28, 1941 (the second day of Tet), through milestone number 108 (in Cao Bang province), directly leading the Vietnamese revolution. To ensure secrecy and safety, Uncle Ho lived and worked in Pac Bo cave (in Truong Ha commune, old Ha Quang district), a very secretive place near the Vietnam - China border.

Tan Trao Communal House, where the National Congress decided to launch the General Uprising. Photo: Duy Hien

In his memoirs, General Vo Nguyen Giap recalled the first time he met Uncle Ho in Pac Bo: “After walking not far, I realized that Uncle Ho was sitting on a rock. After many years away from home, working from East to West, Uncle Ho returned to the deserted forest corner of the Fatherland in simple indigo clothes, very natural like an old Nung man. Near where Uncle Ho sat, at his feet were undulating stalactites with strange shapes, and water flowing from the mountain crevices remained crystal clear. Uncle Ho pointed to the stream and said to us: "This is Lenin stream". Climbing over a not-so-high rocky mountain, squeezing through a thicket of reeds, a cave appeared. Inside the cold, damp cave, there was nothing but small tree branches placed horizontally and vertically.”

After returning to the country for a short time, Uncle Ho convened and chaired the Eighth Central Conference (May 1941), decided to establish the Viet Minh Front and proposed the policy of preparing for an armed uprising... Also at Pac Bo, in the name of revolutionary Nguyen Ai Quoc, he wrote a letter calling on the people of the whole country: "Saving the country is a common task, everyone who is Vietnamese must shoulder part of the responsibility... Revolutionary soldiers, the hour of liberation has come! Raise high the flag of independence, lead the whole people to defeat the common enemy"...

After entering Indochina in September 1940, the Japanese army initially compromised with the French colonialists to jointly rule and exploit Indochina to serve the war, pushing the Vietnamese people into a new miserable situation of "one neck, two yokes". In early 1945, the developments of World War II gradually led to the complete defeat of the fascist faction. In order to save the situation, on March 9, 1945, the Japanese army suddenly opened fire on the French army, carrying out a coup to replace France and monopolize Indochina to gain more potential to expand the war and fight against the Allies in Asia.

With acumen and clear vision, the Party Central Committee immediately held a secret conference chaired by General Secretary Truong Chinh and passed the Directive “Japan and France fight each other and our actions” on March 12, 1945. This Directive decided to completely change the revolutionary strategy from the pre-uprising stage to a partial uprising, preparing forces and spirit to move towards a general uprising; the slogan of action changed from “Expel the Japanese and French” to “Expel the Japanese fascists”; from “Overthrow the puppet government” to “establish a revolutionary government of the people”… The Directive emphasized: “Do not rely on objective conditions, must always maintain the initiative in operations. From now on, launching guerrillas to occupy bases, maintaining and expanding guerrilla warfare is the only method to take the initiative in repelling the enemy”…

On the world battlefield, from mid-1944, the Allies opened many fronts, gradually liberating European countries and then advancing into the capital Berlin, forcing Nazi Germany to declare surrender in May 1945. Faced with the urgent changes in the world and domestic situation, in early May 1945, Uncle Ho decided to move the "General Headquarters" of the revolutionary leadership from Pac Bo (Cao Bang province) to Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang province), where traffic and communication conditions with Hanoi and the base areas were more favorable.

Historical decisions at Tan Trao

After the Soviet Union declared war on Japanese fascism, launching a comprehensive attack on Japanese troops in the Manchuria region of northeastern China, the United States also intensified its attacks on Japanese fascism, culminating in the two atomic bombs that destroyed two major cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945. This situation caused the Japanese troops in Indochina to be extremely confused.

The once-in-a-millennium opportunity was very close. The Party Central Committee and Uncle Ho decided to convene the Party's National Conference on August 14 and 15, 1945, to propose historic policies for the Vietnamese revolution. The Conference determined that the opportunity for a General Uprising was ripe, and that it was necessary to mobilize the entire strength of all classes of people and all groups of compatriots to participate in the national salvation movement to gain complete independence, establish a people's government, and implement the Ten Policies of the Viet Minh...

At the same time, the news that the Emperor had decided to surrender to the Allies excited the delegates. On August 16, 1945, the National Congress – a new Dien Hong Conference, officially opened in Tan Trao. Uncle Ho was elected to the Presidium of the Congress under the name Ho Chi Minh. According to the memories of some revolutionary predecessors, that day, many delegates were surprised because they had never heard of Ho Chi Minh… However, the information gradually became clear and the delegates became even more excited when they learned that Ho Chi Minh was the revolutionary Nguyen Ai Quoc!

The historic Tan Trao banyan tree. Photo: People's Army Newspaper

In his memoirs, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang recalled the historic day at Tan Trao communal house: “The congress met in a side room. The middle room exhibited the weapons captured from Japan. The other room was the place where the delegates ate and drank. All that day, Uncle Ho chaired the conference. Every delegate listened attentively to Uncle Ho’s opinions. Truong Chinh read a report to the congress, raising two major issues for the congress to discuss: General Uprising and election of the National Liberation Committee… The Tan Trao people’s delegation brought rice, cows, and chickens to celebrate the congress. An old Tay man brought a cow to give as a gift. Our people had been stripped to the bone by the war, everyone was emaciated and ragged. The most pitiful were the skinny, pale minority children. They were naked and followed the adults to greet the National Congress. Uncle Ho approached the children and told the delegates: Our mission is to make sure that the children have enough food, warm clothes, and can go to school. and not work like this forever".

With responsibility before history, the National Congress decided to order the General Uprising and elected the National Liberation Committee with Uncle Ho as Chairman. At the same time, the Military Order No. 1 of the Uprising Committee was announced, which included the following passage: “People and soldiers nationwide… The General Uprising has begun! There is a unique opportunity for the Vietnamese people and soldiers to rise up and regain the country’s independent government… People nationwide! Under the order of the Uprising Committee, please use all your strength to support the Liberation Army, join the army, and rush to the front to fight and expel the enemy…”.

According to the memoirs of comrade Nguyen Luong Bang, a historical witness present at the Tan Trao National Congress, later Vice President of the country, recalled: Uncle Ho, on behalf of the National Liberation Committee, looked up at the red flag with a yellow star, and read the oath: “We are the ones elected by the National People's Representatives to the National Liberation Committee to lead the revolution of our people. Before the sacred flag of the Fatherland, we vow to resolutely lead the people forward, fight hard against the enemy, and regain independence for the Fatherland. Even if we have to sacrifice the last drop of blood, we will never retreat. I swear!”

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Phong-su-tu-lieu/bai-1-hoi-nghi-dien-hong-tai-dinh-tan-trao-i778537/