Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the day Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton sent letters to the children of Hoang Le Kha School (Tay Ninh) and all the children in the South (September 25, 1965 - September 25, 2025) From the Children's Resistance Song and Dance Team to the letter sent to Uncle Ho

Every time they meet, many former students of Hoang Le Kha Boarding School (Tay Ninh, 1962-1975) still worry about not being able to find the letter sent to Uncle Ho at the end of 1964. The letter from Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton to the children of Hoang Le Kha School in particular and the South in general was published in full in Nhan Dan Newspaper, No. 4191, published on September 25, 1965, but no one knows whether the second letter was handwritten or typed, even though they have looked up many places and many documents.

Part 1: "You smile, America cries"

According to Mr. Vo Hoang Khai - former member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, former Head of the Propaganda Department of the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee (old), former student of Hoang Le Kha School, the first class of students of the school were the children of the Revolutionary Song and Dance Team led by Mr. Truong Dinh Quang.

After 5 years of waging an unjust war, through the campaign of "denouncing communists and destroying communists", the US-puppet regime spread terrible crimes in South Vietnam and increasingly went deeper into the path of fascism, imprisoning, poisoning prisoners, and shooting anyone suspected of being a communist or following communism.

In January 1959, the Resolution of the 15th Conference of the Central Executive Committee of the Party, Session II, was issued, the Southern revolution quickly shifted from a political struggle to preserve forces to an offensive position, stepping up the offensive and general offensive to win victory. With the Dong Khoi movement in 1960 of the Southern army and people, especially the great victory of Dong Khoi Ben Tre and Dong Khoi Tua Hai - Tay Ninh, the one-sided war was in a state of bankruptcy, the Saigon puppet regime was facing the risk of collapse, forcing the US imperialists to implement the "Special War" strategy in the South, taking the pacification program, gathering people to establish strategic hamlets as a national policy.

Former students of Hoang Le Kha Boarding School take souvenir photos of the relief in the memorial area. Photo: Duc An

In Tay Ninh, the US - puppet forces used all kinds of modern war equipment, toxic chemicals, airplanes, tanks, armored vehicles, bombs and artillery along with the infantry force of the 5th division of the puppet main force and local puppet troops day and night to sweep, attack, gather people, and establish strategic hamlets throughout the districts in the province. In particular, during the Truong Tan Buu campaign "Denouncing communists, destroying communists" of the US - Diem, many party members and cadres were arrested, killed, imprisoned, and their families were also terrorized. The situation of widows and orphans, with no place to rely on, the children of cadres, party members and grassroots forces had to work as servants to earn a living. Faced with that situation, the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee realized the need to gather, nurture, ensure safety and organize for children to study to continue the revolutionary tradition of their families.

In early 1961, the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee held an expanded conference, setting out revolutionary tasks in the new situation. At this conference, the issue of gathering and raising children of cadres, party members, soldiers who had sacrificed their lives and those who were participating in the resistance war was discussed and a decision was reached: for children who still had relatives, the Provincial Party Committee would mobilize those who had the means to take them home to care for and raise them; for children who were not adopted by relatives or clans, the Provincial Party Committee would provide a basis for organizing their upbringing along with the children of comrades who had sacrificed their lives, were imprisoned, and comrades who had escaped from work. The Provincial Party Committee assigned this task to the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department.

Implementing the Resolution of the Provincial Party Committee, at this time, the Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, comrade Phan Van (Tu Van, former Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee), decided to withdraw comrades Bay Dung (Vo Tri Dung, former Director of the Department of Cultural Information), Bay Cu, and Ba Ngoc from the base to form a Propaganda and Education Subcommittee, and at the same time send cadres to each family to welcome the children to the base. The children were taught collective living, independence, and self-management to gradually mature. The Committee also withdrew comrade Truong Dinh Quang (Tam Quang) from Chau Thanh to be in charge of organizing literacy and singing and dancing lessons... In the agency, whoever knew which song to teach the children, comrade Tu Van himself also participated in teaching the song "Ket Doan" and the tune "Nong tac vu"... Based on the melody "We won like splitting bamboo, we won like overflowing water..." by musician Quach Vu, comrade Bay Dung wrote the lyrics for the happy song "Em cuoi, My khoc":

"Who says America is good or America is great?

You said, America the robber!

America cries all the time

I dance, I laugh, I sing...

Wearing grass-colored uniforms, floppy hats, sandals, hammocks, raincoats, water bottles, and backpacks like soldiers, every afternoon, the children practiced "marching" from the base to the hamlet. The uncles and aunts found it so cute that they came out to watch. Some were so moved that they couldn't hold back their tears: "God made it so! The American-Diem era is almost over! Children are also joining the resistance!". After the "marching" practice session, comrade Tam Quang organized a campfire night for a cultural festival in the base, but the uncles and aunts and children from outside the hamlet heard the news and lit torches and came in to watch. Not only that, the uncles and aunts also sent representatives to ask for the team to go to Soc Lao to perform for two nights. The program's content was songs praising the resistance and encouraging production to support the army, such as "Bright Countryside" composed by comrade Bay Dung.

Outstanding children, youth union members of Tay Ninh province and the first generation of students of Hoang Le Kha School (1962-1975). Photo: Ngoc Bich

The propaganda subcommittee organized a meeting to welcome the newly established National Liberation Front Committee in Don Thuan commune. The children came out to entertain with artistic performances, which were warmly welcomed by the uncles and aunts. At this time, there was a suggestion to the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department that while waiting for the formation of the apparatus and the construction of schools, they should take the children to perform artistic performances, propagate the Front's policies, and at the same time convey songs and dances to the children of the liberated communes of Trang Bang district. This idea was approved by the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee, which decided to establish the "Tay Ninh Children's Song and Dance Team" with comrade Truong Dinh Quang as the head of the delegation. Comrade Tu Van personally led the delegation to Suoi Ba Tuoi market (Go Dau) - the "border gate" between our region and the enemy region, exchanging goods, a liaison hub... On this occasion, the Go Dau District Party Committee organized a rally to propagate the policies of the Front, exposing the plot of the US - Diem, followed by the performance of the team. The first night, because there was no advance notice, there were about a few hundred people living nearby who came to attend, many acts were requested to be performed again, the aunts and uncles asked the team to stay and perform another show. The next evening, people from Go Dau district came down, from Ven Ven, Bau Don, Truong Mit, there were also aunts and uncles from Cha La, Binh Linh, the suburbs of the Holy See, people from temporarily occupied communes also came to watch.

From Go Dau, the Team went through Route 19 to Trang Bang to serve the people in the remote areas, serving the political struggle. Sometimes, the Team went back through Route 19 to perform right next to Tram Vang station. They intended to encircle them, but the Team withdrew to Bau Cheo hamlet, Loc Khe... then went to Ben Cau, Chau Thanh to continue performing.

During Tet, the Team went to Ba Pagoda to perform for people from the provinces who went to the Ba Mountain Spring Festival. Through the Team's performances, the people understood the resistance better. Listening to the children sing songs from the 9-year resistance war such as "Leaning to the mountains", "Battalion 307", "Southern Resistance", "Harvesting the Season"... made the people relive the memories of the heroic days of the Revolution and resistance. The puppet government knew, they mobilized a security battalion to surround the mountain, intending to capture the entire Team. The Provincial Party Committee sent Battalion 14 to fight the enemy to relieve the siege , and escort the Team down the mountain to retreat to Cha La - Quy Thien.

By 1962, due to the destructive raids and attacks of the US and its puppets, the Children's Song and Dance Team could no longer continue to operate. From the perception that the resistance war against the US to save the country would be long, it was necessary to have a reserve cadre team with sufficient qualifications, trained to be both red and specialized to continue the revolutionary cause. From that, the Provincial Party Committee proposed to the Southeast Regional Party Committee to allow the province to establish a school to teach culture to the children of cadres and party members, first of all to educate children with good achievements in the Tay Ninh Children's Song and Dance Team. The Provincial Party Committee's proposal was approved by the Regional Party Committee.

Dang Hoang Thai

Part 2: Letter to Uncle Ho from Literature class

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/tu-doi-ca-vu-thieu-nhi-khang-chien-den-buc-thu-gui-bac-ho-a192664.html