Up to the source of Khuoi Nam, Bo Hoai

Bo Hoai historical site - the workplace of Vietnam Independent Newspaper. Photo: T.L

Bo Hoai historical site - the workplace of Vietnam Independent Newspaper. Photo: Archival.

We traveled along National Highway 3 many times, especially during our years working in television, setting up numerous broadcast points for major events. Furthermore, during the years when it was part of Bac Thai province ( Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan merged in 1965 and separated again in 1997), we wrote reports about the construction of the Bac Cho Ra road, and even went up to the Tai Ho Xin pass to write about blocking enemy forces during the 1979 border war… Then we worked on the film “The Southern Advance Road”… but never before have I felt such overwhelming emotion as this time, because I'm working on a once-in-a-lifetime event – the 100th anniversary of journalism…

According to official Vietnamese history: When World War II broke out (1939-1945), the French colonialists surrendered to Nazi Germany in their homeland, but intensified their suppression of revolutionary movements in their colonies. Amidst the nascent revolutionary movement, after 30 years of wandering abroad searching for a way to save the country and its people, on January 28, 1941, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, along with a number of cadres and party members, arrived in Pac Bo village, Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang province.

From May 10th to 19th, at Khuoi Nam hut in Pac Bo, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, acting as a representative of the Communist International, convened the 8th Central Committee Conference of the Party. The conference decided on the Party's new policy, placing national liberation as the central and urgent task for the entire nation, and outlining the establishment of the Vietnam Independent Alliance (Viet Minh); building revolutionary base areas; and developing armed forces.

At the same time, to promote propaganda, mobilization, education , and organization of the revolutionary movement among all strata of the people, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc published the newspaper Vietnam Independence, which he himself wrote, edited, printed, and distributed…

During our research into Ho Chi Minh's journalistic career, we learned that while traveling abroad, he published nine newspapers. The Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper was founded in Guangzhou (China) on June 21, 1925, and he personally published 88 issues using an iron pen to write on tracing paper and then printing with a typewriter on the paper…

The first issue of the Vietnam Independence Newspaper, numbered 101, was published on August 1, 1941, at the Khuoi Nam 2 hut in Pac Bo (Ha Quang). The front page of the first issue featured an editorial stating: "The West's main goal is to make our people ignorant and cowardly. The 'Vietnam Independence Newspaper' aims to eradicate our ignorance and cowardice, to educate our people, to foster unity, so that we can fight the West and the Japanese, and achieve an 'independent Vietnam' of equality and freedom!"

The front page of issue 103 featured a propaganda poster drawn by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh) depicting a person holding a megaphone, posing as if calling for action. The figure and megaphone formed the newspaper's name, and it included four lines of poetry: "Vietnam's independence is achieved by blowing the megaphone/Calling on our people, young and old/To unite as firmly as iron/To save our country together."

Next to the Khuoi Nam hut, where the first issues of the Independent Vietnam Newspaper were edited and printed.

According to the Pac Bo Museum's compilation, President Ho Chi Minh always followed Lenin's words: "The newspaper is a tool for propaganda, mobilization, organization, and leadership." Therefore, he tried to publish a newspaper, doing so very secretly because French and Japanese spies were always lurking around. To make a newspaper, you need printing plates; the team searched for stone tablets and ground them into printing plates.

While chatting with Mr. Hoang Duc Chiem, from Hong Viet commune, Hoa An district, Cao Bang province - where the Vietnam Independent Newspaper was once published in the Bo Hoai cave - he shared the following with us:

- The local people loved reading newspapers because everything they read resonated deeply with them. They even organized their own reading groups and secretly passed news to the newspapers. They also found ways to encourage soldiers to read newspapers to support their propaganda efforts. The newspapers had to be written in large font so the people could easily read them; the articles had to be concise, easy to understand, and easy to remember.

Ms. Nong Thi Tien, a cultural officer of Hong Viet commune, after handing us many documents, noted:

- In April 1942, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc decided to move the office from Pac Bo to the mountainous area of Phja Nga (Lam Son, Hong Viet, Hoa An). This area was called the Lam Son Base Area to commemorate the glorious tradition of the Lam Son base area when Le Loi raised an army to revolt against the Ming occupation. The Vietnam Independence Newspaper office also moved from Pac Bo to the Lung Hoai cave, Bo Hoai... and began publishing from issue 120 on March 10, 1942. The Vietnam Independence Newspaper office was located in the Bo Hoai cave, operating secretly with very few people, so most of them had to do multiple jobs. Comrade Be Nhat Huyen was assigned to arrange articles, set up the newspaper layout, write in reverse on the rock surface, and then print the newspaper together with Comrade Phuong Trieu An.

The Vietnam Independent Newspaper was published every 10 days, with 400 copies per issue. Because it was lithographically printed, the maximum print run was 400 copies; printing more required grinding the stone and rewriting the pages. From its very first issue, the Vietnam Independent Newspaper sold for 1 cent per copy, while at that time, the price of 1 kg of rice was 3 cents. This demonstrated the newspaper's practical relevance to the revolutionary base and masses…

The terrain in the Bo Hoai area is very rugged. To reach Bo Hoai, one must first go to Lung Hoai along a trail to the Keo Dung cave area before climbing up. The Vietnam Independent Newspaper office is located against a sheer cliff; climbing up requires crossing a rocky crevice with a bridge...

Sensing Viet Minh activity, the French colonialists built small outposts everywhere: Ban Giang, Lung Chung, Na Bao, surrounding the Lam Son mountain range. The Vietnam Independent newspaper moved for the third time to Lung De, Minh Tam commune, Nguyen Binh district (now Truong Luong commune, Hoa An district), on the other side of the Lam Son mountain range, and continued to publish regular issues.

Comrade Truong Nam Hien, working in the Nguyen Binh District Party Committee, wrote this poem: " The situation of the Viet Minh journalists here/The scenery is quite beautiful/Houses built right into the cliff/Beds placed close to the base of trees/Fires burning rotting wood roar/Rainspour cups full of water/Work is always busy and tireless/Vietnam's independence will surely not be delayed."

Due to the remote terrain of Lung De, the long distances, and the difficulty in transporting materials; coupled with the challenging supply conditions and its distance from the Inter-Provincial Party Committee, Comrade Tong (i.e., Pham Van Dong) decided to move the newspaper office back to the Lam Son mountain region, initially to the Lung Sa cave, and later to a small cave on the summit of Bo Hoai. In August 1942, when President Ho Chi Minh went on a foreign trip, Comrade Tong was assigned by him to stay at the office and take charge of the newspaper.

Comrade Pham Van Dong once said: "Uncle Ho founded this newspaper to guide the masses in the revolutionary struggle; the more the enemy terrorizes us, the more regularly we will publish the newspaper."

Mr. Hoang Duc Chiem and Ms. Nong Thi Tien reminisced about the years when the Vietnam Independent Newspaper was based in their hometown of Hong Viet - Hoa An.

Mr. Hoang Duc Chiem continued:

- Although the Vietnam Independent Newspaper was small in size, its articles were simple and concise, thus its influence was immense. Wherever the newspaper was published, the revolutionary influence spread, and the prestige of the organizations was strengthened. Initially, the Vietnam Independent Newspaper belonged to the Cao Bang General Headquarters of the Viet Minh from issue 101 to 128. When the revolutionary area expanded to encompass two provinces: Cao Bang and Bac Kan, the Vietnam Independent Newspaper became the organ of the Cao Bang - Bac Kan Inter-Provincial Committee of the Viet Minh, from issue 129 to 186. As the revolutionary movement continued to grow, expanding to connect three provinces: Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Lang Son. The Vietnam Independent Newspaper became the organ of the three-province Viet Minh Inter-departmental Committee from issue 187 to 225…

Besides printing newspapers, the newspaper's lithographic printing facility also printed propaganda materials in the form of pocket-sized books such as "The Five-Character Classic," "Viet Minh Program Narrative," "History of Our Country" (in verse), "Guerrilla Tactics," "Russian Guerrilla Experience," "Chinese Guerrilla Experience," "The Political Commissar," "Political Work in the Revolutionary Army," "Viet Minh Experience in Viet Bac," etc., written by President Ho Chi Minh and comrades Pham Van Dong and Vo Nguyen Giap.

On May 7, 1944, the General Headquarters of the Viet Minh issued the directive "Preparing for the Uprising." Comrade Vu Anh, then a member of the Central Committee of the Party and representing the General Headquarters of the Viet Minh, directly assigned the printing of the aforementioned directive to the Vietnam Independence Newspaper.

The victories at Phai Khắt and Nà Ngần were prominently featured in the Vietnam Independent Newspaper, issue 201, dated January 5, 1945, with two communiqués, numbers 1 and 2, as follows: Communiqué No. 2: On the morning of November 12th (the 26th of the Western calendar), at 7:14 AM, the Propaganda Team of the Vietnam Liberation Army arrived at the Nà Ngần outpost in Cẩm Lý commune, near Bel Air. They raised the red flag with a five-pointed yellow star, clearly identifying themselves as revolutionary troops, and declared that they had come to seize weapons and ammunition from the French fascists. They stated that the Vietnamese revolutionary army does not shoot Vietnamese soldiers. They called on all Vietnamese soldiers to raise their hands in surrender…”

During a day researching the first revolutionary newspaper published in the country, our research, encounters, and notes were only a brief overview. However, in the 100-year history of revolutionary journalism, the Vietnam Independent Newspaper stands out as a brilliant milestone.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202506/len-coi-nguon-khuoi-nam-bo-hoai-6c915c0/