Despite being only 35 years old (August 10, 1914 - August 10, 1949), 15 years of participation in the revolution (1935 - 1949), patriotic martyr Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ, Deputy Secretary of the 5th Regional Committee, founder and Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam General Federation of Trade Unions (LĐLĐ), has left behind a shining example of the spirit of unwavering struggle for the rights of the nation and the working class, as stated in the eulogy of the Vietnam General Federation of Trade Unions at his funeral, held in the Viet Bac battle zone on June 15, 1949.
Embracing the struggle
Completing his elementary education, young Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ left his hometown of Mỹ Hòa, Đại Lộc District, Quảng Nam Province to attend the Huế Technical Practice School (now the Huế Industrial College). There, he had the opportunity to understand life better and integrate himself into the working environment of workers; gradually becoming the nucleus of the revolutionary movement in the school and in Huế City.
From 1936, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ was admitted to the Party and trusted to serve as Secretary of the Cell Committee, Member of the Thanh Hóa City Party Committee. As a member of the leadership team of the Huế Technical Practice School Trade Union, he established connections with many external organizations such as the lighting company, civil servants... to support each other in the process of gathering students, workers, and organizing struggles.
From late 1939 to early 1945, he was arrested by the French colonial authorities five times, imprisoned and exiled to many prisons and reeducation camps. In 1942, after escaping from Đắk Glei, he returned to Đà Nẵng to reestablish contact with the secret organizations of the firemen's union, and was arrested again.
When Japan staged a coup against France (March 9, 1945), comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ was released from Đà Nẵng Prison. Just out of prison, but with a sense of responsibility to the revolutionary movement, he quickly regained control of all the organizations of workers in Đà Nẵng and Huế.
As Secretary of the Đà Nẵng City Party Committee, along with the collective leadership of the City Party Committee, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ proposed many policies, particularly in the process of gathering and building organizations of the working class in the city. Most important factories and government offices such as the lighting company, firemen's union, civil servants, and ports... all had revolutionary organizations, with workers as the core.
Comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ also worked hard to build a force of around 500 self-defense workers, armed with simple weapons, and it was this force of workers that made a significant contribution to the success of the August 1945 uprising to seize power in Đà Nẵng.
Building trade union organizations
In September 1945, the Trung Kỳ Provincial Committee was re-established. With his experience in the workers' movement, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee, responsible for propaganda work and directly serving as Secretary of the Central Vietnam Workers' Salvation Association, Editor-in-Chief of the "Workers' Hands" newspaper; in January 1946, he was elected as a delegate to the first National Assembly.
As Secretary of the Central Vietnam Workers' Salvation Association, in June 1946, he traveled to Hà Nội to participate in the founding of the Vietnam General Federation of Trade Unions and was appointed as Deputy General Secretary, responsible for Central Vietnam, and later was appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Trade Unions.
He was very diligent in developing the membership of the workers' salvation association, establishing associations in various localities, particularly in areas with a large number of workers and craftsmen... His view was that the workers' salvation association must be closely linked with the development of the working class; only a strong working class can have a strong workers' salvation association.
In August 1946, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ directly led the Quảng Nam Provincial Workers' Salvation Association to hold a congress. At the congress, the Workers' Salvation Association was renamed the Federation of Trade Unions to suit the new situation, and he directed the establishment of trade unions in Quảng Nam and their rapid development, particularly in the firemen's union, automobile transport, boat transport, and civil servants... He also directed the rectification of the situation where people were being inappropriately admitted to the association, prioritizing quantity over quality.
During the outbreak of the resistance war against the French colonialists, despite taking on additional responsibilities as Political Commissar of the Quảng Nam - Đà Nẵng Front, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ still devoted time to trade union activities. He regularly exchanged information with the trade union federations of various provinces about the situation of workers in the resistance war and discussed plans to consolidate and promote the trade union movement, particularly in the construction of defense factories to serve as the core of various movements.
This was also the time when Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ paid attention to building a team of trade union cadres, as he believed that cadres were the first factor in gathering workers and building a strong trade union.
Comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ proposed opening training classes for trade union cadres using various methods such as short-term training classes and organizing experience-sharing conferences. He also paid attention to the location of the trade union organization's office.
Whenever he visited Quảng Nam, he saw that the provincial trade union federation's office was sometimes located in Thăng Bình, sometimes in Quế Sơn, and he directed it to be moved to the inner city of Tam Kỳ, where there were many workers and craftsmen from the surrounding areas who had gathered after the outbreak of the resistance war. According to comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ, trade union cadres must be close to workers, only then can they understand them better and, through that, propagate and gather them into the organization.
Attentive to the lives of workers
Throughout his participation in the revolutionary movement, he always closely monitored the lives of workers and showed them special concern.
At that time, many construction factories were established in the 5th Region to produce weapons for the battlefield, and workers had to work in poor conditions. Despite being busy with many tasks, Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ still regularly visited these factories to interact with fellow workers.
There was an occasion when he was informed that workers at the Cao Thắng factory in Tân An, Quế Sơn District (now part of Hiệp Đức District) were on a hunger strike, and he cried and said to the factory leaders: "You have resolved the issue, but it's not clear what the cause is. You are all workers, but when you lead, you don't deeply understand the feelings, thoughts, and lives of the workers, so they can't bear it. You are leaders, but you eat separately, so how can you understand the lives of workers; how can you understand the feeling of having a full belly with maggots, eating dry rice, and uncooked cassava? Not to mention the different ways of thinking and the subjective judgments, without taking production results as a basis."
He understood the hardships of national defense workers and repeatedly proposed to the 5th Regional Committee that they be provided with clothing, but due to the general difficulties, some people opposed it. He insisted on fighting for it.
Comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ was not concerned with his own personal life, but was always meticulous and caring about the lives of those around him. For female cadres working in difficult and harsh conditions, he always showed them special affection and care. Whenever he returned from work, he always brought some gifts for his colleagues, sometimes a few bags of glutinous rice, sometimes a pair of sugar, or sometimes just a handful of green tea leaves... Sometimes, his family in the occupied area sent him gifts, and he would give away milk to the sick, cloth and wool to those in need, without keeping anything for himself.
At the time when he was fully dedicated to his work and preparing for a new task, unfortunately, comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ contracted typhoid fever and passed away on April 27, 1949 (August 10, 1949) at 10:00 am, leaving behind an immense sense of sorrow for his comrades, fellow citizens, and the working class across the country. The World Federation of Trade Unions sent a condolence telegram to the Vietnam General Federation of Trade Unions. He was buried in Nghĩa Hành District, Quảng Ngãi Province.
75 years have passed since his departure, but the contributions of patriotic martyr Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ to the revolutionary cause of the nation as a whole and to the workers' movement and the construction of trade union organizations in particular are always cherished, honored, and praised.
Many schools, streets, and an award bearing his name have been established for outstanding trade union members, as decreed by the Quảng Nam Provincial People's Committee and awarded every 5 years on the occasion of the founding of the Vietnam Trade Union (July 28). This is a tribute and reminder for each of us to continue learning from and emulating the example of Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ.
Commemorating the 110th anniversary of the birth of comrade Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ, former Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam General Federation of Trade Unions (August 10, 1914 - August 10, 2024).
