Throughout Vietnam’s history of nation-building and development, intellectuals in general - and intellectuals and influential figures from ethnic minority communities in particular - have made important contributions during wars and resistance struggles to defend the country.

Ethnic minority intellectuals in patriotic and anti-colonial movements

In the late 19th century, when French colonial forces launched their invasion of Vietnam, ethnic minority communities in mountainous areas across the country, driven by a strong sense of patriotism, quickly joined uprisings and resistance movements against the French in different forms and on varying scales.

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De Tham and fighters of the Yen The uprising. File photo

Ethnic minority communities were present in uprisings including the Yen The uprising, led by Hoang Dinh Kinh and Hoang Hoa Tham; the Tien Dong uprising, led by Nguyen Quang Bich; and movements led by La Xuan Oai, Cam Ba Thuoc, Tran Cao Van and Phan Lanh, as well as the Huong Khe uprising led by Phan Dinh Phung and Cao Thang.

The outbreak of these uprisings kept the flame of patriotism and resistance alive across the nation. When the conditions later emerged, guided by an appropriate revolutionary path and methods, that spirit would flare up powerfully once again, defeating the enemy and reclaiming national independence and freedom.

In the early 20th century, the new current of proletarian revolution introduced into Vietnam by Nguyen Ai Quoc propelled the country’s revolutionary movement to a new level. Alongside intellectuals from the lowlands, intellectuals from ethnic minority communities embraced revolutionary ideas and became figures who mobilized forces and led their communities to stand shoulder to shoulder with people from the lowlands in the struggle for independence and freedom.

Ethnic minority intellectuals had several distinctive characteristics. First, they were relatively few in number. Second, many came from families of officials or prominent figures within their communities. Third, they generally had fewer opportunities for formal education than intellectuals in the lowlands.

Self-education was therefore one route through which ethnic minority intellectuals emerged. In practice, many first became politically awakened and joined the revolutionary movement before being sent by revolutionary organizations for further education and training. They subsequently became intellectuals and political figures.

Joining the nation in the victory of the August Revolution

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Memorial site dedicated to Hoang Dinh Giong. Photo: Cao Bang Newspaper

Between 1930 and 1945, under the political education and leadership of the Communist Party, many ethnic minority intellectuals made major contributions to the development and eventual victory of the Vietnamese revolution, particularly the August Revolution of 1945.

Among them were Hoang Dinh Giong, Hoang Van Non, Hoang Van Thu, Lo Van Gia, Lo Van San, Ha An, Cam Minh, Nong Van Den, Chu Van Tan, Luong Van Tri, Phung Van Khau, Lo Quang Nam, Hoang Van Kieu, Ha Tan Cuong, Le Quang Ba, Loc Van Lung and Duong Mac Thach.

Hoang Van Thu and Luong Van Tri were Tay revolutionary intellectuals from Lang Son Province who were trained and matured through their revolutionary activities, making significant contributions to the development of Vietnam’s revolutionary movement.

They directly participated in establishing revolutionary networks, training cadres and building revolutionary bases and safe zones for the Party Central Committee and the Northern Regional Party Committee, helping lay the groundwork for the eventual victory of the August Revolution.

Hoang Dinh Giong and Hoang Van Non were also Tay intellectuals from Cao Bang. They took part in organizing and leading the seizure of power in Cao Bang Province during the August Revolution of 1945.

Lo Van San, Cam Van Minh, Lo Van Son, Be Nhat Huan, Cam Van Dung, Be Van Diem and Bac Cam Khang were among the Thai revolutionary cadres and intellectuals who helped organize and lead the seizure of power in Son La Province during the August Revolution.

Among them, Lo Van San had been a teacher in the provincial capital of Son La before embracing revolutionary ideas and taking part in the uprising to seize power.

Cam Van Minh had worked as a clerk at the French provincial administration in Son La before becoming politically awakened and joining the Viet Minh. He was admitted to the first Viet Minh group in Son La provincial capital alongside Be Nhat Huan and Chu Van Thinh.

Central Highlands intellectuals embrace the revolution

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Professor Y Tlam Kbuor. File photo

In the Central Highlands, ethnic minority communities living around French colonial prisons and detention facilities were exposed early to revolutionary ideas through prisoners held at the Ban Me Thuot Penitentiary and Kon Tum Prison. A number of young people and intellectuals from the region’s ethnic communities subsequently joined the revolution.

Central Highlands intellectuals of the period, including Y Ngong Nie KDam, Y Blok Eban, Y Tlam Kbuor, Ksor Ni and Nay De, were among those who embraced patriotic and revolutionary ideas early and participated in the seizure of power during the August Revolution of 1945.

Y Ngong Nie KDam (1922-2001) was an Ede doctor, People’s Teacher and prominent political figure from Dak Lak. After becoming involved in the revolutionary movement, he participated in the seizure of power in his locality during the August Revolution.

Y Blok Eban was the first Ede military medical major general in the Central Highlands and was among those who became politically awakened and joined the revolution at an early stage.

Born in 1921, he was conscripted into the colonial garde indigène after completing primary school and later worked as a prison guard at the Ban Me Thuot Penitentiary, where he was introduced to revolutionary ideas. On August 22, 1945, Y Blok commanded a squad of colonial guards that joined the seizure of power in Buon Ma Thuot town.

Ksor Ni was a Gia Rai intellectual who became involved in revolutionary activities at an early age. He used his writing and intellect to defend and promote solidarity among ethnic communities.

Ksor Ni was born in 1925 in Tham village, Ia Trok Commune, Ia Pa District - then Cheo Reo District in Pleiku Province under French colonial rule - in what is now Ia Pa Commune, Gia Lai Province.

In June 1945, he met Ro Cham Thep and was introduced to the Viet Minh Front. He then decided to join the movement of young people, students and civil servants in Pleiku. In August 1945, after welcoming Viet Minh representatives who came to take over the administration in Pleiku, Ksor Ni and Nay Phin returned to their hometown to organize an uprising and liberate the district seat of Cheo Reo.

Professor, doctor, Meritorious Physician and military medical colonel Y Tlam Kbuor (1925-2008), also known as Nguyen Sy Lam, was a prominent Ede intellectual, veteran revolutionary and the first rector of Tay Nguyen University. He had participated in political movements from 1939 and formally joined the revolution during the August Revolution of 1945.

At 17, Y Tlam was selected to attend high school in Quy Nhon before becoming a medical student at the Indochina Medical School in Saigon. There, he joined the National Salvation Youth organization and an association promoting the spread of Quoc Ngu, Vietnam’s Romanized national script, at Cho Ray Hospital.

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President Ho Chi Minh, far left, with delegates attending the first Congress of Vietnam’s Ethnic Minorities on December 3, 1945. Photo: VNA

During Tet and summer holidays, Y Tlam often returned to the provincial hospital in Dak Lak - now Buon Ma Thuot City General Hospital - for practical training. He was assigned to provide medical examinations for political prisoners at the prison infirmary, where Y Som served as head nurse. Y Som was a member of the revolutionary network.

From there, Y Tlam Kbuor and contemporaries including Y Ngong Nie KDam, Y Nue, Y Wang and Y Bih Aleo worked to spread revolutionary ideas among intellectuals, civil servants and workers in Buon Ma Thuot, as well as among soldiers and villagers. At the same time, they mobilized and educated the public while contributing to efforts to eradicate illiteracy.

In 1945, Y Tlam actively participated in preparations for the general uprising in Buon Ma Thuot.

The development of Vietnam’s revolutionary movement between 1930 and 1945, and particularly the victory of the August Revolution in 1945, involved the contributions of many ethnic minority intellectuals from localities across the country.

As intellectuals and influential members of their communities, they mobilized and politically awakened their people, rallied forces and organized efforts to seize the historic opportunity to take power during the August Revolution of 1945, contributing to the revolution’s broader success.

They also played a pivotal role in building, preserving and harnessing the internal strength of national unity to defend the revolutionary government, carry forward the resistance struggle, and contribute to the construction and defense of the country after the August Revolution.

Dr. Pham Minh The
Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi