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Interview of Nguyen Cong Can

Nguyen Cong Can was born in 1929 in Vu Di, Vinh Phuc, in a family of longtime revolutionaries. His family notably provided shelter for Hoang Quoc Viet and his wife during World War II, and Can remembers how, while still a teenager, he was assigned the task of looking out for suspicious activity. He also talks about his conversations with Hoang Quoc Viet. He describes the taking of power in the Vu Di area during the August Revolution, after which he took a training course in propaganda. He then did some propaganda work in Vu Di and also participated in the January 1946 election as a “writer” (many people could not read or write when voting). As he was somewhat educated, he taught in binh dan hoc vu classes in 1947 and 1948. He describes the preparations made by locals at the outbreak of war in 1946, such as the digging of tunnels and the destruction of bridges. Later on he joined the military transportation department (cuc van tai), and notably worked in the transportation of weapons and advisors from China. Can also describes a brief meeting with Ho Chi Minh, when he was tasked with making arrangements for the latter’s passage in the area he was in.

Interview of Nguyen Cong Can 017