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Interview of Nguyen Nghiem

Nguyen Nghiem was born in 1924 and lived in the Tinh Gia area of Thanh Hoa. In the first part of his interview (011_1), he talks at length about the history of Thanh Hoa, and how what people think of it now doesn’t correspond to what he knows about it. He talks about several important figures or events in the history of the province, some (but not all) relating to the revolutionary movement. He mentions Le Tat Dac, To Huu, Phan Anh and his youth movement, as well as the activities of several different parties involved in the revolutionary movement in the 1930s such as Viet Nam Doc Lap and Tan Viet. A recurring topic is the production/harvesting of salt, an important part of the local economy. In the second part of the interview (011_2), Nguyen Nghiem is more specific and gives detailed explanations of the binh dan hoc vu classes in Thanh Hoa, including the subjects studied and tricks used to memorize letters, the different social groups participating, and instructions from the Central Committee concerning those classes. He also mentions “worker-peasant education schools” (truong bo tuc cong nong) and the Party school in his area (truong Hoang Van Thu), which was established later on during the Indochina War. He then talks about the agriculture and economy of the Tinh Gia area and how it was affected by the land reform, as well as the rectification of errors following it. Finally, he gives some details about his life during the 1960s and 1970s.

Interview of Nguyen Nghiem: Part 1 and Part 2