Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai (1 November 1910 – 28 August 1941) was a Vietnamese

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and a leader of the

Indochinese Communist Party The Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) was a political party which was transformed from the old Vietnamese Communist Party () in October 1930. This party dissolved itself on 11 November 1945. It is considered the first stage in the history of th ...

during the 1930s.

Early life and education

Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai was born Nguyễn Thị Vịnh on 1 November 1910 in

Vinh Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...

, Nghệ An province, Vietnam. Her father, Nguyễn Huy Bình, also known as Hàn Bình, was born in

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. She had learnt French but, due to failing the civil service examinations, chose to work as a railway official in Vinh. Her mother, Đậu Thị Thư, was a petty shopkeeper from

Đức Thọ There are many widely varying names of Germany in different languages, more so than for any other European nation. For example: * the German language, German language Endonym and exonym, endonym is , from the Old High German , meaning "of the ...

Hà Tĩnh province Hà is a Vietnamese given name, male or female, meaning "river". Hà is a Vietnamese 'surname' (during French colonialism). The name is transliterated as He in Chinese and Ha in Korean. Ha is the anglicized variation of the surname Hà. It is ...

. Her father frequently permitted her to retain banned documents in an upstairs room at the train station. When Minh Khai grew more engaged in her revolutionary activities, her mother supported her financially on her frequent visits to different provinces.

Revolutionary career

In 1927, she co-founded the New Revolutionary Party of Vietnam which was a predecessor of the

Communist Party of Vietnam The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is the founding and sole legal party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Founded in 1930 by Hồ Chí Minh, the CPV became the ruling party of North Vietnam in 1954 and then all of Vietnam after the col ...

. She was considered as one of the prominent female members of the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP). In April 1930, she was delegated to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and became a secretary for

Hồ Chí Minh (born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first president of the Democratic Republic ...

(at the time known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc) in the office of the Orient Bureau of the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

. In April 1931, Minh Khai was detained by the British administration in Hong Kong. The British colonial government initially planned to turn her over to the French authorities. However, her Cantonese fluency enabled her to avoid being handed over to the French but instead, she was imprisoned in several Kuomintang jails in China from 1931 to 1934. In 1934, she and Lê Hồng Phong were voted to be attendees in the Seventh Congress of Comintern in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Later she married Lê. In 1936, she returned to Vietnam and became the top leader of the communists in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. She was seized by the French colonial government in 1940 and was executed by firing squad the next year. Her husband Lê had been jailed in June 1939, and later died in the tiger cages at Poulo Condore prison in September 1942.Ho Chi Minh: A Life - Ch 8

Legacy

Today, Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai is honoured as a revolutionary martyr by the

, and some roads, schools, and administrative units in Vietnam are named after her. Some of these include the Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai urban ward in

Bắc Kạn Bắc Kạn () is the capital of Bắc Kạn Province, Vietnam. The province's only city, it is bordered by Bạch Thông District to the north, north-east and west and Chợ Mới District to the south-east and south-west. Bắc Kạn is 160 ...

, and Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai High School. File:Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai's Delegate's Card at Comintern's 1935 VII Congress, Moscow.jpg, Her Delegate's Card at the 1935

COMINTERN The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

's 7th Congress in Moscow,

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. She was a delegate representing the

. File:Nguyễn TMK.jpg, Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Thi Minh Khai 1910 births 1941 deaths Communists executed by Vichy France Members of the 1st Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party People from Nghệ An province Communist Party of Vietnam politicians Executed Vietnamese people Executed revolutionaries People executed by Vichy France by firing squad Vietnamese nationalists Vietnamese revolutionaries

Early life and education

Revolutionary career

Legacy

See also

Notes

References