Võ Văn Tần (21 August 1894 – 28 August 1941) was a Vietnamese revolutionary and a senior leader of the Indochina Communist Party during the period 1930-1940. He was executed by French firing squad at the Giồng T-road junction (ngã ba Giồng) in

Hóc Môn Hóc Môn is a township () and capital of Hóc Môn District, Ho Chi Minh City 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. Th ...

District along with Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Nguyễn Văn Cừ in August 1941.Erik Harms Saigon's Edge: On the Margins of Ho Chi Minh City - Page 29 "... intersection, where many anticolonial figures perished, including, most famously, the trio of Nguyễn thị Minh Khai, Võ Văn Tần, and Nguyễn Văn Cừ, who were put before the firing squads there on August 28, 1941."

Biography

Võ Văn Tần was born to a poor farmer family on August 21, 1891, in Đức Hòa district, Chợ Lớn province (now in Long An province), and was the older brother of Võ Văn Ngân. Growing up, he went to

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 ...

to work as a

rickshaw Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tr ...

puller to make a living. He joined local struggles early, participating in

Nguyễn An Ninh Nguyễn An Ninh (6 September 1900 – 14 August 1943) was a radical Vietnamese political journalist and publicist in French colonial Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam). An independent and charismatic figure, Ninh was able to conciliate between di ...

's organization, then transferring to the An Nam Communist Party organization in 1929, where he became thee First District Party Committee Secretary of Đức Hòa district in 1930, organizing peasant revolts in Đức Hòa. He was sentenced to death in absentia by the French colonialists on June 4, 1930. He then became Secretary of the Chợ Lớn Provincial Party Committee (1931), Secretary of the

Gia Định ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Eliza ...

Provincial Party Committee (1932). Starting in 1936, the organization led the revolutionary movement in Saigon and the provinces of Cochinchina. He served as Secretary of the Southern Party Committee and member of the Party Central Committee (1937 - 1940). He attended the 6th Conference (November 1939) of the Party Central Committee meeting in Bà Điểm,

District. He was arrested by the French colonialists on April 21, 1940, in Tan Xuan commune, Hóc Môn district and then executed by firing squad in Hóc Môn on August 28, 1941, along with a number of other revolutionaries and Communist leaders.

Memorials

Today, his name is given to many streets in Ho Chi Minh City and many other localities throughout the country. In his hometown, his name was given to Võ Văn Tần junior high school, Quarter 3, Đức Hòa town, Đức Hòa district, Long An province. At the Đức Hòa Crossroads historical site, the Võ Văn Tần monument is placed in the park named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vo, Van Tan 1894 births 1941 deaths Communists executed by Vichy France Executed revolutionaries Executed Vietnamese people Vietnamese nationalists Vietnamese revolutionaries Members of the 1st Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party People from Long An province People executed by Vichy France by firing squad