In the revolutionary history of Vietnam’s southernmost region, Trần Văn Thời stands out as a leading cadre associated with the struggle in Cà Mau and the Hòn Khoai Uprising of 13 December 1940. From a farmer involved in patriotic activities, he became secretary of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee, contributing directly to organizing and leading the revolutionary movement in Cà Mau.
Trần Văn Thời’s active career was short. In 1941, the French colonial authorities arrested him, sentenced him to imprisonment and exiled him to Côn Đảo. He died in prison in 1942, aged about 40.
Today, his name is preserved through historical sites, place names and studies of the revolutionary movement in southern Vietnam. His grave lies in Section D of Hàng Dương Cemetery, Côn Đảo, where residents and visitors come to offer incense in remembrance.
Who was Hero Trần Văn Thời?
Trần Văn Thời was born in 1902 in Giao Vàm hamlet, Phong Lạc village, Cà Mau district, then part of Bạc Liêu province and now within Cà Mau province.
He grew up in a farming family with ten children. As the third child, he was also affectionately known as Ba Thời.
His father was Trần Văn Hưng and his mother Ngô Thị Hưỡng. The family earned its living from farming and was closely connected to Cà Mau’s waterways and landscape.
Accounts of Trần Văn Thời’s life describe him as eager to learn, responsible and close to local people. These qualities helped him earn his community’s trust early on.
Before joining revolutionary activities, his life revolved around his family, fields, gardens and the everyday routines of people in Vietnam’s southernmost region.
He married and had two children. According to biographical accounts, however, both children died young, before and after the August Revolution of 1945.
This family background portrays Trần Văn Thời not only as a revolutionary activist, but also as a person with a hometown, loved ones and personal losses.
Joining the revolutionary movement in Cà Mau
In 1936, Trần Văn Thời joined the local revolutionary movement.
This was a period when the democratic movement was expanding in many parts of the country. In southern Vietnam, revolutionary organizations stepped up publicity, public mobilization and the building of networks among farmers, workers and other working people.
Drawing on his understanding of life in Cà Mau, Trần Văn Thời actively participated in mobilizing people in Cà Mau and Cái Nước.
In July 1937, he was admitted to the Indochinese Communist Party, marking an important turning point in his revolutionary career.
From then on, he became more deeply involved in building organizations, developing local networks and mobilizing the population.
In February 1938, at the congress of the Cà Mau District Party Organization, he was elected to its Executive Committee.
The organization’s trust reflected Trần Văn Thời’s increasingly important role in the local revolutionary movement.
Working clandestinely, he had to move frequently, maintain contact with local networks and protect fellow activists from surveillance by the colonial authorities.
Trần Văn Thời became secretary of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee in 1940
In May 1940, at the conference of delegates of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Organization, Trần Văn Thời was elected secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.
Around the same time, the Southern Regional Party Committee appointed him to the Hậu Giang Interprovincial Party Committee.
The revolutionary movement in southern Vietnam was then facing major changes. The Second World War was profoundly affecting Indochina, while revolutionary organizations were preparing for more forceful forms of struggle.
As provincial Party secretary, Trần Văn Thời and other local leaders focused on consolidating the organization, developing their forces and preparing the conditions for an uprising.
During his activities, he became one of the cadres sought by the colonial authorities.
Living and working conditions grew increasingly difficult. He had to change locations frequently, operate secretly at revolutionary bases and rely on local people’s protection.
Nevertheless, organizing work continued, laying the groundwork for the Hòn Khoai Uprising at the end of 1940.
The Lung Lá–Nhà Thể conference and the plan for the Hòn Khoai Uprising
One of the important places associated with Trần Văn Thời’s revolutionary activities is Lung Lá–Nhà Thể, in the Cái Nước area of Cà Mau province.
It was once his home and workplace, and also hosted important meetings of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee during preparations for the uprising.
On 26 and 27 November 1940, at Lung Lá–Nhà Thể, Trần Văn Thời chaired an expanded Provincial Party Committee conference to study the Southern Regional Party Committee’s policy, assess the situation and discuss plans for organizing forces.
The conference identified key areas in which preparations for an uprising were needed, including Năm Căn–Hòn Khoai, Cà Mau and other areas of Bạc Liêu.
Under the division of responsibilities, Trần Văn Thời directly oversaw Cà Mau town and its surroundings. Other cadres were assigned to the respective areas.
On 5 December 1940, the Provincial Party Committee met again and chose the night of 13 December 1940 for the uprising on Hòn Khoai.
The choice of Hòn Khoai had strategic significance: the island lies offshore from Vietnam’s southernmost region and occupies an important position for controlling sea routes.
Under this plan, Phan Ngọc Hiển was assigned direct command of the uprising forces on the island.
As provincial Party secretary, Trần Văn Thời helped lead, organize and coordinate the overall plan.
The Hòn Khoai Uprising of 13 December 1940
On the night of 13 December 1940, revolutionary forces under Phan Ngọc Hiển’s direct command launched the uprising on Hòn Khoai.
Thanks to preparation and coordination among their members, the insurgents quickly gained control of the island.
The Hòn Khoai Uprising achieved a local victory and became one of the notable events of the Southern Uprising movement of 1940.
Afterwards, however, the French colonial authorities organized a counterattack, hunted down participants and suppressed revolutionary movements in numerous localities.
Many cadres and fighters were arrested or killed. The revolutionary movement in the Cà Mau–Bạc Liêu area suffered heavy losses.
Although the uprising did not produce a lasting change in control of government throughout the province, the victory at Hòn Khoai remained an important milestone in Cà Mau’s revolutionary history.
To commemorate this event, 13 December each year was chosen as the day honoring the revolutionary tradition of Cà Mau province’s Party organization, armed forces and people.
In the history of the uprising, Trần Văn Thời is recognized as one of its key leaders, contributing to planning and organizing the movement.
Building forces in the U Minh forest after the uprising
Following the French colonial crackdowns, many revolutionary networks were broken up, and cadres and uprising participants had to withdraw to preserve their forces.
Trần Văn Thời and local cadres continued organizing activities in the U Minh forest.
With its melaleuca forests, waterways and many hard-to-reach areas, U Minh offered favorable terrain for revolutionary forces to take refuge, maintain communications and build bases.
During this period, Trần Văn Thời helped gather forces, organize bases and advance the manufacture and preparation of weapons.
The immediate aim was to protect cadres still active, restore the organization and prepare conditions for the movement’s continued development.
However, in the face of continuous sweeps, by late March 1941 the Hậu Giang Interprovincial Party Committee decided to temporarily disband the guerrilla base in U Minh forest and send cadres back to local areas to continue their work.
This adjustment was intended to limit losses and sustain the revolutionary movement under difficult circumstances.
Activities in Châu Đốc under the alias Nguyễn Văn Chất
In 1941, his superiors reassigned Trần Văn Thời to build revolutionary forces in Châu Đốc province.
To protect the secrecy of his work, he used the assumed name Nguyễn Văn Chất.
As the colonial authorities intensified their pursuit of participants in the Southern Uprising, changing names and operating areas was a means of protecting the organization.
His work there, however, did not last long.
In May 1941, following an informer’s tip, French secret police arrested Trần Văn Thời along with several other revolutionary cadres.
According to historical accounts, he was taken to Sa Đéc town for interrogation.
The arrest of a cadre who had served as secretary of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee was a major loss to the local revolutionary organization.
Arrest and sentence to exile on Côn Đảo in 1941
After his arrest, Trần Văn Thời underwent repeated interrogations and torture.
According to surviving accounts, the colonial authorities sought information about revolutionary networks he had supervised, while trying to establish his identity and his links to organizations operating in southern Vietnam.
He nevertheless firmly refused to provide information concerning the organization.
During his detention, he also kept his real name and hometown secret.
Following investigation and trial, a French colonial court sentenced Trần Văn Thời to ten years’ imprisonment and fifteen years of banishment.
He was sent to Côn Đảo Prison, which the colonial authorities used to hold many patriots and revolutionary activists.
The sentence marked the final stage of Trần Văn Thời’s active life.
From Cà Mau, where he had spent years helping build the movement, he was taken to an island far from the mainland and subjected to the harsh regime of a colonial prison.
His final years in Côn Đảo Prison
Under French colonial rule, Côn Đảo held successive generations of patriots, revolutionary fighters and participants in movements against the colonial regime.
Prisoners’ living conditions were severely deprived. Many endured hard labor, illness and severe punishment.
For Trần Văn Thời, the torture he had already suffered had weakened his health.
After being exiled to Côn Đảo, he continued to live under imprisonment, lacking adequate food, medical care and basic living conditions.
Biographical accounts state that injuries sustained during interrogation, combined with the harsh prison regime, caused his health to deteriorate further.
He died in Côn Đảo Prison in 1942, aged about 40.
Cà Mau province’s biographical materials give his date of death as 4 May 1942. Other accounts give 5 February 1942 or 5 May 1942, so the precise date still needs to be checked against archival records and with the heritage management authorities.
Despite differing dates, the sources agree that Trần Văn Thời died while imprisoned on Côn Đảo in 1942.
Why does a locality in Cà Mau bear Trần Văn Thời’s name?
After Trần Văn Thời’s death, his name continued to be remembered within the revolutionary movement in Cà Mau.
In 1948, the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee and Resistance Administrative Committee decided to name a new administrative unit in the U Minh area after him.
From then on, Trần Văn Thời became a familiar place name in Cà Mau.
For many decades, Trần Văn Thời district was known as an important locality in the province, associated with U Minh and with agriculture and fisheries.
Trần Văn Thời’s name has also been given to schools, streets and memorial structures.
Naming a locality after him not only commemorates a revolutionary cadre who died, but also helps preserve the history of struggle in Vietnam’s southernmost region.
The Lung Lá–Nhà Thể heritage site and the memory of Trần Văn Thời
Alongside the locality bearing his name, Lung Lá–Nhà Thể is one of the important historical sites associated with Trần Văn Thời’s active life.
It was once where he lived and organized clandestine activities of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee.
The meetings at Lung Lá–Nhà Thể in November and December 1940 played an important role in preparing the Hòn Khoai Uprising.
Today, the site helps later generations gain some sense of the conditions in which revolutionary cadres worked before the August Revolution.
Rather than grand buildings, operating bases of that period were often connected with homes, orchards, canals and familiar places in rural life.
It was in these ordinary settings that many important policies were discussed and put into practice.
Lung Lá–Nhà Thể is therefore associated not only with Trần Văn Thời, but also with the memory of the Southern Uprising movement in Cà Mau.
Trần Văn Thời was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces
On 14 April 2011, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed the decision posthumously awarding Trần Văn Thời the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces.
The title recognizes his contributions to building the revolutionary movement, helping lead struggles in southern Vietnam and maintaining steadfastness during imprisonment.
From joining the revolutionary movement in 1936 until his death on Côn Đảo in 1942, Trần Văn Thời experienced years of difficult activity.
During that time, he held numerous important responsibilities, from grassroots work to the position of secretary of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee.
In particular, his role in preparing the Hòn Khoai Uprising of 1940 became a notable part of Cà Mau’s revolutionary history.
Where is Hero Trần Văn Thời’s grave in Hàng Dương Cemetery?
Today, the grave of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Trần Văn Thời is in Section D of Hàng Dương Cemetery, Côn Đảo.
Section D was created during the consolidation and restoration of the cemetery, receiving remains from Hàng Keo Cemetery, Hòn Cau and several other places on Côn Đảo.
This section contains the graves of two Heroes of the People’s Armed Forces, Trần Văn Thời and Trần Văn Bảy.
Hàng Dương Cemetery is one of Côn Đảo’s most important historical sites, the resting place of many revolutionary fighters, patriots and others imprisoned within its prison system over different periods.
For those visiting Côn Đảo to learn about history, paying respects at Trần Văn Thời’s grave can be combined with a tour of Hàng Dương Cemetery, Côn Đảo Temple and sites within the Côn Đảo prison system.
When visiting, dress appropriately, maintain quiet and respect the memorial setting.
Remembering Trần Văn Thời on Côn Đảo
Over the decades, Trần Văn Thời’s life and sacrifice have continued to be recalled at commemorative activities in Hàng Dương Cemetery.
Incense-offering ceremonies organized by the heritage management authority and the locality provide an opportunity to revisit his revolutionary career, particularly his role in the struggle in Cà Mau before 1945.
These commemorations also help the public better understand the people who were imprisoned and died in Côn Đảo Prison.
For visitors, Trần Văn Thời’s grave in Section D is a place to pause, learn and remember a historical figure who made substantial contributions to the revolutionary movement in southern Vietnam.
Trần Văn Thời’s enduring historical legacy in Cà Mau and Côn Đảo
Trần Văn Thời’s life was linked to two places with distinctive roles in Vietnamese history.
Cà Mau was his homeland, where he grew up, joined the revolutionary movement and took on numerous leadership responsibilities. Côn Đảo was where he spent his final days in imprisonment.
Between these two places lies the journey of a farmer who became a revolutionary cadre, from grassroots activities to serving as secretary of the Bạc Liêu Provincial Party Committee and organizing the Hòn Khoai Uprising.
He died aged only about 40, but his name remains preserved in local history, memorial sites and research on the revolutionary movement in southern Vietnam.
Today, visitors to Hàng Dương Cemetery can find Trần Văn Thời’s grave in Section D, alongside many other graves associated with different periods of Côn Đảo’s history.
Learning about Trần Văn Thời is also a way to approach Côn Đảo’s history through individual lives: each grave records not only a name, but also a life, a homeland and events that have become part of Vietnamese history.
Reference sources
- Biographical materials on Trần Văn Thời (1902–1942), Cà Mau provincial heritage information system.
- Côn Đảo National Heritage Conservation Centre, commemorative materials on Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Trần Văn Thời.
- Materials on the Lung Lá–Nhà Thể Provincial Party Committee Base heritage site and the Hòn Khoai Uprising of 1940.
- Information on the Hòn Khoai Uprising and the history of the revolutionary movement in Cà Mau province.
- Introductory materials on Hàng Dương Cemetery and the grave sections on Côn Đảo.