Phu Rieng Do
Encyclopedia
Phu Rieng Do is the name of a famous labor movement at Phu Rieng Rubber Plantation in Vietnam in 1930.
Phú Riềng was one of about 25 French colonial rubber plantations that stretched along a 300 kilometer band from the South China Sea to the Mekong River in Cambodia. After World War I, the French colonial government had allocated huge blocks of forest land to metropolitan corporations; from 1920 on, large amounts of capital became available to construct roads, nurture rubber seedings, clear land and plant saplings. More than 30,000 laborers from Tonkin (Tongking) were recruited to develop those rubber plantations. Phú Riềng was the biggest rubber plantation of the Michelin
company in Vietnam at that time.
The French capitalists exploited the workers pitilessly and brutally. The working and living conditions in those rubber plantations were described as "hell on earth". According to the official records of the colonial administration, 17 percent of Phú Riềng workers died in only 1927 but even that figure might be conservative, since the plantation supervisory staff had reason to cover up some losses.
On February 3, 1930, more than 5,000 rubber workers at the Phú Riềng Rubber Plantation, under the leadership of a communist named Trần Tử Bình
, rebelled against the plantation's owner to protest against the cruel and slave-like working conditions at the plantation.. The "rebellion" workers occupied the local administration and established an autonomic control for four days. They arrested the French plantation supervisor and forced him to agree to their requests to improve working conditions at the plantation. The workers started a demonstration against the colonial administration in the area.
Fearing the spread of the movement to neighboring areas, on 6 February 1930, the French colonial government sent 300 legionnaires, 500 local soldiers under the direct command of the Governor of Cochinchina, Krauheimer; Resident of Bien Hoa, Marty; his assistant, Vilmont; the head of Sûreté, Arnoux, up to Phú Riềng. The movement was soon repressed. The leader of the movement, Trần Tử Bình, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment on Côn Đảo
island. The Phú Riềng Đỏ movement became the first labor movement in Vietnam directed by the Vietnamese Communists.
Phú Riềng was one of about 25 French colonial rubber plantations that stretched along a 300 kilometer band from the South China Sea to the Mekong River in Cambodia. After World War I, the French colonial government had allocated huge blocks of forest land to metropolitan corporations; from 1920 on, large amounts of capital became available to construct roads, nurture rubber seedings, clear land and plant saplings. More than 30,000 laborers from Tonkin (Tongking) were recruited to develop those rubber plantations. Phú Riềng was the biggest rubber plantation of the Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
company in Vietnam at that time.
The French capitalists exploited the workers pitilessly and brutally. The working and living conditions in those rubber plantations were described as "hell on earth". According to the official records of the colonial administration, 17 percent of Phú Riềng workers died in only 1927 but even that figure might be conservative, since the plantation supervisory staff had reason to cover up some losses.
On February 3, 1930, more than 5,000 rubber workers at the Phú Riềng Rubber Plantation, under the leadership of a communist named Trần Tử Bình
Tran Tu Binh
Trần Tử Bình was a Vietnamese revolutionary who later became one of the first generals of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ambassador to People's Republic of China ....
, rebelled against the plantation's owner to protest against the cruel and slave-like working conditions at the plantation.. The "rebellion" workers occupied the local administration and established an autonomic control for four days. They arrested the French plantation supervisor and forced him to agree to their requests to improve working conditions at the plantation. The workers started a demonstration against the colonial administration in the area.
Fearing the spread of the movement to neighboring areas, on 6 February 1930, the French colonial government sent 300 legionnaires, 500 local soldiers under the direct command of the Governor of Cochinchina, Krauheimer; Resident of Bien Hoa, Marty; his assistant, Vilmont; the head of Sûreté, Arnoux, up to Phú Riềng. The movement was soon repressed. The leader of the movement, Trần Tử Bình, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment on Côn Đảo
Con Dao
The Con Dao Islands are an archipelago of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, in southeastern Vietnam, and a district of this province.-Description:Situated at about from Vung Tau and from Ho Chi Minh City, the group includes 16 mountainous islands and islets...
island. The Phú Riềng Đỏ movement became the first labor movement in Vietnam directed by the Vietnamese Communists.