Tran Van Cung

Trần Văn Cung (Nghi Lộc, 5 May 1906 – Hanoi, 31 October 1977) was a Vietnamese revolutionary, who was the secretary of the first communist cell in Vietnam.

Family Trần Văn Cung was born 5 May 1906 in Kim Khe Trung village, Nghi Lộc District in Nghệ An Province (Annam) in 1906. Trần Văn Cung's father is Trần Văn Năng – a confucianist who was jailed by French colonial government for six months. His elder brother is Trần Văn Tăng – a teacher and revolutionist and member of New Revolutionary Party of Vietnam who was also jailed by the French and died in prison. His youngest brother is Trần Văn Quang who is a Colonel General (three-star general) of the People's Army of Vietnam. Trần Văn Cung married Trần Thị Liên.

Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League In 1926, Cung joined the Collège de Vinh where he also joined the Vietnam Restoration Association (Hội Hưng Nam). Then he was recruited by Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League (Hội Việt Nam Cách mạng Thanh niên) which founded by Ho Chi Minh. Cung went to Guangzhou to be trained by the Youth League and then returned to Vietnam and became a member of Tonkin Bureau of VARY.

In late 1928, Cung was voted to be head of Tonkin Bureau of the Youth League. In March 1929, he and other six radical members of VARY Tonkin Bureau including Nguyễn Đức Cảnh, Trịnh Đình Cửu, Đỗ Ngọc Du, Dương Hạc Đính, Ngô Gia Tự, Kim Tôn founded the first communist cell in Vietnam. Cung was voted to be the secretary of this cell.

In 1936, due to activities of Popular Front, France, Cung was released from prison. He then continued participate in communist movement in Nha Trang and then in Nghe An. In early 1945, he was a co-founders of Viet Minh in Nghệ-Tĩnh. When August Revolution broke out, Cung was the secretary of Viet Minh Front in Nghệ-Tĩnh.

In 1946, Trần Văn Cung as a member of Viet Minh was elected to be member of National Assembly of Vietnam (NA). In late 1946, he was elected to be member of Standing Committee of NA. In 1957, Cung was assigned to be Party Secretary of People's University (predecessor of now National Economics University). He died on 31 October 1977. He was awarded a Medal of Resistance (Huân chương Kháng chiến) by the State of Vietnam.