Chau Van Liem was born on 26-6-1902 in Rach Tra, Thoi Thanh Village, O Mon District, Can Tho Province (now Thoi Thanh Commune, Co Do District, Can Tho City). Born in a Confucian family, since childhood, Chau Van Liem was imparted the essence of Confucianism and national patriotic tradition. Such first page of his life led him to the path of national revolution later.
In 1915, after graduating from elementary school in his hometown, Chau Van Liem was sent to Can Tho and then Sai Gon (now Ho Chi Minh City) for his education. During those years in Sai Gon and Can Tho, Chau Van Liem learnt about Marxism - Leninism and patriotism through the confidential documents circulated inside and outside the country at that time. The most special one was Nguyen Ai Quoc’s Claims about “Peoples’ Rights”.
In 1924, Chau Van Liem graduated the pedagogical school and taught at Long Xuyen Elementary School. At the beginning of the academic year 1926 - 1927, he was transferred to Long Dien School, Cho Thu District (now An Giang Province). Here, he initiated and established the “Association of Patriotic Teachers and Students" in Long Xuyen (in mid-1926) and "Viet Nam phuc quoc Dang” (Vietnam Party for Recovering the National Independence) in Can Tho (in May 9-1926). He also secretly contacted passionate people and together they disseminated materials to enhance people's patriotism in the area of O Mon (particularly in the villages of Thanh Thoi, Thoi, Thoi Lai, Hoa Phong, ... ).
Late in 1927, Chau Van Liem was admitted to be a member of Ky bo “ Hoi Thanh nien Cach mang Viet Nam” (regional party headquarter of Viet Nam Revolutionary Youth Union). After that he was appointed the first party committee secretary of the "Viet Nam Revolutionary Youth Union" in Long Xuyen - Chau Doc. In February 1928, he was elected Provincial Party Committee Secretary of the "Viet Nam Revolutionary Youth Union" in Long Xuyen (now An Giang Province). At the end of 1928, Chau Van Liem opened a private school in Sa Dec (now Dong Thap Province) which served as a secret contact post of comrades in the Viet Nam Revolutionary Youth Union and as a legally public location for organizing revolutionary activities.
On January7th 1929, he was elected Secretary of the provisional Party Central Committee of An Nam Cong san Dang (An Nam Communist Party). In February 1929, after he moved to Sai Gon, he was elected Ky uy Nam Ky (regional headquarter in the southern). In February 1930, after consulting the organizations of the party, he was assigned to be in charge of the revolutionary movement in the province of Gia Dinh - Cholon.
In 1930, the Communist Party of Viet Nam was born to lead the revolutionary movement in the country. On June 4th 1930, Chau Van Liem led a large demonstration with the participation of more than 10 thousand people in Duc Hoa District, Cho Lon (now Long An Province). The demonstrators were bloodily suppressed and Comrade Chau Van Liem died at 21:05 on June 4th 1930 in the struggle.
Generations of today and tomorrow always commemorate Comrade Chau Van Liem as a loyal and resilient son of the nation and his great contributions to the national liberation movement in Can Tho.
Source : collected - Translated by: Ngoc Diep -CTU