Van Bo, 1948

[Vsg] Van Bo, 1948: a query

vsg-list-archive

Balazs Szalontai <aoverl@yahoo.co.uk>

Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 6:26 PM

to Vietnam

Dear All,

let me ask a question about a person named (or pen-named) Van Bo. On 1 November 1948, the journal of the Communist Information Bureau published an article titled "The Vietnamese People: Defender of its Freedom and Independence," whose author was a certain Van Bo. Given the situation, it is quite possible that this was a pen name, and it is known that several prominent Vietnamese Communist leaders (including Ho Chi Minh) regularly used pen names even after 1954. It is also possible, however, that it was a real name. By any chance, can you identify the author?

With many thanks in advance,

Balazs Szalontai

Korea University, Sejong Campus

David Marr <david.marr@anu.edu.au>

Wed, Mar 16, 2016, 6:16 PM

to Balazs, Vietnam

It’s possible this is Mai Van Bo, who was active in ‘Van Hoa Cuu Quoc’ activities from 1945.  He was in the DRV foreign service later.

David Marr

ANU

Balazs Szalontai <aoverl@yahoo.co.uk>

Wed, Mar 16, 2016, 10:52 PM

To Hue-Tam, David, Vietnam

Dear David and Hue-Tam,

thanks a lot for this helpful suggestion! I noticed this similarity, but since my limited familiarity with MVB was confined to the 1960s, I would not have thought of him. It is very interesting to learn that his involvement in such matters started early enough to render this possible. If he was indeed identical with Van Bo, this raises one more question. How did he get in contact with the Cominform as early as 1948, when there were no official relations between the USSR and the DRV? I assume that the contact was established somehow through the participation of Vietnamese delegations in the Communist-sponsored international meetings held in 1948. In the spring and fall of that year, Pravda frequently reported the attendance of Vietnamese delegates at the meetings of the Women's International Democratic Federation and other similar organizations. 

With much gratitude,

Balazs

 From: David Marr <david.marr@anu.edu.au>

To: Balazs Szalontai <aoverl@yahoo.co.uk>; Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>

Sent: Thursday, 17 March 2016, 10:16

Subject: RE: [Vsg] Van Bo, 1948: a query

David Marr <david.marr@anu.edu.au>

Mon, Mar 21, 2016, 5:34 PM

to Balazs, Hue-Tam, Vietnam

Dear Balazs,

A DRV/Viet Minh delegation attended a big youth congress in Prague in 1948 I think.  Ranajit Guha (later founder of the `subaltern school’) attended from India, received a couple of English language pamphlets from the Vietnamese, and passed them to me in the 1980s.  I’m sure they are sitting in one of my files somewhere…

Cheers,

David