I was given the book “Him Lam Moon and the Water of the Thu River” by writer Chau La Viet - Army Publishing House and Literature Publishing House, which included his novel of the same name. I was very moved because this book was about my comrades and teammates who participated in the Dien Bien campaign, such as Mac Ninh, Le Nam, Dao Dinh Luyen, Do Nhuan... Moreover, there was a character named Ngoc Tue, the leader of the Song and Dance Troupe of the General Political Department, which made me even more glued to it and not miss a single word in the nearly three hundred pages of the novel.
Book Him Lam Moon and Thu River Water - Literature Publishing House. Photo: TL
My first feeling was that I could not hide what I knew about the prototype of the family and the central character of this novel. I excitedly showed off to my veteran friends: The novel is about a love for Dien Bien, a love for Quang Nam, but it is actually the story of our neighbor family during the resistance war against the US in the Military Housing Area No. 3 - Ong Ich Khiem - Hanoi. And our friends, Mr. Le Nam, Ms. Huynh Thi Hiep, who were close comrades, were the prototypes of the novel!
It must be noted that this is a literary work that reflects very honestly the life of a soldier and cadre in Dien Bien (Him Lam Moon) and the life of a Southern woman who gathered in the North, who overcame many storms of life, in combat, in work, in production and in love (Thu River Water), Ms. Huynh Thi Diep. She was just a full moon old when the August Revolution broke out. She was in charge of the women's commune and joined the militia, fought bravely in many battles, and was seriously wounded in one battle.
When regrouping in the North, Ms. Diep was assigned to be in charge of the organization of the Nam Dinh Textile Factory, similar to the situation of Ms. Tu Hau in the novel "A story written in the hospital" by writer Bui Duc Ai in the past. From here, through the relationship of comrades and friends, the Quang Nam guerrilla girl fell in love with Dien Bien soldier Tran Ngoc. During the Dien Bien campaign, Tran Ngoc belonged to the 141st Regiment and fought in the opening battle of Him Lam, together with Mac Ninh, Tran Trong Tuyen, Dao Dinh Luyen, soldiers Ha Van Noa, Phan Dinh Giot...
That Dien Bien soldier, with brilliant achievements and a very handsome appearance, but too gentle, without the soldierly demeanor of his comrades, his slouched shoulders would not have had "any love affair to carry", even though the unit really wanted to build a family for this propaganda officer. And then finally, a solemn wedding with Major General Le Xuan as the officiant, that was the wedding of Huynh Thi Diep and Tran Ngoc, nurtured by his comrades, blossomed and bore fruit!
Huynh Thi Diep was assigned to study and work in the capital city of Hanoi. So the couple was able to "nest" at No. 3, Ong Ich Khiem - Military Housing Area. However, the heroic revolutionary tradition of the Quang people had penetrated deeply into Huynh Thi Diep's mind, so she still nurtured the will to return to her homeland of Quang to fight.
During the days when the Dien Bien soldier Tran Ngoc went into a new battle, to the front, his wife, Ms. Diep at home, received two decisions at the same time: One decision by the Minister of Industry "Considering the capacity and maturity of comrade Huynh Thi Diep", promoting her to the position of deputy director of a factory in the industry, and one decision by the Central Unification Committee sending her to perform a special mission (which she understood to be returning to her homeland to fight).
Without any hesitation, Diep immediately chose the second decision, returning to her homeland to fight. Because her heart was always filled with the war in her homeland, she always planned in her mind what to do first and what to do next if she was ordered to return home. Therefore, she made a move: One hand held the decision of the Central Unification Committee; the other hand led her three children to the Unification Committee's children's camp to register in advance. Diep breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the words of the women in charge of the camp: "This camp was established only to serve the cadres who went to the front and returned to their homeland to fight." Huynh Thi Diep is the model of a woman from Quang Nam: Say what you say, fight to the end!
Reading to page 94, I could not help but shed tears because the couple did not forget their blood ties. The night before her husband, Tran Ngoc, left for the front, they discussed going to Thanh Hoa to bring the graves of their ancestors back to their hometown in Ha Tinh. She searched for everything from her wedding ring to her spare change to save enough money for him to bring them back to their hometown peacefully. That was truly a profound lesson for future generations.
Not only that, but for all readers of this book about the noble humanity. We witness the deep character of the girl from Quang: Huynh Thi Diep, at the same time understand the talent and virtue of the soldier of Dien Bien Tran Ngoc. And feel warm through their love as well as the happiness of their family...
I will not say much more about the writings of Chau La Viet, which vividly describe the people and events of the two resistance wars of our country and the people of our nation; the richness of the materials, imbued with emotion in each word. Readers see the author as a member of the character's family. Moreover, Chau La Viet is a writer who specializes in writing about soldiers, so he is very fluent in the language of soldiers. He writes very well about the soldiers in the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
With this new novel, Chau La Viet has expressed with all her heart and soul, going back and forth, across the length and breadth of all sizes so that the work "Him Lam Moon and the Water of the Thu River" can reach readers as quickly and interestingly as possible.
What I want to confide is the image of the military political officer, specifically the image of the propaganda officer whose ranks I was in and who was very close to such as Le Nam, Mai Quoc Ca, Quoc Bao... described in the work very vividly, and also very heroic. Especially the last image of the soldiers sacrificed on the front line made me unable to hold back my tears, because a few days before, our troupe was here to perform for them.
This event, along with the heroic sacrifice of these men, I must confess that this is the first time I have seen literature and art reflect it. Once again, I would like to thank writer Chau La Viet for not only reflecting very truthfully and beautifully the image of the woman from Quang - the wife of a martyr in her work, but also vividly recreating the image of political officers who are always at the forefront, like brave and dynamic shock troops and ready to endure all sacrifices. You have gone through Dien Bien Phu, gone through Khe Sanh on Route 9 with heroic feats and are shining examples.
It is known that recently, writer Chau La Viet returned to Dien Bien to dedicate his works about Dien Bien to the mountains, forests and villages of the Northwest. Perhaps that sacred love makes his writings more sacred, touching and always touching our hearts?
Director Khac Tue
(Former Head of the Song and Dance Troupe of the General Political Department)
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