War stories

Every year, on April 30, my grandmother is filled with joy and at the same time filled with sadness, missing her blood brothers who went to fight for the Fatherland and never returned.

I only know my grandfather's face on the altar - Photo: NVCC

My grandparents' family had five martyrs: three of her brothers, my grandfather's brother, and my grandfather. All of them died on the battlefield at a young age.

When he died, my grandfather was only twenty-five years old, my wife was two years younger, and my father had just learned to walk.

The loss was so heartbreaking. The thing she had been worrying about all night had finally come to pass.

She said that in those days everyone considered death as light as a feather, not to mention wife, children, or family.

He died right on the Dragon Boat Festival in 1970. His body was left in the sun until afternoon before being received.

She cried until she had no more tears. From then on, the young wife was a widow and her child was a fatherless child.

Pain followed pain when a few years later the family was shocked to receive death notices of three more martyrs. None of them had wives, some had never even known love. The price of peace was so high that just hearing about its brutality was terrifying to me.

Every time she lit incense before the altar and looked at the portrait of him and his three brothers, she choked up: "Peace has come, but all the brothers are gone. It must be a comfort to have one person alive. But now..."

And looking at the certificates of merit from the Fatherland honoring her hanging on the wall, I feel more clearly what war is.

It took away so many innocent people who should have lived happily with their children and grandchildren today. It left such lasting pain that even after 50 years of national reunification, the pain of those who survived has not yet subsided.

The pain is truly not unique to one family. In the surrounding neighborhood, every house that has a member who went to war has a certificate of merit from the Fatherland. Go one, sacrifice one. Go two, sacrifice two. Like my paternal great-grandmother, a heroic Vietnamese mother .

The same goes for the monthly death benefit . Every penny of this small sum holds great value, it was exchanged for blood and bones, not happiness. Every time she received the money, she would sigh: "Poor thing, dead but still supporting a wife and children."

She carefully and preciously saved up for the most complete and proper anniversary of his death. For the past several decades, she has never missed a single anniversary of his death, always with enough food and a full tray.

She said that in the past, during the war, there was no way to eat delicious food like now. So, even though it was just a pleasant smell, at least she was satisfied to take care of her husband completely.

For her, she kept her true love for him all her life - her first love and only husband - and never changed. Her steadfast loyalty was proven by her faithfulness to her husband and her determination not to remarry. Because she thought that there was no joy in remarrying after her husband had died so painfully.

Worshiping her husband, living with him with memories of their youthful love mixed with memories of the fierce war. And she has the right to be proud because she is the wife of a soldier of Uncle Ho who heroically sacrificed for the country for the past 50 years, the North and South were unified under one roof.

Thank you readers for submitting your entries to the Peace Storytelling contest.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of peace, the Peace Storytelling writing contest (organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper, accompanied by Vietnam Rubber Group) allows readers to send in touching, unforgettable stories of each family, each person as well as thoughts about the reunification day of April 30, 1975, about 50 years of peace.

The contest is open to all Vietnamese people at home and abroad, without age or occupation limits.

Peace Stories accepts articles of up to 1,200 words in Vietnamese, with accompanying photos and videos, and sent to hoabinh@tuoitre.com.vn. Articles are only accepted via email, not by post to avoid loss.

Quality entries will be selected to be published on Tuoi Tre products, receive royalties, and the entries that pass the preliminary round will be printed into a book (no royalties paid - no sale). The entries must not have participated in any other writing contest and must not have been published on media or social networks.

Authors submitting articles are responsible for the copyright of their articles, photos and videos . Illustration photos and videos taken from social networks without copyright will not be accepted.

Authors must provide their address, phone number, email, account number, and citizen identification number so that the organizing committee can contact them and send them royalties or prizes.

As of March 17, the Peace Storytelling writing contest has received 60 entries from readers.

Award Ceremony and Book Launch of Peace Stories

The jury, consisting of famous journalists, cultural figures and representatives of Tuoi Tre newspaper, will review and award the entries that have passed the preliminary round and choose to award the best entries.

The award ceremony, book launch of Peace Stories and the special issue of Tuoi Tre newspaper 30-4 are scheduled to be held at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street at the end of April 2025. The decision of the organizing committee is final.

Peace Storytelling Award

- 1 first prize: 15 million VND + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 2 second prizes: 7 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 3 third prizes: 5 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 10 consolation prizes: 2 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 10 reader-voted prizes: 1 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition. Voting points are calculated based on interactions with the article, in which 1 star = 15 points, 1 heart = 3 points, 1 like = 2 points.

The awards also come with certificates, books, and Tuoi Tre 30-4 special edition.

Organizing Committee

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-ke-chien-tranh-20250318095256385.htm