Under the Sirens: The 'Great Survival' of Vietnamese People in Russia

Author Nguyen Dinh Lam (right) takes souvenir photos with readers at the book launch - Photo: T.DIEU

That is the comment of critic Bui Viet Thang when reading the book Under the Siren Flowers above.

And the "great struggle" of Vietnamese people in foreign lands not only occupies the entire collection of short stories, which author Nguyen Dinh Lam considers to be his most favorite book of his life so far, but is also present in the author's previous collections of short stories, memoirs, and novels.

1. It is easy to understand why the theme of the fate of Vietnamese people making a living in Russia pervades Nguyen Dinh Lam's works.

He wrote his own stories, those of his friends, those of the workers in his shopping mall.

Nine years of studying and more than 12 years as the general director of a shopping mall in Russia, managing thousands of people, have allowed his sympathetic eyes to see many difficult stories of the lives of expatriates in the land of white birch snow.

This doctor of history took up writing because of his debt to his own difficult years in a foreign land and to his friends and people he knew, not because he wanted to become a writer.

His writing is simple, telling stories in linear order, like a conversation between relatives, with absolutely no trace of literary effort.

Yet each page still captivates readers with very real stories revealing the challenging and bitter fates of many Vietnamese people seeking a new life in a foreign land during a period of chaotic transition.

Readers find in Nguyen Dinh Lam's short story collection the stories of Vietnamese students in Russia who give up their summer vacations to return to farms to work hard to earn money ( Under the Shadow of the Siren ), or risk their lives to trade, always in fear of being arrested (The Last Business Trip) .

Or the fate of small traders who work hard all year round suddenly fall into debt and poverty because they are cheated out of all their money in Debt of Gratitude.

And I really feel sorry for the stories of "good" girls who go abroad hoping to change their lives but are pushed by life and have to take a wrong turn in Mom, I'm Sorry...

Readers also see the fierce competition that Vietnamese traders in Russia face, causing one to become a tycoon in a moment, another to become bankrupt (A memorable flight).

In that chaotic struggle for food and clothing, many heartbreaking scenes occurred, such as being betrayed and having one's property seized by one's own employees (The Traitor)...

Short story collection Under the Siren Flower by Nguyen Dinh Lam, Writers Association Publishing House - Photo: T.DIEU

Critic Bui Viet Thang calls it a writing style that "dip the pen into the truth". Mr. Thang spent nearly 1,000 days living in Russia, so he understood every word when reading Nguyen Dinh Lam's stories.

2. It is this narrative nature and abundance of living material that makes Nguyen Dinh Lam's literature so attractive.

Readers do not seek the pleasure of enjoying sublime literary art in it, but seek real stories about a part of their compatriots in faraway lands that even their relatives do not know well, and have not had the opportunity to see through their hardships.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, was moved at the book launch to express his gratitude to writer Nguyen Dinh Lam for "bringing to literature more beauty, to life more mystery, to the lives of people with hardships and difficulties more encouragement."

He said that if Nguyen Dinh Lam had not recorded it, the fates of Vietnamese people in Russia would have passed without anyone understanding or sharing.

For Mr. Thieu personally, the collection of stories helped him suddenly see the fate of his younger brother, sister-in-law and nephew during their years in Russia, which he had only seen on the bright side.

"I read it and couldn't hold back my tears, thinking that my younger brother might be in that unfortunate story, in that despair, in that endless sadness of missing his homeland...

Before, I just thought my brother there lived in a nice house, wore nice clothes, drove a nice car, ate delicious bread... I never expected that my brother would be one of the fates of this book," Mr. Thieu confided.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/duoi-tan-hoa-siren-cuoc-muu-sinh-vi-dai-cua-nguoi-viet-tren-dat-nga-2024052310411051.htm