Some notes for peace day

Vài mẩu ghi cho ngày hòa bình - Ảnh 1. — People recorded the magnificent fireworks display on the evening of April 30, 2024 - Photo: THANH HIEP

"Which car are you following, dad?"

"It was a car broadcasting victory celebrations, not just any car. Everyone ran out and jumped up and down to celebrate. Those wearing conical hats threw them. Those with scarves threw them. Fathers threw their sandals. We didn't know what to do so we just jumped up and down..."

A man holding a gun thinks about his child day and night. In front of me, most clearly, is the old man's toothless smile, one eye squinted, the other sunken..."Still alive to come back and take care of my child".

So there, my father spoke of the day of peace when he was fourteen. A day of joy that I had never experienced but I felt it.

Peace.

I live in peace. Breathing, eating, sleeping, resting, studying, cycling, watching music shows, jogging, dating, buying noodles, sitting and drinking coffee, writing, going to the fields to fly kites, taking my grandchildren out to play, going to the temple with my mother, calculating, sweeping the yard... All my thoughts, my actions, my memories all take place in peace.

My maternal family had fourteen children. One of my uncles and aunts died when they were very young. My grandparents, like many wartime couples, had to give birth, raise their children, and run. They ran with their children.

I still remember that in my grandparents’ house there was a cement shelter. Crouching down and crawling inside, I was surrounded by a dark, suffocating color. My grandparents, my aunts, uncles and mother used to crouch in that darkness, worried about the bombs. Then one day, my grandparents held their children and took refuge in the sunlight forever.

My paternal grandfather's house was in a rice-growing area. My paternal grandmother died early. My paternal grandfather went to war. My father stayed home and lived with his paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother. Each family lived for a few dozen days. My father was very young and grew up in a time of turmoil, receiving love and care from most of his relatives. They pitied my father for losing his mother. Later, my paternal grandfather returned and lost an eye.

My grandmother didn't tell me much about her days of fighting. She only replied "it hurt like hell" when I asked her if her eyes hurt. But she was still alive. She added later: she lived to come back and take care of her children. I couldn't imagine what she was hearing.

Peace.

I am enjoying all its privileges. Bombs are news reports, video reports from faraway places. I am lucky to have lived through a peaceful, quiet time. I am lucky to have been born in a beautiful time. I am luckier than millions of people. I feel the luck, but I have not experienced its origin: the day my father broke the strap of his sandal while celebrating the victory.

Now my grandparents are gone. My father is gone too. There are not many relatives left who can tell me about the old days. The days when my father had not yet met my mother, and my siblings and I had not yet formed. Only by being asked to follow the boats carrying memories on the river of time, could we hear a few minutes of a hundred-year-old story.

The day of peace fifty years ago, so bright, so beautiful, we cannot remember it all. We cannot know it all, but we can remember. Remember.

Peace.

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 restrictions.

Peace Stories accepts articles of up to 1,200 words in Vietnamese, with accompanying photos and videos, and sent to the email address [email protected]. Articles are only accepted via email, not via post to avoid loss.

Quality entries will be selected to be published in 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 in the media or social networks.

Authors are responsible for the copyright of their articles, photos and videos. They will not accept illustrative photos and videos taken from social networks without copyright. Authors must provide their address, phone number, email, account number, and citizen identification number so that the organizers can contact them and send them royalties or prizes.

As of March 20, the Peace Storytelling writing contest has received 80 entries from readers.

Award Ceremony and Book Launch of Peace Stories

The jury, including famous journalists, cultural figures and representatives of Tuoi Tre newspaper, will review and award prizes from the preliminary entries and choose to award prizes to the best entries.

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