The gold of character is sacrifice...

Diary of a Female War Journalist (Writers Association Publishing House, 2025) is a realistic, emotional slice of the life of female journalist and poet Le Thu, recording her experiences living and working on the Central battlefield, especially Binh Dinh - her hometown, during the final fierce years of the resistance war against the US to save the country.

The book "Diary of a Female War Journalist" is a small gift that the author wants to send to readers on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification. Photo: NGO PHONG

This diary was written in 1973 - the time she left Hanoi, away from her young son to go to the battlefield with a special mission: Participate in the establishment of the Liberation Radio Station of Zone 5. From the moment she said goodbye to her son in the hammock, to each step of carrying rice, hanging a hammock in the middle of Truong Son forest, encountering artillery fire, many times between life and death... all were recounted in a sincere, rustic but profound voice, full of femininity but full of courage and determination.

Each page of the diary is a continuation of vivid stories about life in the Truong Son mountains and forests, about hardships and extreme deprivation, but also a place where humanity, courage and revolutionary ideals converge. There, a devoted mother, a child always turns to her old father and her hometown Binh Dinh. There, a revolutionary journalist dedicates himself tirelessly. At the same time, this is also a "silent melody" about very personal emotions - full of emotion and humanity - like the whispers in the poems Writing for children, Sending love back, or the immense joy with the first steps on the homeland; the thoughtfulness and warm affection between the army and the people on the Binh Dinh battlefield..., as the author confided: "All events and details in this diary are completely true, from my own perspective on the scale of values". The book is a crystallization of journalistic and literary materials, of reality and emotion, of civic responsibility and human feelings.

Page by page, The Diary of a Female War Journalist helps remind today's generation that there was a generation that lived, loved, fought and sacrificed for such a great ideal! As the author expressed her respect and love: "The pure gold of personality is the virtue of sacrifice, the altruism, the depth of a culture of living "forgetting oneself for the country" of our ancestors forever. And, I love the young soldiers full of youthful enthusiasm, intelligence and compassion of the liberation army, now some are dead and some are still alive... They are like pure gold bars, which will never rust with time!" (p. 330).

First published by the People's Army Publishing House in 2015, The Diary of a Female War Journalist has been sympathized with and loved by many readers, writers, and literary critics. However, due to the limited number of copies in the military library system, many readers have not had the opportunity to access the work. This reprint, printed and distributed by the Writers' Association Publishing House, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification, is an opportunity for the spiritual values that the book preserves to continue to spread to readers today and tomorrow.

NGO PHONG

Source: https://baobinhdinh.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=18&macmp=18&mabb=354124