Book introduces letters of Vietnamese soldiers during wartime

Precious historical documents

During wartime, writing letters was considered a part of the daily life of every soldier. They wrote letters to express their feelings to the recipients. After sending letters, they anxiously hoped they would reach the recipient, and were overjoyed upon receiving a reply. During this entire process, they lived in waiting and hope.

War veteran Dang Vuong Hung admitted that at that time, writing, sending, and receiving letters was a source of life, which was as essential as food and water.

It can even be said that letters played as a spiritual foundation for us to stay alive and overcome the fierceness of war.

‘Letters during wartime’ gathers hundreds of letters penned by soldiers who joined the country’s two national wars to protect the country.

These are letters filled with love for the soldiers’ families and loved ones. They also include stories about tense confrontations with the enemy, the loss and pain of seeing comrades die, or simply diaries narrating life on the battlefield.

In his letter to his wife before the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Senior Lieutenant General Vu Lang, former Commander-in-chief of Corps No.3 under the Central Highlands Highland Army Corps, wrote that he and his comrades had spent more than two months of marching continuously, traveling all day and all night to cover an average of 34-45 km (some days up to 62 km) under the scorching sun, enduring dry throats without a drop of clear water. They even marched overnight under the rain, as rainwater seeped into the body, chilling to the bone, and leeches clung to the legs and feet.

Some letters were penned while resting between marches. They recalled the reality of a soldiers’ life so vividly that readers may get the impression they are marching with the writers and feel their great courage and determination.

Despite the fierceness of the resistance wars for national liberation and the fragile boundaries of life and death, letters sent by Uncle Ho's soldiers to the rear remained full of trust and strong will in the battlefield.

Surely when writing these letters, few senders would have thought that one day they would become priceless memorabilia of the heroic historic period of the nation. And most of the owners of the letters are no longer alive.

Despite the fierceness of the resistance wars for national liberation and the fragile boundaries of life and death, letters sent by Uncle Ho's soldiers to the rear remained full of trust and strong will in the battlefield.

“These pages of letters, diaries, and notes provide extremely valuable information and documents. They reveal many things about the spiritual, material and socio-cultural life of the past, thus contributing to explaining the secrets of history, and make our present and future better”, shared Dang Vuong Hung.

Spreading the ideal of a beautiful life

In addition to soldiers’ letters, the book also introduces letters written by people from various backgrounds coming from all regions of the country during wartime. They include intellectuals, workers, farmers, and students.

The letters were collected by war veteran, poet, and journalist Dang Vuong Hung over many years.

The senders conveyed in their letters a mixture of thoughts and feelings, including optimism of victory, nostalgia, love, and sometimes moments of sadness and pain.

All of the letters belong to a “brave young generation who were ready to sacrifice and dedicate their youth to revolutionary ideal and national liberation,” said Nguyen Hoai Anh, deputy director of Su That National Political Publishing House.

“These letters are also profound evidence of their love for family, the love among couples, and the love for the homeland and motherland,” he commented. “They have contributed to the unforgettable, glorious, and heroic history of Vietnam.”

War veteran, poet, and journalist Dang Vuong Hung

Reader Dang Van Thang, said that the book reminds him of the days when I fought in the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel in 1972, which claimed the lives of many of his comrades. However, for him, it was a great and everlasting honour to fight to protect the country.

The book is not only attractive to war veterans and the elderly but also to many young readers.

Nguyen Dam Linh, a first-year student at the National Economics University shared that she was very touched to read the letters sent by soldiers to their families before battles.

Through the letters, she held that the peace today was bought with the blood and lives of many soldiers, who lived and fought for the noble revolutionary ideal of 'Determined to Brave Death for the Survival of the Fatherland'.

Sharing the same feelings, Le An Hai, a first-year student from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), expressed that without these letters, young people would hardly understand the life of soldiers under the rain of bombs and bullets.

“The book helps me feel the resilient spirit of a heroic generation, who set aside their study to enlist in the army to defend the country. The book also motivated me to try harder in studying and improving myself", An Hai added.

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