Kostas Sarantidis was honoured with the Friendship Order by former President Nguyen Minh Triet in Hanoi on January 7, 2011 and was granted Vietnamese nationality two days later under the name Nguyen Van Lap which was given to him in the 1946 by his Vietnamese companions-in-arms.
The 400-page vividly describes Sarantidis’ life when he fought in Vietnamese People’s Army’s Regiment 803 during the resistance war against the French colonists (1946 - 1954). It also includes his personal diary and a memoir ‘Why I Chose the Viet Minh’ and ‘At a Prison Camp in South Vietnam’.
The diary begins on February 6, 1946, the day young Kostas was enlisted in the French Foreign Legion to land in Saigon and continues until June 4, 1946, when he left the aggressive army to join the Vietnamese People’s Army. These very lively diary entries record what happened during his days in Vietnam and reveal how his thoughts and feelings changed as he witnessed the brutality of the French invaders. He eventually chose to do what he thought was right: to stand in the ranks of the Vietnamese revolution and fight for the country’s liberation and independence.
After several days of contact with Le Trung Bien, a Viet Minh cadre who was detained by the French colonists, and a beautiful Viet Minh spy named Ly Ly (Mai Le), Kostas Sarantidis eventually decided to join the Vietnamese resistance forces early on the morning of June 4, 1946, a particularly memorable day in his life. He fled the French military post to the liberal zone together with 25 prisoners. From that significant day, he stood fully on the front line against the French invaders. He officially became one of ‘Uncle Ho's soldiers’ in a regular unit of the Vietnamese People's Army. He was also admitted into the Communist Party of Vietnam and appointed as the general supervisor of the European-African Prison Camp in Inter-region 5 to educate foreign prisoners.
Kostas' memoir ‘At a Prision Camp in South Vietnam’ portrays the difficulties and challenges in detaining and educating arrested soldiers and officers of the French Foreign Legion who came from different countries including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. the prisoners’ thoughts were extremely complicated and the lack of facilities such as clothing, food, and medicine made life hard. Sabotage by enemy spies made the situation even more difficult. Even while facing numerous challenges and making many sacrifices, Kostas Sarantidis-Nguyen Van Lap still maintained his sincerity and principles with a prudent and flexible attitude. He made significant contributions to changing the European and African prisoners’ viewpoints and, when they were released, they were grateful to the Vietnamese people and cadres who had treated them humanely with respect and tolerance.
The second part of the book is stories about Nguyen Van Lap written by his comrades and companions-in-arms. The authors give the readers a clear understanding of Nguyen Van Lap by telling of his various activities such as joining the land reform movement, distributing food aid, acting in films, serving as a driver and an interpreter, and marrying a Vietnamese woman. Although he eventually returned to Greece in 1965, the heart of this international soldier was always turned towards Vietnam. He supported Vietnam in its resistance war against the U.S. imperialists and supports Agent Orange victims as well as victims of natural disasters. The book includes many other touching stories about his return trips to Vietnam to meet his comrades and revisit people and the places he had lived. He was awarded many distinctions from the Party and State, and attended the ceremony to present the ‘Hero of the People's Armed Forces’ title to Regiment 803, in which he had served as a soldier for many years. Kostas was also warmly received by General Vo Nguyen Giap and former President Nguyen Minh Triet.
‘Uncle Ho’s International Soldier Kostas Sarantidis-Nguyen Van Lap’ is currently being translated into English and French for foreign readers.
