A realistic and touching novel about a man and an era named Ho Chi Minh
In 2022, writer Nguyen The Ky, after much effort, persistently accumulated "food" (documents, historical materials, field trips...); analyzed, compared, and contrasted existing documents; structured an outline and started writing two parallel works of novels and artistic epics, both titled "Nuon son van dam".
Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Khanh Thanh• May 14, 2025
Ho Chi Minh - The genius leader of our Party, State and people, National Liberation Hero, Outstanding Cultural Celebrity of Vietnam and the world. In him, there is the convergence, combination, and promotion to the highest and most perfect level of the cultural quintessence of the nation and the era, the East and the West, ancient and modern, wisdom and humanity, greatness and humility. He is the source of light, the endless source of inspiration for the struggle for national liberation, class liberation, and human liberation in Vietnam and many countries in the world. He is also the source of inspiration, the never-ending and unending topic of writers, poets, journalists, and artists in many forms of journalism, literature, and art. However, writing about Ho Chi Minh, portraying sharply, truthfully, and vividly the image of Ho Chi Minh, his noble and great revolutionary career is always not an easy task for anyone.
In the field of literature, in the novel genre, there are not many works written about President Ho Chi Minh up to now. The most successful writer on this topic is Son Tung with“Blue Lotus”, “Golden Lotus”, “Farewell at Nha Rong Wharf”…; followed by writers: Ho Phuong with“Father and Son”;Hoang Quang Uyen with 3-volume novel series:“Looking at the homeland”, “Pac Bo sun”, “Liberation”;Nguyen The Quang with“Song of the Rivers”…However, the authors mentioned above have not yet produced a novel large enough about Ho Chi Minh in terms of length in time, breadth in space, height in thought and art. That is a fact.
In 2022, writer Nguyen The Ky, after much effort, persistently accumulated "food" (documents, historical materials, field trips...); analyzed, compared, and contrasted existing documents; structured an outline and started writing two parallel works of novels and artistic epics, both named“"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers".The artistic epic has completed part I."Debt to the country"in the massive 5-part script, the play sing"Debt to the country"has reached a wide audience in many provinces, cities, agencies and units across the country. The novel series“"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"Release one volume to readers each year:"Debt to the country", 2022;"Drifting the four seas", 2023;“From Viet Bac to Hanoi”, early 2024,“The Road to Dien Bien”,end of 2024 and episode 5 - final episode“Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh”, launched to readers in mid-May 2025, commemorating the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday.
Through meticulous and serious research on history, politics, culture, etc.; through experience and accumulation of life experiences for many years in his hometown Nghe An and many other regions in and outside the country, Nguyen The Ky has built in"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"The character image, historical and social context surrounding the main character Nguyen Sinh Cung - Nguyen Tat Thanh - Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh are realistic, vivid, simple, have humanistic depth and attract readers. Nguyen The Ky's poetics of the novel is quite solid, bold, creative and courageous. The author is consistent with the fictional prose genre, through characters, circumstances, and events to reflect the broad social picture of Vietnam and the world. Many lines and dialogues in"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"vividly and realistically depicts the image, personality, inner life, and thoughts of the main character and related characters. Russian literary critic VG Belinsky once said: "The novel is the epic of private life", accordingly,"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"is a great epic about Ho Chi Minh and the country of Vietnam through each stage of life and revolutionary path.
Through the pen of Nguyen The Ky, through the life of Ho Chi Minh in 5 novels, readers seem to live with the main character Nguyen Sinh Cung in his homeland Vietnam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, full of pain and the burning will to escape slavery; grow up with Nguyen Tat Thanh in Hue, Binh Dinh, Phan Thiet, Saigon; step onto the ship Amiral Latouche Treville with Nguyen Tat Thanh - Nguyen Van Ba to begin"Drifting the four seas"find a way to save the country. In 1919, Nguyen Ai Quoc joined the French Socialist Party; in 1920, he was exposed to Lenin's "First Draft of Theses on the National and Colonial Questions", became a party member and founder of the French Communist Party; On February 3, 1930, in Hong Kong, China, he chaired the conference to unify three communist organizations in the country into a single party - the Communist Party of Vietnam; on January 28, 1941, he returned to the Fatherland,“From Viet Bac to Hanoi”made the August Revolution of 1945, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, opening a new era for the nation - the Ho Chi Minh era.“The Road to Dien Bien”is the journey that Ho Chi Minh and his people went through 9 years of resistance against French colonialism, creating the resounding victory of Dien Bien Phu. With the Geneva Agreement of 1954, it was thought that the country would be peaceful and unified, but the US imperialists and their lackeys Ngo Dinh Diem brutally trampled on the Agreement, brutally oppressed compatriots and comrades in the South. The whole country again raised the will "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" to "fight to make the Americans go away" and move towards "fighting to make the puppet regime fall" 6 years after Ho Chi Minh returned to the world of the virtuous. The sacred Testament that he left behind; his thoughts, morality, and style will forever be with the country. The name“Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh”forever bright, forever resound with the country's mountains and rivers.
Besides the main character Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh, there are many people, many fates, events, lands, situations, many joys and sorrows, happiness and suffering... through"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"appear fresh, anxious, haunting, proud, and urging. Some obscure parts of history are also painstakingly researched and clarified by the author in a sincere and convincing manner.
The novel series"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"by writer Nguyen The Ky has depicted the image of Ho Chi Minh from the cultural, patriotic, revolutionary traditions of the homeland, of the nation combined with the cultural and revolutionary quintessence of the times to reach the heights of humanity: Patriotism has profound humanistic content; National liberation goes hand in hand with class liberation, social liberation, human liberation; Praising people as the decisive factor of history; Genuine national and democratic revolution inevitably develops into socialist revolution; National strength is always associated with the strength of the times. He especially values the people, praising "People are the root", "the Master" of the revolution, of the country, the one who creates history. The ideology of patriotism, love for the people, respect for people; the truth "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom"; Pure, noble morality, ready to sacrifice oneself for a great cause; simple, close, modest, honest style... All of these are valuable ideological and cultural heritages that he left for the country, for the people and for all humanity.
Readers go through 5 novels"Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"With over a thousand pages of books, I turn each book over to reminisce, reflect, love, respect, and be grateful to the main character - President Ho Chi Minh in the epic space of Vietnam associated with the world in the late 19th century and most of the 20th century... I respectfully acknowledge and appreciate the efforts, creativity, and true success of writer Nguyen The Ky."Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers"will certainly have a journey to reach readers closer, more passionately, spreading love, hope, and trust about the past, present, and future.
