The mother has carried the pain of Agent Orange throughout her life.

Eight pregnancies and losses

Sitting opposite Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nam, looking at her face etched with the marks of time and her distant gaze, everyone could sense the pain this woman had endured. Strangely, throughout the conversation, she didn't shed a single tear. Perhaps after so much loss, her tears had dried up, or perhaps the series of misfortunes had taught her to remain silent and endure.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam (born in 1957) lives alone in a small house at the end of an alley in Kim Nhan 3 village, Anh Son commune, Nghe An province. The house, once filled with laughter, now seems too large for this woman with a limping gait. Each slow step seems to carry an entire lifetime of hardships.

She recounted slowly, "My life story is long, full of misfortunes, and I don't know where to begin. I only know that all those sufferings stemmed from the brutal war and will follow me for the rest of my life..."

In 1976, fresh out of school, Nguyen Thi Nam bid farewell to her hometown of Dien Loc (now Tan Chau commune) to attend military medical school and became a nurse at Military Hospital 4. The war had just ended, and the hospital was still facing numerous difficulties. Hundreds of wounded soldiers from various battlefields arrived for treatment, carrying with them both physical wounds and indelible memories.

Day after day caring for the wounded, the young nurse came to understand the brutality of war. Each person had their own circumstances, their own wounds, but they all shared the pain of those who had endured bombs and bullets.

Among them was wounded soldier Nguyen Dinh De (born in 1951), from Hung Son commune, Anh Son district (now Nhan Hoa commune). He had fought in the battlefields of Southern Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and still had many shrapnel fragments in his body. Gentle, down-to-earth, yet witty, this soldier gradually won the affection of the young nurse.

The caregiver's kindness, the soldier's sincerity, and their shared experiences of life brought them closer. After years of war, the soldier longed for a peaceful home filled with the laughter of children. Meanwhile, the young nurse's heart beat with love for the hardships, struggles, and pain the soldier had endured during the brutal years of war.

After his treatment, Mr. De returned to his unit to continue his work, while Mrs. Nam remained at the hospital. Despite the distance, they always thought of each other. Nearly seven years later, overcoming many challenges, the two decided to get married.

The wedding was held in early spring of 1984, much to the joy of both families. Shortly after, Mrs. Nam became pregnant. Her husband, who had been through life and death together, was overjoyed, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child.

But that happiness was short-lived. With only a few months left until her due date, she unexpectedly discovered that the fetus had died in utero. Subsequent pregnancies repeated this tragedy. Despite her best efforts, in the final months of her pregnancy, she had to painfully bid farewell to a child who never had the chance to utter its first cry. Out of eight pregnancies, she only managed to keep three children.

In 1987, she did almost no strenuous work in the hope of preserving the pregnancy. Then joy came when her baby girl, Nguyen Thi Dung, was born. After years of longing, the couple thought happiness had finally smiled upon them.

But their joy was short-lived. Soon after, they painfully realized their daughter was not developing normally. Dung had a deformed physique, difficulty moving, intellectual disability, and was almost incapable of feeling her parents' love like other children. It was a huge shock for a mother who had already lost several children.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh De, however, seemed to understand the cause of that tragedy. He knew he was bearing the consequences of war. In the soldier's memory, the deforested, desolate, and deadly landscapes after the chemical rains remained vivid. At the hospital, doctors concluded that he had been exposed to Agent Orange, leaving lasting effects for future generations.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Nam and her husband never gave up hope. Later, she gave birth to two sons, Nguyen Van Son (1990) and Nguyen Van Tho (1993), both healthy. The family of five seemed to have found peace again, although their eldest daughter still needed her parents' care for her meals and sleep.

Invisible injuries

In 2007, his old wounds recurred, and Mr. Nguyen Dinh De passed away. The former war invalid was recognized as a martyr by the State. The support from various levels of government, agencies, and organizations helped alleviate some of Mrs. Nam's difficulties, but nothing could fill the void left by her husband and father. She only hoped to raise her children to adulthood to fulfill her husband's dying wish.

But fate continued its cruelties. Shortly after his father's death, his son, Nguyen Van Son, tragically died in a traffic accident. This pain tore at the mother's heart once more. Then, not long after, Nguyen Thi Dung – her daughter with a congenital disability whom she had cared for her whole life – also quietly passed away.

The house, already deserted, became even more desolate. The mother was bidding farewell to another child. Now, her only remaining hope rested on her youngest son, Nguyen Van Tho. He and his wife lived next door to his mother and were still hoping for a child with the help of modern medicine.
The war is long over, but in Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nam's family, the pain still lingers in every memory and loss. Her children could not grow up, and her husband, who passed away with the lasting effects of Agent Orange, has left an irreplaceable void. The pain she, a mother and wife, experiences in peacetime helps us appreciate our peaceful lives even more, and encourages us to empathize and share more with families suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.

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Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam is one of the families receiving preferential treatment, always receiving attention from the local Party committee, government, and mass organizations through visits and encouragement, especially during holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), and the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs. This is an expression of gratitude and sharing from the community towards a family that has made many sacrifices and contributions to the country.

Mr. Bui Quang Thi - Head of Kim Nhan 3 village, Anh Son commune