War journalist and more than 3,000 days of struggling with 'Echoes of Dien Bien'

(Baonghean) - As a war correspondent during two wars, journalist Nguyen The Vien bravely rolled around all the battlefields, promptly reflecting, encouraging and motivating the heroic fighting spirit of our army and people. After the war ended, he returned, carrying with him dozens of wounds. But the journalist - soldier - wounded soldier once again, regardless of old age and weak health, enthusiastically worked on the farm economy. In particular, he cycled continuously for more than 3,000 days to "fuel" the "Echo of Dien Bien".

We arrived at Mr. Nguyen The Vien's house in Ngoc Thanh hamlet, Hung Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district at the end of June. His house is small and simple, located under the lush canopy of trees filled with birdsong. A truly beautiful and peaceful space.

Mr. Vien, a man of average height, with rosy complexion and white hair and beard, was sitting under a longan tree reading a book. He said: “I still have the habit of reading books. Today, I am reviewing the book “Echoes of Dien Bien”. 60 years have passed, but its heroic echoes still resonate in us - the Dien Bien soldiers of the past”. Sitting next to a pot of fragrant tea, Mr. Vien generously told us about the war-torn period he had gone through.

Mr. Nguyen The Vien and the book “Echoes of Dien Bien”. Photo: Tien Dung

In early 1950, 20-year-old Nguyen The Vien volunteered to join the army to serve in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Having completed the fourth grade program and having knowledge, he was assigned to the bomb and mine clearance team. Directly doing this silent but dangerous work, he and his teammates achieved many feats as well as witnessed the heroic sacrifice of many people. That urged him to take up writing.

At that time, news and articles by Nguyen The Vien with the pen name Truong Son continuously appeared in the Youth Volunteers' newspaper. In 1954, with his contributions, he was assigned to the People's Army newspaper and was sent to study at Hanoi University. After completing the course, journalist Vien traveled to almost all battlefields, closely following the battlefield to promptly reflect, encourage and motivate the heroic fighting spirit of our army and people.

Recalling that glorious past, he recalled: “We had cameras in one hand, guns in the other, sticking close to the battlefield while fighting and working. Those days, bombs and bullets were flying like chaff, but we still ignored them. It was fun. Many of my colleagues fell down, still holding their lenses firmly, pointing forward. I was injured many times. The time I rushed up to take pictures of an enemy plane on fire at Tan Son Nhat airport, I was shot in the eye, my jaws were crushed and my stomach was punctured, and I had to be transferred to the rear for treatment.

“Death” has come to see me dozens of times, but I still haven’t died. Currently, I still have 16 marbles in my body that cannot be removed. I have to live with it.”

During the two long resistance wars of the nation, for his achievements, he was awarded 8 military medals of various ranks and many journalism awards. After his wound recovered, he continued to serve the Army newspaper until 1986 when he retired.

Retired, but Mr. Vien still works and creates. He returns to his hometown day and night to reclaim and restore the wild hills to do farm business. In recent years, his farm has been very effective. Each year it brings in hundreds of millions of dong in income and creates jobs for many local workers. Doing business, he still regularly writes poetry, writes articles, and publishes them sporadically in newspapers and magazines from the central to local levels.

In particular, he painstakingly collected documents to write the book "Echoes of Dien Bien". He confided: "In Yen Thanh district, there were hundreds of Dien Bien soldiers, including legends such as Tran Can, Phan Tu who were awarded the title of Hero of the Armed Forces along with heroes To Vinh Dien, Be Van Dan, Phan Dinh Giot... A generation that made Dien Bien Phu shake the world like that needs to be recorded for posterity. Therefore, I have cherished this for a long time but it was not until 2005 that I started to do it."

With his old bicycle, he traveled to almost all 38 communes and towns to visit the houses of old Dien Bien soldiers to collect documents.

Yen Thanh district has hundreds of Dien Bien soldiers, some are still alive, some are dead, some are still on the battlefield… To go to each house and collect documents is an extremely difficult and arduous task, especially for an old man like him. But Mr. Vien still silently perseveres in his work.

He visited each of his comrades' homes, asked questions, encouraged them to tell their memories of Dien Bien Phu and then wrote them down. He encouraged those who could write on their own. He not only collected documents from the homes of Dien Bien soldiers, but also went to the Military Zone 4 Museum, the National History Museum and libraries to collect relevant documents and photos for the book.

With a heavy heart for his comrades and the desire to leave a valuable document book for the younger generation, he spent more than 3,000 days, regardless of rain or shine, regardless of the pain from the wind and weather, he still rode his bike to work. All of his work was voluntary. In addition to collecting documents, he was also the one who connected the Dien Bien soldiers together to encourage, share, and help each other in life.

When the “warehouse” of documents was full, he sat down to write and compile for more than 3 years to complete the book titled “Echoes of Dien Bien”. With encouragement and financial support from the Yen Thanh district government, the district’s Veterans Association, and a number of local businesses, in 2011, the nearly 300-page book “Echoes of Dien Bien” was published by Nghe An Publishing House.

In early April 2014, volume 2 of the book “Echoes of Dien Bien” was published with 406 pages based on volume 1, reprinted and supplemented with some examples of successful business veterans. All published books were donated to Dien Bien veterans, schools, and district offices and departments.

Now, over 80 years old, with gray hair and wrinkled skin, Mr. Vien is still enthusiastic about gardening, writing articles, composing poems, and living simply in the small level 4 church that his ancestors left behind. Recently, the Veterans Association of Nghe An province visited him and, seeing his simple life, proposed to help build him a house of gratitude.

He confided: “I am very grateful to the Association of War Veterans of Nghe An province for the house. However, I will use this house of gratitude as a neighborhood library. Now I will continue to buy and collect books for the children of Ngoc Thanh neighborhood in particular and Hung Thanh commune in general to read. I am always concerned about the younger generation and want to help them with reading culture as long as I can."

Mr. Mai Huy Dung - Chairman of the Veterans Association of Yen Thanh district said: "As long as Mr. Vien has any strength left, he will contribute to everyone and to the development of society. He is an exemplary person who always lives, studies and follows the moral example of Ho Chi Minh."

Tien Dung