Writer Son Tung - from the man to his works, is a body of truth.

As soon as I reached the second floor and peeked inside, I heard Hong Mai, the writer's wife, say, "Thang! You just came out? Come inside!"

I was warmly and gently welcomed into Uncle Son Tung's home. That was in 2011. At that time, the writer had fallen ill and could no longer speak. But he still remembered me. Sadly, he couldn't speak as he had before. Ms. Mai had to "translate" for me using "eye language" and the labored sounds of a stroke patient. He asked me if I was from Nghe An, how I was, and how my work was... When I said goodbye, I noticed he was quite pensive. Ms. Hong Mai said, "He's very happy to see someone from his hometown."

I haven't visited writer Son Tung's house very often, but each time, it feels like returning to a warm and familiar place.

I first saw him in 1985, when I was stationed in Hanoi. I overheard him speaking at an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture at Vong Crossroads. That day he spoke about President Ho Chi Minh and the "Green Lotus Bud."”Everyone was captivated by his fascinating, novel, and unprecedented story about President Ho Chi Minh, told with concrete and vivid evidence.

Back in 1982, I read the novel "Green Lotus Bud" when it was first published; I also read the "criticism" about the book and its author. I knew the author of that article and had overheard him and his colleagues discussing "Green Lotus Bud" a few times. At that time, we knew he was just the penmanship. The true author of the article wasn't one person, but a collective, reflecting a common perspective and understanding at the time. Many years later, around 2006, when the author of that article visited Vinh, I asked him if he remembered the 1982 article criticizing "Green Lotus Bud." Surprised by the question, he paused for a moment before saying that it was a story of a bygone era, not just his own, and not just about "Green Lotus Bud." But he still regretted it. If only things had been different back then… Having known him for a long time, I knew he was telling the truth because he is a very honest person. He is also a man of history.

Once, when I went with Mr. Bui Thiet to visit the writer, I asked: "Do you remember the article that criticized 'Green Lotus Bud'?" He replied, "Of course I remember. But that's how it was. That's how it was at the time. It couldn't have been any different." He smiled and said, "That's how it was."

Writer Son Tung (second from the left) in Lang Sen, President Ho Chi Minh's hometown. Archival photo.

The novel "Green Lotus Bud," published in the same year as the documentary "Hanoi in the Eyes of Others," was a highly publicized event in the literary and artistic world. The book was criticized, and the film had to be stopped from screening. But many discerning people said it signaled a significant shift in the understanding of history, literature, and art. As history students, we were interested in the historical aspects, objectivity, and truth in these works. My friends said, "That's how it should be, that's how it should be, that's the truth." My friend Khanh said: "Professor Tran Quoc Vuong, the advisor for the documentary 'Hanoi in the Eyes of Others,' also really liked 'Green Lotus Bud' because it's true, logical, and reasonable." I don't know when it started, but I'm certain that the two men, writer Son Tung and historian Tran Quoc Vuong, are kindred spirits. In 1999, the Nghe An Folk Arts Association invited Professor... During a training course on collecting and researching, I heard the professor say that there is history in folklore and literature, and in Nghe An, if you look at Son Tung's "Green Lotus Bud," you'll see and know it.

On another occasion, when we had become quite close, I asked the writer:

- You're writing about President Ho Chi Minh in the sense of fiction, not a biography. So, are there any fictional elements involved?

"Yes, but only in detail, to make it literary but to maintain the principle of not fabricating history, to be truthful to history," he replied.

For me, it was a big, big lesson.

From left to right: Educator Hoang Dao Chuc, writer Son Tung; Director of Trang An Cultural Center - Bui Phuc Hai, writer Hoang Kinh. (Archival photo)

As a journalist, I've had many interviews with intellectuals and artists throughout the country, and even abroad. But I regret not having been able to interview the writer Son Tung. There were times I had planned it, even prepared questions, but when I met him, those thoughts were forgotten, replaced by irrelevant conversations, though still about the profession, current events, public matters, and personal stories…

Although there were no newspaper interviews, I asked him many questions and learned a lot from him, especially about journalism. Knowing that he had been a professional journalist for many years and started writing while working as a writer, I asked him what the secret to good journalism was. He said that journalism, like writing, has only one secret: respect the truth, respect history, respect objectivity, including the emotions of anyone, any character. And to find the truth, you have to search for it. The hardest thing in the world is searching for the truth. To write "Green Lotus Bud," he spent 30 years searching for documents about President Ho Chi Minh, about those involved, and about domestic and international history. He also said that protecting the truth is just as arduous and difficult as searching for the truth. Protecting the truth is the responsibility of writers and journalists.

Reflecting on this, I realize that Son Tung's character is a mass of truth, and his work is also a mass of truth. He and his work are a blend, intertwined into a large mass of truth, leaving no room for any falsehood.

Writer Son Tung never once wrote an article for the Nghe An Culture Magazine or the Ha Tinh Culture Magazine. But for us, he has been a close collaborator for a very long time. I say this because he is very interested in these two magazines as well as the cultural situation of his hometown. Every time we met, he would ask: How is our culture doing these days? Are the magazines doing well? Are there any difficulties?... He didn't just ask when we met; he also inquired through our other friends. I remember, in 2006, the first thing he asked when I visited his house was: "The magazines have been separated, haven't they? Keep up the good work. The province is very interested. Keep trying."

His family's shared room in Van Chuong alley (Hanoi) had long become a gathering place for Hanoi's writers and intellectuals. Not just Hanoi, but the whole country, and even international friends. It was a place to share joys and sorrows, a starting point for the creative ideas and projects of many poets and writers. Son Tung was the owner of this gathering place. Now, he is no longer there to welcome his friends. He has gone far away to seek the truth for his new creations. Now, only his wife, Mai, remains in the old house to welcome his friends. How sad.

Writer Son TungHis real name was Bui Son Tung, born on August 8, 1928, in Hoa Luy village, Dien Kim commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province. He participated in revolutionary activities from 1944 (70 years old).D(in the field). At the end of 1967, he was sent to the Southern battlefield to establish the Southern Youth Newspaper. April 15, 1971,He was seriously wounded (category 1/4) on the battlefield in southeastern Vietnam and had to be sent to the North for treatment.

He also previously worked for other companies.BHe wrote for the Agricultural and Pioneer newspapers… He was a member of the Vietnam Writers Association; and was awarded the title of Hero of Labor by the State in 2011. He passed away.life at 23:05He passed away on July 22, 2021, at the age of 93.

WORK

Prose:By the window(Collection of short stories, Labor Publishing House, 1974);Remember the source(Women's Publishing House, 1975);May Anniversary(1976);People and the path(Women's Publishing House, 1976);Nguyen Huu Tien(novel, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 1981);Green lotus bud(novel, Kim Dong Publishing House, 1981);Sunny Garden(Youth Publishing House, 1997);Heart of the Earth(novel, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 2000);Tran Phu(short story, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 2000);Golden Lotus(Novel, Literature and Arts Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City, 2000);Uncle Ho is back.(Women's Publishing House, 2000);The light of Ho Chi Minh's heart shines brightly.(People's Police Publishing House, 2005);President Ho Chi Minh sought talented people.(News Agency, 2006);Mom's home(Women's Publishing House, 3rd edition, 2006);Concave(novel, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 2006);Hibiscus(People's Police Publishing House, 2005; Youth Publishing House, 2007);Uncle Ho is here.(Youth Publishing House, 2008);A fateful encounter(National Political Publishing House, 2008);Dao Tan and the family of Nguyen Sinh Sac(Van Hien, No. 5, 2011);Tfrom Sen village(co-authored, Kim Dong Publishing House, 2009).

Film script:See you again, Saigon!(1990).

Verse:He composed approximately 100 songs, the most notable of which include:I'm sending you a conical hat with poems.(1955) andGreen window(1971).