"The Oath": The story of affirming the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea and islands
Through the depiction of the love story between Captain Nhat (the captain of the navy) and Ly Tham (one of the girls who followed the navy to guard the island), writer Nguyen Quang Vinh wrote a story affirming the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea and islands in the novel "The Oath."
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| Writer Nguyen Quang Vinh. Photo: Writers Association Publishing House |
The author shared that the work originated from the quote: “That sea route is an important place, we must devote all our efforts to carry out the work to ensure it is ten percent perfect. If we are careless, we will commit a serious crime…” (Excerpt from the decree of King Minh Mang ordering the navy to guard Hoang Sa and Truong Sa).
“The Oath” traces the footsteps of the first Vietnamese people who set foot on the golden sand archipelago - the place that later generations named Hoang Sa. In other words, it is the story of the fate of the Vietnamese people who have lived on the Hoang Sa archipelago for generations.
They made journeys, went to discover, named and shaped the golden sand archipelago into the shape of the Fatherland. Names such as: Oc Island, Coral Island, Da Hut Island, Yen Bird Island, Vu Me Island... were given after the wars to protect the land.
In “The Oath,” the Fatherland appears bright, clear, and blazing in the eyes of the Vietnamese people who are clinging together. The island and the people in each other, become one.
The Fatherland is sand, rocks, white waves crashing on the shore, surrounding small islands. On the island there is the First Team, there are sailors - Vietnamese people who always keep their oath to protect the sea.
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| "The Oath" was released to readers in August 2014. Photo: Writers Association Publishing House |
“The Fatherland is a piece of wood carved with the two words Dai Viet, deeply embedded in the hearts of the islands. The afternoon sunlight reflects on the boundary marker, casting a long shadow across the island. The long shadow of the boundary marker is silently imprinted on the island, in the eyes; imprinted in the hearts of the brothers is an oath - a soundless oath, a profound oath, a heavy oath, passed down from generation to generation in blood, in blood, in breath…” the writer wrote.
The novel "The Oath" was published by the Writers Association Publishing House in August 2014.
Writer Nguyen Quang Vinh was born in 1959 in Ba Don town (Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province). He is the author of many stage, film, television and novel scripts such as: “Dong Loc Junction,” “Love Story by the River” (film script); “Bright as a Pearl,” “General Vo Nguyen Giap & the Epic of Dien Bien Phu,” “The Underworld” (stage script)… |
According to Vietnam+