Have a friendship like that

Despite their old age and weak health, the only thing that hasn't changed is their friendship. They're still the same, meaning they still put their arms around each other's shoulders whenever they meet and of course they still wear couple shirts like when they were young.

I once joked: It is very possible that the recent trend of couple shirts was initiated 60 years ago by these two women! Couple shirts are also "handmade" items! First of all, let's talk about their friendship: They started playing together at the age of 3, went to school together at the age of 6. Then they herded buffalo, cut grass, and picked potatoes together. At the age of 18, they were the beauty queens of the Red Village and volunteered to join the female militia platoon. During the most intense days of bullets and bombs, they cooked green tea together and carried it to the artillery positions. When the battlefield temporarily stopped firing, they rushed to transfer wounded soldiers to the rear, then together ran bareheaded to the battlefield, stood next to the artillery tray to sing and recite poems for the soldiers to listen.

At that time, both were the most outstanding artists of the Red Village. Especially Ms. Du had a wonderful voice reciting poetry. Even now, listening to her recite poetry, if you don’t look directly, you can still mistake her voice for the voice of “Voice of Vietnam”.

Then one day, after the rescue activities for wounded soldiers at Dong Di Rot (now Nghe An Newspaper headquarters area), Ms. Du hugged Ms. Huong and said: "Hey, bombs and bullets don't know how to live or die. I'm still young and don't have any children yet, if something happens to me then... I feel sorry for my parents. Or you and I should pool money to go to Vinh to take some photos and keep them there..." Hearing what Ms. Du said, Ms. Huong nodded in agreement immediately: "Yes, yes. I also like taking photos. But to take photos, we have to wear clothes, so who would wear a ri? Damn it". A handmade plan was immediately agreed upon by them. Then the two of them went to find fertilizer packaging, peeled off the outer plastic layer to get the lining fabric inside. Next, they worked hard to dye it brown and sew it into two shirts, as you can see in the picture. With new clothes, one afternoon in June 1965, the couple walked "to Vinh" shyly to take pictures. It is said that after that "secret photo" incident, both girls were scolded by their parents. But they were still happy, still smiling and still rushing to the battlefield.

Thank God, the bombs spared them. The country was at peace, and they became the most successful economic individuals in the commune. Both families have talented and successful children. Ms. Huong has 4 children, 9 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Some of her children are engineers working at the Department of Construction, others are businessmen. It is easy to see that everyone is happy. On weekends, the whole family gathers together happily. Ms. Du has 5 children, dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some of her children are police officers, some are doctors, and especially her eldest sister is currently the owner of a famous spa in Vinh. Sometimes, the children of both families connect with each other as if they were in the same family.

The interesting thing is that in their old age, the two old friends are still as close as when they were 6 or 10. They still use Zalo and Facebook like the young generation. They still sing on stage and are still the key characters in folk dance performances. There is no other word to describe it than wonderful. Respect and thanks to the two of them, a brave and bright generation.

Khac An