About the life of Hero of the Armed Forces Phan Văn Trinh

He continued working. That same year (December 31, 1973), he was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces. In 1976, he served as a policy assistant for Regiment 526, Transport Department. In 1980, he served on Route 9 in Southern Laos. In 1982, he was discharged from the army... After 16 years and 4 months of service in the army, he returned to his hometown with poor health (Class A war invalid, 3/4 disability), a bullet wound to the head, difficulty walking, young children, and very little arable land to support their lives. He and his wife decided to move to Tam Hop (Quy Hop) to clear land and cultivate crops, hoping for a better life. With 7 acres of rice fields, the couple worked day and night but still couldn't make ends meet. Then they worked as hired laborers, doing all kinds of jobs, as long as their children had food and clothing. Knowing his circumstances, in 1991, his former unit decided to build his family a house of gratitude in Block 20, Hung Binh Ward, worth 15 million dong. The day the whole family returned to Vinh felt like a dream... But then came the struggle for "food, clothing, and money." Five children, two parents in the city, with no jobs, how could they make a living? Because of this, the children didn't receive a proper education. The two eldest daughters had married but were also struggling, unable to rely on anyone. The third son hadn't found stable employment, the fourth son was in the army, and the youngest was in 11th grade at Le Quy Don High School. The burden of the family fell on the shoulders of the Hero of the Armed Forces, Phan Van Trinh. In 2004, he bought a cyclo (rickshaw) worth 600,000 dong to "carry whatever anyone needed," and used it to transport wastewater to feed his pigs.

He confided: "The land the unit gave us is 150 square meters. We built a house on half of it and a rental shop on the other half, but the tenants aren't regular, so the income is inconsistent. We receive just over 2 million VND per month as allowance... Currently, the house built with this charitable donation is cracked and leaking; when it rains, we have to use all the buckets and basins we can find..."

...Saying goodbye to Hero of the Armed Forces Phan Văn Trinh, a feeling of sadness and lingering regret... for a soldier who once dedicated all his strength and youth to the country.

Text and photos: Thanh Thuy