1. Publishers like to print his books, because not only is he the author of the last generation of writers who directly participated in the resistance war against the US, with many vivid and realistic works, focusing on the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers before 1975, but he is also an attractive and subtle journalist promoting the writing camp, the works... More importantly, he is a "midwife", a bridge between benefactors and book units, with authors... Writers like to listen to him talk. From the fierce war stories during the anti-US war in which he directly participated, to the private lives of many generals, artists, and even "secret palace stories"... Wherever he is, almost all the camp inmates are there, of course he is the center, almost only he speaks, with many new details, very necessary for writers. Not only the experience of living during the war but also the "tips" needed for writing, printing, promoting works...

Writer Chau La Viet (left) visits his former boss Hoang Ngoc Chap. Photo provided by the character.

After the victory of the resistance war against the US, he returned to study at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi Pedagogical University, graduated with honors, did not work as a teacher but worked as a journalist under the pen name Trieu Phong. He worked as the Head of the Culture and Arts Department of Thanh Nien Newspaper for many years, and as the General Secretary of Thanh Nien Newspaper in its early days. He was also a key writer in the cultural-social and arts sections of many major newspapers. Hundreds of sharp articles by journalist Trieu Phong were welcomed by readers because they not only raised the right issues but were also very humane and full of humanity. Many writers and poets of the anti-US era sent him their manuscripts to read, asked him to send them to trusted places to be printed, and when they had books, they asked him to sell them and he had to introduce them in the newspaper to feel secure. He did not hesitate. Whatever contributed to society, to his brothers and comrades, he gave his all.

As the direct director and organizer of many art performances to pay tribute to and commemorate artists and martyrs, such as Colonel, writer Xuan Thieu, martyr Le Nam - who participated in the opening battle on Him Lam hill to start the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, and later heroically sacrificed himself on the Tri Thien battlefield; Chau La Viet was also the one who organized the manuscript and published many books about Xuan Thieu and Le Nam. He also organized the program to commemorate the 100th birthday of poet To Huu, the program to celebrate the 40th anniversary of singing of Meritorious Artist Duong Minh Duc... He was also the one who printed books for martyrs - poets Le Anh Xuan, Nguyen Trong Dinh... In addition to supporting the printing of works for a number of writers and poets, he also printed books for his comrades who fought in the trenches against the Americans yesterday. The notes and poems that preserve the memories of the "fire and flower" period of special forces soldier Pham Van Thanh (through the collection "Will the sea return to my sleep"), and of the soldier of the Central Highlands Front Nguyen Trong Luan (with the collection of poems "Calling the Central Highlands") help readers understand more about the time when our nation was one, ready to sacrifice for independence and freedom.

2. From the wishes of many comrades, in 2019, Chau La Viet and friends working at Vinamilk dairy company organized to invite 35 officers and soldiers of Station 13 (General Department of Logistics) and artists who fought and worked in Laos to return to visit the old battlefield. In addition to Vinamilk's gifts, Chau La Viet printed and sold his own book ("Fire still burns on the layers of the single cassava trees") for 150 million VND, divided into 50 gifts for his comrades. Not only that time, but up to now, all the royalties from literary works and journalism, he has saved and saved to financially support the printing of books for some elderly writers, to visit families of martyrs, lonely old people, and families in difficult circumstances... Twice, the Ministry of National Defense invested 70 million VND in writing about the armed forces and revolutionary war, which he divided into 20 gifts for veterans... He especially cared about the lives of his old comrades at Military Station 13. In addition to giving each person a bookcase with 100 books, through friends, he learned that a comrade in Phu Tho wanted a cow to milk every day, so he sent 12 million VND.

Hearing that a comrade in Tuyen Quang was sick, he sent 10 million VND to share... Few people know about these things, because he did them in silence, just as he did when he composed. On the pages, he wrote humane lines, sparkling with the beauty of human love and reason; on the pages of life, he sowed goodness and kindness with a warm, loving soldier's heart.

Writer Chau La Viet (right) presents gifts to Him Lam Primary School (now in Dien Bien Phu ward, Dien Bien province). Photo provided by the character

I am ten years younger than writer Chau La Viet, a younger generation, having read his works, knowing him, I admire even more the beautiful personality of a soldier, consistent from beginning to end. When the enemy came, he went to fight for the ideal of independence and freedom; when there was peace, he wrote, made books, and helped his comrades for the noble ideal of humanity. In 2022, participating in the writing camp of the People's Army Publishing House in Can Tho, writer Hoang Du and I were invited by Chau La Viet to visit our old comrade - Uncle Hoang Ngoc Chap (former Deputy Commander of Politics of Regiment 226, now Brigade 226, Military Region 9), who was Deputy Captain of Company 11 of Chau La Viet's battalion in the Laos battlefield, now retired in Can Tho. Uncle Chap is over 80 years old and is sick. As someone who has gone through many ups and downs, witnessed many meetings and separations, that time I was truly moved by the deep and sacred camaraderie. Meeting his old comrades, Uncle Chap was speechless, holding his friend's hand, choking up. His already haggard face now looked even older. The wrinkles tried to squeeze out tears but failed. The tears were held back, making him even more resentful... Chau La Viet supported his old leader as if supporting an older brother, warm and loving. Writer Hoang Du and I stood there, surprised, moved. Through the story, we saw more and more that the relationship between them was like that of close blood relatives. Anh Viet still regularly visited and sent gifts to Uncle Chap and his wife and many other comrades in this garden land.

Once, I asked the writer where he got the money to help his friends. He said it was thanks to many dear friends, not only well-off economically but also very rich in humanity, such as Nguyen Hiep, Mai Kieu Lien, Bui Le Huyen, Nguyen Thieu Quang, Tran Minh Van, Dang Gia Phu, Dinh Trong Tuan, Ngo Phuong Lan... Love calls for love. They bought his books at very high prices (paying up to 20 million VND for a copy of "The Fire Still Burns on the Single Cinnamon Trees")... Suddenly I remembered the concluding line of "Poem about the Glassless Truck Squad" by Pham Tien Duat: "As long as there is a heart in the truck". It turns out that not only in wartime, but also in peacetime, for a soldier, "just having a heart" is enough to do many good things, spread and transmit many loving things.

To me, soldier-writer Chau La Viet deserves to be a simple yet noble example, with enough heart, enough scope, enough talent, enough strength. As a soldier on the front line against the Americans, holding both a gun and a pen, in that capacity, in peacetime, he wrote prose, poetry, scripts, directed, acted on stage, composed music, wrote for newspapers... Whatever he did was effective and prestigious. Like a "cleaver", he did everything "smoothly", said he would do it, and did it very responsibly. Anyone who knew him saw that he was a generous, enthusiastic, friendly person with friends and brothers. On June 20, 2025, commemorating the 5th anniversary of the founding of the Literature and Arts Times (2020-2025), Editor-in-Chief Hoang Du delivered a speech to express gratitude to individuals and groups who contributed to the establishment and development of the newspaper during the initial period of financial autonomy, which was very difficult, and solemnly acknowledged the "special contribution" of writer and journalist Chau La Viet. During the tense days of the Covid-19 pandemic, regardless of danger and difficulty, he volunteered to go to the field to write anti-epidemic propaganda articles. Not only did he write many articles without taking royalties, he also selflessly and generously provided material support in publishing the newspaper... I know, he also behaved the same way with several other newspapers. Because he is a soldier!

NGUYEN THANH TU

* Readers are invited to visit the Writing Contest section "Simple but noble examples" to see related news and articles.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/chau-la-viet-van-va-doi-luon-la-nguoi-linh-bai-2-nguoi-linh-voi-trai-tim-am-ap-hao-hiep-nghia-tinh-tiep-theo-va-het-838126