Under the Sirens: The 'Great Struggling for a Living' of Vietnamese People in Russia

Author Nguyen Dinh Lam (right) poses for a commemorative photo with readers at the book launch - Photo: T. DIEU

That was the comment of critic Bui Viet Thang after reading the book " Under the Sycamore Tree ".

And the "great struggle for survival" of Vietnamese people in foreign lands not only occupies the entire collection of short stories, which author Nguyen Dinh Lam considers his most cherished book to date, but also appears in his previous collections of short stories, memoirs, and novels.

1. It's easy to understand why the theme of the plight of Vietnamese people struggling to make a living in Russia permeates Nguyen Dinh Lam's works.

He wrote stories about himself, his friends, and the workers in his shopping mall.

Nine years of study and over 12 years as the general manager of a shopping center in Russia, managing thousands of people, gave him a keen eye for understanding the many hardships faced by his compatriots living in exile in the land of white birch trees and snow.

This doctor of history took up writing out of a sense of obligation to himself for his own arduous years abroad and to his friends and acquaintances, not because he wanted to become a writer.

His writing is simple, telling stories in a linear order, like a conversation between close friends, with no trace of elaborate literary effort.

Yet, each page captivates the reader with very real stories revealing the challenging and bitter fates of many Vietnamese people seeking a better life in a foreign land during a turbulent transitional period.

Readers will find in Nguyen Dinh Lam's collection of short stories the tales of Vietnamese students in Russia who abandoned their summer holidays to work hard on farms to earn money (the story " Under the Shadow of the Siren Flower "), or who risked their lives trading, constantly fearing arrest (the story "The Last Trading Trip") .

Or consider the plight of small traders who toil year-round only to suddenly find themselves in debt and destitution after being cheated out of all their money in "The Debt of Gratitude."

And it's so heartbreaking to see the stories of "good girls" who go abroad hoping for a better life, but are instead pushed around by life's circumstances and forced into a life of crime, as depicted in "Mom, I'm Sorry..."

Readers also get to see the fierce competition that Vietnamese traders in Russia face, which can turn some into millionaires and others into bankrupt in an instant (A Memorable Flight).

In that chaotic struggle for survival, many heartbreaking scenes occurred, such as betrayal and theft of property by employees (The Traitor)...

The short story collection "Under the Siren Tree" by Nguyen Dinh Lam, Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House - Photo: T. DIEU

Critic Bui Viet Thang calls it a style of writing that "dips the pen into the truth." Having spent nearly 1,000 days in Russia, Thang deeply understands every word when reading Nguyen Dinh Lam's stories.

2. It is precisely this narrative quality and abundance of real-life material that makes Nguyen Dinh Lam's literature so appealing.

Readers are not looking for the pleasure of appreciating sophisticated literary art, but rather for true stories about a segment of their compatriots in distant lands, whose hardships even their relatives have long been unaware of, and whose suffering they have never had the opportunity to witness.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, president of the Vietnam Writers Association , emotionally expressed his gratitude to writer Nguyen Dinh Lam at the book launch, saying he had "brought to literature another beauty, another secret to life, and another source of encouragement to those struggling and suffering."

He said that if Nguyen Dinh Lam hadn't documented their stories, the fates of those Vietnamese people in Russia would have faded into obscurity, unnoticed and unshared.

For Mr. Thieu personally, the collection of stories made him suddenly realize the fates of his younger brother, sister-in-law, and nephew during their years in Russia, a fate he had previously only seen in the bright light.

"I couldn't hold back my tears while reading, thinking that my younger brother might be involved in that tragic story, in that despair, in that lingering sadness of longing for his homeland..."

"Before, I only thought my brother was living there in a beautiful house, wearing nice clothes, driving a nice car, eating delicious bread… I never imagined that my brother would be one of the characters in this book," Mr. Thieu confided.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/duoi-tan-hoa-siren-cuoc-muu-sinh-vi-dai-cua-nguoi-viet-บน-dat-nga-2024052310411051.htm