“The story begins more than half a century ago. The trip marked a crucial turning point in my life,” director Xuan Phuong began her memoir by recounting her assignment to provide healthcare for a foreign film crew along with the assigned team of doctors, while also acting as a French-Vietnamese interpreter for five Vietnamese cinematographers and two French directors amidst the harsh realities of war, with bombs falling and bullets flying.
After filming wrapped and returning to Paris from Vietnam, director Joris Ivens sent a message to Ms. Xuan Phuong: “In mid-1967, you desperately need translators and doctors. But even more urgently, you need a team of war correspondents to record firsthand the atrocities the enemy has inflicted on your country, to document the tenacious fighting spirit in defending every inch of Vietnamese land. I hope Phuong will bravely embark on a profession that, although fraught with danger, is precisely at this moment in your country's desperate need for war correspondents.”
Those heartfelt words resonated deeply in Dr. Xuan Phuong's mind and troubled her sleep for many nights. Afterward, she decided to move into a new field: documentary filmmaking, hoping to capture realistic footage of the war in Vietnam so the world could see the courageous spirit of the Vietnamese people, the heavy losses Vietnam was enduring, and the yearning for freedom and the desire to live in a peaceful, independent country.
The book "Strong and Resilient" ( Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House) is a truthful and emotionally rich memoir recording the bold and admirable turning point of Dr. Xuan Phuong when she decided to switch to working as a film director. The author confides: "In this memoir, I will tell about the difficult early days, about my first tentative steps into a very new profession. Especially the efforts to 'stay put' with my decision to change careers at the age of 37."
For director Xuan Phuong, it was a journey filled with countless joys, sorrows, bitterness, and hardships, but it was also thanks to these experiences that she had the opportunity to fully live her passion. It's never too late to start again, and nearly 60 years later, the memories of a time when she pursued her dream are shared with readers. Author Xuan Phuong shared that writing about half a century of a film career was not easy, so the memoir "Hard Feet, Soft Stones" only "highlights" the film trips that left the deepest and most unforgettable impressions on her.
It was the historic moment of April 30, 1975, the day the country was reunified. She followed the troops into Saigon, becoming one of the first reporters to witness the Saigon government's declaration of surrender. These are memories of a lifetime of filmmaking, with footage capturing the war, the memories and destinies of people, from the fierce battles of Vinh Linh - Quang Tri to the events of our army fighting against Pol Pot in Cambodia. Interspersed are simple, everyday stories, like images of Vietnam and a bicycle, along with recollections of comrades and colleagues – people who now only remain in memory.
From her 17-year-old self-imposed volunteer path in the fight against French aggression, recounted in her memoir "Carving... Carrying...", to her "second life after retirement" in her memoir "Carving... Carving...", and now in her memoir "Strong Legs, Unyielding Stones," director Xuan Phuong has conveyed many profound reflections on her profession, her ideals, and the value of perseverance in the face of challenges.
This book is particularly suitable for those who love cinema, history, memoirs, and inspiring stories. Through this book, author Xuan Phuong conveys many profound reflections on profession, life ideals, and the value of perseverance in the face of challenges, in the spirit of Gabriel García Márquez's quote – the author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude," which she admires: "People don't stop pursuing their dreams because they get old, but they get old because they stop pursuing their dreams."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong was born in 1929 in Hue into an intellectual family. During the war, she worked in many professions such as explosives technician, nurse, war correspondent for the Ministry of Finance, doctor, interpreter, translator and narrator of French films, and director of war documentaries. After retirement, she owned the Lotus art gallery in Ho Chi Minh City.
In 2001, her memoir, written in French and titled "ÁO DÀI - Du Couvent des Oiseaux à la Jungle des Viet-minh," was published by Plon Publishing House in Paris. The book has been translated into English, Polish, and other languages.
In 2011, she was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French Government for her contributions to a deeper understanding between Vietnam and France, both during wartime and peacetime. In 2024, she was selected by the BBC as one of the 100 most inspiring women in the world.
In March 2026, her memoir "Carrying Burdens… Carrying Burdens…" was honored in two categories: the B Prize and the Reader's Favorite Book at the 8th National Book Awards Ceremony. Currently, the work has been reprinted 18 times.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hanh-trinh-theo-duoi-uoc-mo-giua-bom-dan-747895.html
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