The author's father in front of the high school - Photo: Provided by the author.
For three consecutive days, he looked at the administrative map hanging on the wall and circled the names of the provincial capitals in the South with a red pen.
My father said the war was fierce, the Saigon army was gradually retreating south, and the people were also suffering many losses.
War seems like it happened a long time ago.
One day, my parents called all six of us siblings together. My father carefully placed a birth certificate, a family photo, and some money in each of our pockets.
Mom prepared individual clothes and put them in separate bags for each of us brothers.
My father said this was a precaution, in case the war spread to our hometown, and we wouldn't have our parents by our side, we would have to fend for ourselves, relying on relatives to find a safe place.
Dad instructed us to always stay together, never to be separated, so that if we got lost, we would have a chance to find our family again. We just understood what he said, without realizing that our parents were worrying about the potential losses during the final moments of the old regime's collapse.
On the morning of April 30th, my father asked me to go to town to buy some coffee. The town where I lived was as quiet as usual. The people here no longer heard the sound of gunfire; the war seemed to be happening somewhere far away.
I cycled leisurely to the coffee shop near my house. I saw an M113 tank stopped at a busy intersection in the middle of the city. Strangely, when I looked up, I couldn't see any soldiers inside; the machine gun on the turret was turned sideways, and the doors were wide open.
Along the way, many pieces of clothing, shoes, and backpacks belonging to soldiers were scattered all over the sidewalks and roads. There were also various types of personal weapons.
After buying coffee, I drove home. I saw many young men wearing red armbands gathering weapons in one place; they looked very happy, and some of them were familiar faces who lived near my house.
The coffee shop I went to was on this side of the river that divided the city. On the other side was the governor's residence, with riverboats constantly moving back and forth, protecting the provincial government office. Today, the river flowed calmly; there were no riverboats or soldiers with their heavy weapons in sight. The space was eerily silent.
When I got home, I told my father. He asked if I had seen any Saigon army soldiers on the street. No, there were no soldiers or police on the street as usual, and not even the armored vehicle parked in the middle of the main road.
No one has to die anymore.
My father called his children into the house and said that a moment of life and death was approaching. He told them they had to stay close to each other and remember his words. If they were lucky, the whole family would be together forever. Although my father was just an ordinary teacher, holding no official position, he couldn't escape the anxiety caused by the war.
At 11:30 AM on April 30, 1975, my father turned on the radio. He heard General Duong Van Minh calling on Saigon army soldiers to lay down their weapons and declare unconditional surrender. My father's expression softened. He patted his sons on the head and said, "The war is over. No one has to die anymore. My sons no longer have to fear being drafted into the army."
That day, the family was so happy we forgot to eat dinner. A long line of soldiers, wearing floppy hats, carrying AK rifles on their shoulders, and wearing rubber sandals, marched past our house. My whole family and neighbors poured out into the street to cheer the soldiers.
The young soldiers didn't look as fierce as rumored. Many people waved to the villagers who had come out to watch, half-believing, half-doubting because the soldiers were so handsome. A few children ran up to shake the soldiers' hands, clearly delighted.
In my neighborhood, there was a soldier from the old regime. He was assigned to a checkpoint at a nearby intersection. Around noon, hungry and tired, he carried his rifle home to get something to eat. As he passed by my house, my father saw him, laughed, called him over, and said, "Mr. Minh read the surrender statement and told the soldiers to lay down their weapons early on. What's the point of fighting to the death anymore? Put down your guns, take off your uniforms quickly. Peace has come, let's go back to work."
He happily followed his father's instructions, leaving his gun and soldier's gear by the roadside, and ran home wearing only a T-shirt and shorts. With a big smile, he exclaimed, "I'm alive! Hooray for peace !"
Three days later, two soldiers came to my house, neatly dressed in uniforms with pistols at their sides. The neighbors were very surprised. It turned out that one of the soldiers was a friend of my father's who had been fighting in the base for a long time; he was an army officer .
My father was solely focused on teaching; he knew how to take photographs and ran a small shop to make a living. His relatives recommended him to the military administration committee, which then requisitioned him to sort files for former government officials and officers.
My father happily accepted the task and completed it in a short time. The local military administration suggested that he write a report on his achievements to present to his superiors for commendation, but he said that peace was the greatest reward he and everyone else had received, and that was enough.
Not only was that wonderful, but in the first school year after the country's reunification, my father was entrusted with the position of school administrator. He held that position until his retirement.
Peace has brought such joy to my family.
Thank you to our readers for submitting entries.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of peace, the "Stories of Peace" writing contest (organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper, sponsored by Vietnam Rubber Group) invites readers to submit touching and unforgettable stories from families and individuals, as well as their thoughts on the reunification day of April 30, 1975, and the 50 years of peace.
The competition is open to all Vietnamese people, both in Vietnam and abroad, regardless of age or profession.
The "Stories of Peace" contest accepts submissions of up to 1,200 words in Vietnamese, with the encouragement of including photos and videos. Please send your submissions to hoabinh@tuoitre.com.vn. Only submissions via email will be accepted; submissions by post will not be accepted to avoid loss.
High-quality entries will be selected for publication in Tuoi Tre's publications, receive royalties, and entries that pass the preliminary round will be printed as a book (no royalties will be paid - the book will not be sold).
Entries must not have been submitted to any other writing competition and must not have been published in any media or social networks.
Authors submitting entries are responsible for the copyright of their articles, photos, and videos . Images and videos taken from social media without copyright will not be accepted. Authors must provide their address, phone number, email address, bank account number, and citizen identification number so that the organizers can contact them to send royalties or prizes.
As of March 12th, the "Telling Stories of Peace" writing contest had received 30 entries from readers.
Award ceremony and book launch for "Stories of Peace".
The judging panel, comprising renowned journalists and cultural figures along with representatives from Tuoi Tre newspaper, will review and award prizes to entries that have passed the preliminary round and select the best entries to receive awards.
The awards ceremony, book launch of "Stories of Peace," and the special issue of Tuoi Tre newspaper on April 30th are expected to be held at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street at the end of April 2025.
The organizers' decision is final.
Peace Storytelling Award
- 1st prize: 15 million VND + certificate, books, and the Tuoi Tre special issue.
- 2 second prizes: 7 million VND each + certificate, books, and the Tuoi Tre special issue.
- 3 third prizes: 5 million VND each + certificate, book, and Tuoi Tre special issue.
- 10 consolation prizes: 2 million VND each + certificate, books, and the Tuoi Tre special issue.
- 10 Reader's Choice Awards: 1 million VND each + certificate, book, and Tuoi Tre special issue. Voting points are calculated based on interaction with the article, where 1 star = 15 points, 1 heart = 3 points, 1 like = 2 points.
The awards also come with certificates, books, and the Tuoi Tre 30-4 special issue.
Organizing Committee
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoa-binh-roi-cac-con-oi-20250313093731868.htm
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