"PATRIOTISM": A space of memories of the time of dreams and longing for peace

People of all walks of life in Saigon protested for the right to national self-determination under the US-Diem regime (documentary photo). Source: NHAN DAN NEWSPAPER

The Passion of an Anti-War Poet

Tan Hoai Da Vu is a typical poet in the struggle movement in the southern cities from 1960 to 1975. His poetry is often called anti-war poetry, expressing patriotism and the desire for freedom in the context of war.

Ever since he was a third-grade student (grade 10) at Hue National School, Tan Hoai Da Vu showed his interest in the fate of the country through poems published in prestigious magazines such as "Bach Khoa" and "Van". The poem "Song of a Twenty-Year-Old" published in "Bach Khoa" issue 160 (September 1, 1963) is a testament to his patriotism:

Small oil - this body is offered

To long hands connect hands

If you lie down - the peaceful garden has not come yet

The wreath of smiles also shines with flying stars

Tan Hoai Da Vu's poetry not only reflects the reality of war but also expresses the desire for peace and national unification. The book "Patriotic Hearts" compiled by Tan Hoai Da Vu realistically and vividly recreates the struggle movement in urban areas during the period 1960-1975, making an important contribution to the literature of the resistance war against the US.

Poet Tan Hoai Da Vu has taken great care in introducing in a timely manner his valuable research work, which is over 560 printed pages long, presented elegantly and solemnly, accompanied by a number of documentary images. In the "Preface", poet Tan Hoai Da Vu expressed his wish: "In studying the patriotism of the Vietnamese people during the war, people have long been interested only in revolutionary literature. Meanwhile, literature in the movements to fight against the war, demanding peace, freedom, and food and clothing in the South, especially the movement of youth - students in the heart of the Southern cities, has also expressed a very rich and profound patriotism. Therefore, research on patriotism in Southern literature is also a necessary task...".

Book of Patriotic Hearts. Photo: NGUYEN TUONG VAN

Inspiring today's generation

"Patriotic Hearts" was compiled by poet Tan Hoai Da Vu into 5 chapters: Historical and social context of Southern Vietnam (1954-1975 period), Overview of patriotic poetry in urban struggle movements in Southern Vietnam (1954-1975 period), Patriotic inspiration in Southern poetry (1960-1975 period) from the content perspective, Patriotic lyrical nature of Southern urban poetry from the artistic perspective, Authors and typical works (1960-1975 period). The last chapter occupies over 360 pages of the book, introducing 49 authors who composed patriotic poetry in the South from urban struggle movements in the 1960-1975 period, of which Phu Yen has 3 authors.

Through "Patriotic Hearts", we highly appreciate the meticulous collection and compilation work of poet Tan Hoai Da Vu when he preserved and spread historical and cultural values - especially during the period of struggle in the Southern urban areas when the country was still divided. The poet did not simply list events or characters but delved into each person's fate, each story associated with specific historical circumstances, thereby vividly depicting the patriotic spirit of many classes of people in the South through the poetry of many authors. This is the result of a long process of accessing documents, meeting witnesses, and even having to collect materials from many sources: letters, diaries, poems, anti-war articles... before 1975.

For our generation, "Patriotic Hearts" is not simply a book, but a soul engraving of the times, a thread connecting the past with the present in Vietnam's 50-year journey of peace and development.

As a poet, Tan Hoai Da Vu has a keen eye and a sensitive heart, so each page he writes conveys a profound literary quality. This makes it easy for readers, especially young people, to understand better the struggle movement in the southern cities during the resistance war against the US. The research collection recreates another aspect of patriotism, perseverance, and resilience in the heart of the city, under fierce repression.

The literary works and articles of young writers who were active in the anti-war movement are clearly annotated and placed in the right context, helping readers understand them correctly and fully. Not everyone has the patience and sense of responsibility to carry out a work that is both documentary and of high humanistic value like this.

Poet Tan Hoai Da Vu has honestly and impartially recorded the outstanding faces in the patriotic movement in the Southern urban areas before 1975. They were young people, students, artists, intellectuals... who devoted themselves to the ideal of national independence and national unification. They are living proof of the silent but intense patriotism.

In the cultural flow towards the roots, remembering the predecessors, the book contributes to building a collective memory space - where values such as courage, sacrifice, and patriotism are honored and preserved.

In times of peace, when the country is developing, the examples in the book still inspire today's generation: about patriotism without showing off, about civic responsibility, about the aspiration to serve the Fatherland in every small thing. The book is like a message: Peace does not come naturally, and cannot be forgotten.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/van-nghe/202505/nhung-tam-long-yeu-nuockhong-gian-ky-uc-thoi-uoc-mo-khao-khathoa-binh-96d244f/