My homeland is still waiting for my father to return.

On April 30, 1975, the war ended and the country was reunited in peace. For my family, it was also a milestone that opened up hope of reuniting my father, who had left his homeland in 1938.

Sa Nam Market, my father used to work as a porter at this market - Photo: NVCC

My father was born in Nam Dan ( Nghe An ), his childhood was associated with the communal house yard of Dan Nhiem village, Lam river. Orphaned, my father and two younger brothers were scattered to different places.

At the age of 21, my father followed a group of rubber tappers to the Southeast region. He was caught in the fierce current of history and has been away from home ever since.

Homeland still waits

In 1954, the country was divided and Dad could not return home. In his memory, Dad still remembers his girlfriend seeing him off on the train with the promise to meet again in a few years.

But the war dragged on, so many rice seasons had passed, life was like a river flowing forward. My father married my mother, a gentle girl from Quang Nam , and then gave birth to nine of us.

On April 30, when the country was reunified, my father hoped to return to his homeland. But he also wondered if his homeland would still be the same, if his relatives were still alive or had been scattered, and if his younger siblings would still remember their eldest brother after decades.

I decided to write a letter to Nam Dan district on behalf of my father. Without a specific address, I could only write: "Dear people of Nam Dan district, Nghe An".

In the letter, I recorded the fragmented memories that my father still remembered, although sometimes confused by his old age. At the end of the letter, I urgently wrote: "If anyone knows information about his family... please reply, our family would be very grateful."

Three months later, in the middle of a summer afternoon in July 1975, while the whole family was gathered around the dinner table, a postman knocked on the door.

Looking at the envelope with the postmark of Nam Dan, the whole family was stunned. The letter was from my aunt, my father’s sister-in-law. After many months of being read and passed around by many people, my letter finally reached its intended destination.

My father burst into tears like a child. All the pent-up emotions in his heart burst into tears. My whole family hugged each other and cried with happiness. Our homeland was still waiting for our father to return.

Road to Kim Lien Historical Site - Photo: NVCC

But the joy was short-lived

I don't know if it was because of too much emotion, my father had a stroke. His health quickly deteriorated, unable to make the return trip he had waited his whole life for.

During his treatment, relatives and friends from Nam Dan who heard the news also came to Quang Nam to visit and encourage him. The belated reunions, the shaking handshakes, the stories about the old homeland, all were soaked with tears.

My father passed away not long after that. He closed his eyes without ever setting foot on the land of his birth.

His dream of embracing his homeland, standing by the Lam River, walking on the familiar village road would never come true. But even though he could not return, we made it happen on his behalf.

Now my brothers and I still often return to Nam Dan, stand by the Lam River and watch the golden fields of harvest, passing by the places my father mentioned: Sa Nam market, Bara Nam Dan gate, Dan Nhiem village communal house...

We also did not forget to eat the dishes that Dad had told us about, the rich flavors of our homeland such as Nam Dan soy sauce, eel porridge, Sa Nam rice cakes...

Every time we return to our hometown, we not only visit the places where our father spent his childhood, but also take time to visit Uncle Ho's maternal home.

Standing in front of that simple house, listening to the story of Uncle Ho's childhood and journey to find a way to save the country, we were filled with gratitude, because thanks to the great Uncle Ho, our country has peace and unity, so that we have the opportunity to visit our hometown, so that children far away from home can return to their birthplace.

The country is no longer divided, the trains no longer carry people away forever but carry children far from home back home.

But somewhere there are still people like my father, who all their lives carry the sadness of a child far away from home and cannot return. Therefore, each of us, the lucky ones who live in peace, should know how to preserve it, cherish it, so that memories like my father's never happen again.

I believe that even though he cannot return, somewhere my father is still watching his homeland, still watching the blue Lam River flowing through his memories and smiling in serenity.

Thank you readers for submitting your entries to the Peace Storytelling contest.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of peace, the Peace Storytelling writing contest (organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper, accompanied by Vietnam Rubber Group) allows readers to send in touching, unforgettable stories of each family, each person as well as thoughts about the reunification day of April 30, 1975, about 50 years of peace.

The contest is open to all Vietnamese people at home and abroad, without age or occupation limits.

Peace Stories accepts articles of up to 1,200 words in Vietnamese, with accompanying photos and videos, and sent to hoabinh@tuoitre.com.vn. Articles are only accepted via email, not by post to avoid loss.

Quality entries will be selected to be published on Tuoi Tre products, receive royalties, and the entries that pass the preliminary round will be printed into a book (no royalties paid - no sale). The entries must not have participated in any other writing contest and must not have been published on media or social networks.

Authors are responsible for the copyright of their articles, photos and videos. We do not accept illustrative photos and videos taken from social networks without copyright. Authors must provide their address, phone number, email, account number, and citizen identification number so that the organizing committee can contact them and send them royalties or prizes.

As of March 15, the Peace Storytelling writing contest has received 50 entries from readers.

Award Ceremony and Book Launch of Peace Stories

The jury, consisting of famous journalists, cultural figures and representatives of Tuoi Tre newspaper, will review and award the entries that have passed the preliminary round and choose to award the best entries.

The award ceremony, book launch of Peace Stories and the special issue of Tuoi Tre newspaper 30-4 are scheduled to be held at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street at the end of April 2025. The decision of the organizing committee is final.

Peace Storytelling Award

- 1 first prize: 15 million VND + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 2 second prizes: 7 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 3 third prizes: 5 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 10 consolation prizes: 2 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition.

- 10 reader-voted prizes: 1 million VND each + certificate, book, Tuoi Tre special edition. Voting points are calculated based on interactions with the article, in which 1 star = 15 points, 1 heart = 3 points, 1 like = 2 points.

The awards also come with certificates, books, and Tuoi Tre 30-4 special edition.

Organizing Committee

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TAM NGUYEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/que-huong-van-doi-bo-toi-tro-ve-20250318095604459.htm