Rambling on a solemn holiday

North of Ben Hai River - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

Also in that state of contemplation, I often think of the photo of two soldiers from both sides with their arms around each other's shoulders in the first days of peace after the Paris Agreement officially took effect, March 1973.

The author of the photo is photographer and journalist Chu Chi Thanh, who was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts in 2022 with the series "Two Soldiers" consisting of 4 photos: "Shaking hands and smiling faces", "Two Soldiers", "Quang Tri Bridge" and "Reluctant Hands".

The photo “Two Soldiers” was taken by the author on a day at the end of March 1973, at Long Quang checkpoint in Trieu Trach commune, Trieu Phong district, when he witnessed soldiers from both sides of the front line sitting together, drinking water, smoking and talking about daily stories.

“At that moment, I saw a special moment. It seemed like they were no longer opponents on the battlefield but had become friends. In that atmosphere, a Saigon soldier put his arm around a liberation soldier and asked: Can you take a photo of us?”, the photographer recalled. A little surprised, Chu Chi Thanh immediately raised his camera to take a picture.

And the photo titled “Two Soldiers” was born, as a prediction for the day of national reunification two years later. “Without their uniforms, they would look no different from their peers. At that moment, I thought, this image is a symbol of the desire for peace. The day when North and South reunite as one family is probably very near”, photographer Chu Chi Thanh emotionally recounted.

For many reasons, it was not until 2007, when the exhibitions: “Unforgettable Moments” in Hanoi and “Memories of War” in Ho Chi Minh City were held, that “Two Soldiers” was widely introduced to the public. It was not until 2018 that the author of the photo and both characters (liberation soldier Nguyen Huy Tao and soldier on the other side of the front line Bui Trong Nghia) reunited for the first time on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on January 27 (1973-2018).

I remember the photo of artist Chu Chi Thanh a lot, because I am the same age as the two soldiers in the photo, and I was also present in the painful land of Quang Tri, and I longed for moments of peace. Peace means we will be able to return to the lecture halls, the fields, the factories, and especially to the loving arms of our mothers...

On the day of reunification, one cannot help but remember another photo, which makes one choke up every time one looks at it, the photo “Mother and Child Reunion Day” by photographer Lam Hong Long. The photo captures the moment when death row inmate Le Van Thuc is hugging his mother, Mrs. Tran Thi Binh, when he returned from the hell on earth of Con Dao in May 1975.

Many people believe that Lam Hong Long’s masterpiece can be seen as a sacred symbol of the country’s and people’s desire for peace. Personally, I see a deeper meaning, it speaks of maternal love and can also be seen as a symbol of the noble sacrifice of Vietnamese mothers. And from that feeling, I think of the saying of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet: For every million people who are happy, there are also millions of people who are sad.

It may not be accurate, but I think it is impossible to draw a line, whether those who are happy or sad are on “this side” or “that side”. And it is also difficult to say, in the whole community or in each individual, whether joy or sadness is complete. A mother has children who have gone to war. On the day of victory, in the common joy of the whole nation, she is happy because her children have returned, but is sad when one, or even two or three of them remain on the battlefield.

There are also mothers whose sons are holding guns on both sides. It is natural to feel mixed with joy and sadness. Not to mention that a mother’s love always seems to lean more towards the disadvantaged and disadvantaged children. Vietnam has gone through decades of war, and there are many mothers like that.

Former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, in an interview with international press on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, said: “History has placed many families in the South in a situation where relatives are on both sides, including my relatives. Therefore, when an event related to the war is mentioned, millions of people are happy and millions of people are sad. It is a common wound of the nation that needs to be healed instead of continuing to make it bleed.”

Another 20 years have passed since that day. Along with the achievements of the renovation and national construction, with the policy of national reconciliation and harmony of the Party and State... the wish of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet has gradually come true. Although the joy and sadness in the heart of every mother cannot fade, but with the position of the country today, the children of the Motherland Vietnam, whether in the past on this side or that side, whether currently in the country or abroad, are all united in the common goal of building an independent, unified, prosperous and powerful Vietnam.

I want to mention those things because in these days, somewhere there are still voices expressing discrimination and regret for the past. We know that war is painful and full of loss. But we should also understand that the sacrifices of soldiers on the battlefield are immense, but the pain of mothers when they are away from their children, losing their children is even greater. And in terms of that pain, whether mothers in Hanoi or Saigon are the same.

We Vietnamese have a saying: "Children do not despise their parents' hardships...". The country has not yet been free of difficulties and hardships. Whether sad or happy, remember that you are the children of Mother Vietnam. You cannot forget the sadness. But open your heart to share the joy, especially when that joy brings reunions to tens of millions of Vietnamese people who have been separated by war, bringing smiles and tears to each mother. Let's join hands so that Vietnamese mothers can have less sadness and more joy every day...

Ta Viet Anh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tan-man-ngay-le-trong-193346.htm