From battlefield to home - The journey to build happiness

From "liaison" to "life-long friendship"

We visited the home of Mr. Ha Van Ky (born in 1960) and Mrs. Do Thi Ngoc Ly (born in 1962, both from Dong Thap) in Tan Hung town, Tan Hung district, Long An province on a historic morning in mid-April. Mrs. Ly was packing a few simple clothes to prepare to go to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the Traditional Meeting of Districts 7-8 in Saigon - Gia Dinh area to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) at the invitation of the District Party Committee of District 8 (Ho Chi Minh City).

Mr. Ha Van Ky and Mrs. Do Thi Ngoc Ly (Tan Hung town, Tan Hung district) always care for and look after each other.

“I started participating in the revolution when I was 9 years old. I was still very young. Seeing that some of the uncles and aunts in the neighborhood had their identities exposed and the Y4 unit - Saigon Special Forces needed people, I volunteered. Being young makes it easier to blend in and deceive the enemy,” Ms. Ly recalled.

During those years, her main task was to be a liaison, delivering secret letters from Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) to the West and vice versa. Some days, she took the bus twice between My Tho and Saigon, blending in with the crowd like a student. The letters were cleverly disguised, sometimes stuffed in dates, sometimes hidden in small packages. She never knew what the contents of the letters were, but she understood that every step she took was a part of the resistance's communication bloodline.

On April 30, 1975, in the crowd of people entering Saigon to take over the city, the 13-year-old girl with an AK longer than her body was still enthusiastic and determined. “At that time, I was so small but carrying a gun, the barrel of the gun was always dragging on the ground. Thinking back now, it is funny, but at that time, my only thought was to excellently complete the assigned mission,” Ms. Ly recalled.

Ms. Ly's husband, Mr. Ha Van Ky, from the same hometown of Hong Ngu, Dong Thap, joined the army in 1980 and fought on the K battlefield (Cambodia) until 1984. Mr. Ky recalled: "It was very difficult in K, living in the forest, lacking everything. There was a time when we were ambushed by Pol Pot's army, lying motionless in the middle of the night, not daring to breathe loudly. Thanks to luck, our comrades protected each other, we were able to return home one day."

The two families were close to each other and had known each other since childhood. After the country was liberated, Mr. Ky and Mrs. Ly were introduced by relatives. Mr. Ky said: "We didn't fall in love in a romantic way like kids do nowadays. We met in 1985 and got married at the end of that year because we found each other compatible and had the same goals. We have lived together for nearly 40 years now."

In 1994, the young couple decided to leave their hometown, bringing all their savings to start a business in the new land of Tan Hung district. He farmed, she did business. Mrs. Ly shared: “Before, I sold fish at the market, now I am old, I switched to selling sticky rice to make it easier. My husband and I have 2 children, both grown up, with stable jobs.”

"Although life has been difficult, we still try to keep smiling and the same loyal bond as the first day, never arguing. Husband and wife share together, if there is anything that is not satisfactory, we tell each other, each person fixes it a little, arguing loudly does not solve anything" - Mr. Ky said. Mrs. Ly continued: "He is a man of few words, whatever I say, he listens and discusses it together. The relationship between husband and wife must know how to give in, not compete with each other".

Every morning, Mr. Ky went to the field, Mrs. Ly prepared sticky rice to sell at the market. At noon, they ate together, telling each other a few stories about the past and their children and grandchildren. At night, they watched the news together. Life was simple and quiet, but in that small house there was a world of love.

Hardships are lessened, but love is still strong

Led by the locals to a small house nestled in the peaceful countryside of Nhut Ninh commune, Tan Tru district, we met Mr. Mai Ba Xuan (born in 1957) and his wife Pham Thi Thuy (born in 1956) sipping tea in the early morning and recalling memories of a time of war.

Mr. Mai Ba Xuan and Mrs. Pham Thi Thuy (Nhat Ninh commune, Tan Tru district) looking back at old photos

Mr. Xuan was born into a family where revolutionary tradition was ingrained in his blood since childhood. His grandmother was a Vietnamese Heroic Mother, and his father, uncle Sau, and uncle Muoi were all martyrs. "I grew up listening to stories about the sacrifices of my uncles and aunts. So, patriotism seeped into me every day, and as I grew up, I followed the call of the country," Mr. Xuan confided.

In 1974, when he was only 17 years old, Mr. Xuan joined the revolution, working at the Provincial Propaganda Department in Ba Thu - Mo Vet. After that, he was sent to study at the VTĐ School of Zone 8, majoring in information. Although he had not yet graduated, the country was filled with joy of reunification, he quickly received a mission in the Cai Lay area (now Cai Lay town, Tien Giang province).

After the country's reunification, he was assigned to work in many different units in Long An province. From the Provincial Party Committee Office, Ben Luc District Party Committee, Tan Tru District Party Committee, to Tan Chau Post Office (later, Tan Chau district was split into Chau Thanh and Tan Tru districts), then held many positions such as Chairman of the People's Committee of Nhut Ninh commune, Secretary of the Party Committee of An Nhut Tan commune (now Tan Binh commune, Tan Tru district), Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Tan Tru district,... In 2017, he retired.

If Mr. Xuan had “revolutionary blood” from his family tradition, Mrs. Pham Thi Thuy came to the revolution with a deep pain. At the age of 14, she witnessed the puppet soldiers shooting her father to death right in their house. That pain permeated the young memory of the little girl Thuy. “They not only killed my father but also exposed his body in the middle of the street, then arrested my mother. I cried until I had no more tears, but from that moment on, I was determined to stand up and fight to avenge my parents and my homeland,” Mrs. Thuy emotionally recounted.

In 1971, at the age of 15, she became a local guerrilla, taking on the job of liaison, carrying weapons, documents, guarding, tearing down enemy flags, sewing liberation flags, etc. The image of a young woman in her prime wading through the dark night, holding a carbine to "smash the lights" so our troops could hide easily became an unforgettable memory for many of her comrades.

In 1977, Ms. Thuy worked at the Tan Chau District Post Office and met Mr. Xuan. Love blossomed between two people with the same aspirations, the same pain, and the same ideals. At that time, life was extremely difficult, and they could not have a lavish wedding, but the agency organized a solemn "announcement ceremony" for them right at the unit.

Mr. Xuan recalls: “Life as a newlywed couple was very difficult! We could not keep our first two children, and the heartache was indescribable. When we had a son in 1980, then a daughter in 1982, our happiness was complete, but in 2004, our son died suddenly in a traffic accident.”

Having gone through many losses and harsh challenges, Mr. Xuan and Mrs. Thuy have never let go of each other. They said that it was thanks to the days of living on the border between life and death during the war that they fully understood the value of love. Now, in a small house in Nhut Ninh commune, the two of them live peacefully together. Their only daughter, who currently works in Ho Chi Minh City, comes back to visit her parents every few weeks, bringing her granddaughter who babbles "grandpa, grandma" making the house filled with laughter.

And so, the love stories of the soldiers of the past continue to be written with steadfast love and loyalty in everyday life. Saying goodbye to the soldiers of the past, our hearts were filled with emotion. Those simple but affectionate stories are forever a source of inspiration in today's life./.

Minh An

Source: https://baolongan.vn/tu-chien-truong-den-mai-am-hanh-trinh-vun-dap-hanh-phuc-a194261.html