The cover of the book. Journalist-writer Tran Mai Hanh (wearing glasses) and his colleagues at the Giai Phong News Agency at the gate of Sai Gon on April 30, 1975 (File photo, VNA)Hanoi(VNA) - The English version of historical-document novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75”by journalist-writer Tran Mai Hanh was officially introduced to readers at anevent in Hanoi on April 27.
The event was co-organisedby Radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV), the Vietnam Writers Association and theNational Political Publishing House to celebrate the 42nd anniversaryof the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and National Reunification (April 30).
His 500-pagebook has the literary, historical and press value with documents in originalconsidered as top confidential at that time by the other side (the side of theRepublic of Vietnam and the United States of America).
The author hasalso quoted in the book the documents associated with the important event ofthe country in a precise and reliable manner. The book has recounted anddepicted truthfully and lively the fall of the Sai Gon administration underNguyen Van Thieu as its president in the last four months of the war, fromJanuary to the end of April of 1975.
Apart from thespeech of Nguyen Van Thieu before his resignation, 20 remaining referencedocuments included in the annex are the top-secret documents in original on thewar on the side of the Republic of Vietnam and the US. These are documents dated over 40 years ago typed fromthe original documents collected at the study and residence of Nguyen VanThieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam at the Presidential Palace and thestudy of General Cao Van Vien, General Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces ofthe Republic of Vietnam at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Sai Gonarmy at noon and on the afternoon of April 30, 1975. The presentation,abbreviations and English sentences found somewhere in these documents havebeen kept intact as compared to the original documents. At the end of eachchapter, the reliable sources of documents are cited by the author when writingthat chapter.
Thehistorical-document novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” has been evaluated andpublished by the National Political Publishing House in early April 2014. Intwo years the book consecutively won the prestigious awards at home and in theregion: “The 2014 Literature Award” of the Vietnam Writers’ Association and“The 2015 Literature Award of the ASEAN countries”. In two years, the book hasbeen republished for three times and in large quantity. At the ASEAN LiteratureAward presentation ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand in December 2015, thespeech at the award presentation ceremony and the presentation of writer TranMai Hanh at the ASEAN Literature Forum together with the summary of a number ofchapters of “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” translated into English had the goodfeedback from countries. The Executive Board of the Vietnam Writers’Association decided to have the novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” into English“to introduce and advertise the literary works on the war for the nationaldefense and liberation and the aspiration for peace of the Vietnamese people”to the world’s readers.
The NationalPolitical Publishing House has organised the translation and editing of thebook so as to be able to have the best possible English version of the novel “AWar Account 1-2-3-4.75” in order to send to English readers the faithfulcontent and the literary quality of the novel in original. The book “A WarAccount 1-2-3-4.75” of journalist-writer Tran Mai Hanh, translated by ManhChuong and published by the National Political Publishing House, is the firstawarded literary work of the Vietnam Writers’ Association that is translatedinto English to introduce to the world’s readers. The book is edited by theexperienced foreign and Vietnamese English language experts of the translationcompany Metro Writers.
Translating intoEnglish the historical-document novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” to introduceto the world’s readers is of significance. Former US President Barack Obamaonce spoke in Hanoi on May 24, 2016 during his Vietnam visit that the warlessons will be the lessons for the whole world. Recently, according to the NewYork Times, senior advisor of US President Donald Trump Steve Banno proposedthat the White House officials should read the book that analyzes the mistakescommitted by the US that led to the war in Vietnam in the 20th century so as torecognise that the small mistakes could lead to a lot of serious consequencesin the future.
Not any war thatwas brought to an end could be able to be decoded by a historical-documentnovel written in the “account” form on the basis of the original documentstogether with the reliable documents of the other side so as to recount andresurrect in a truthful way the fall that had happened in the war-end months.Thanks to it that the nature of justice – injustice; the triumph – the defeatcould be described clearly and undeniably. Possibly “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75”– the English Version is one of the rare books that could be able to do it.-VNA
VNA
