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Tui th d di

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Wikipedia article




'Tui th d di' is a Vietnamese war novel written by Phng Qun from 1968 to 1986 and published in 1988. The book takes place in Tha Thin - Hu Province during the First Indochina War. It follows the tales of young teenagers who volunteered for the Viet Minh, operating as recons and scouts.

The novel is a major success in Vietnam, receiving many positive reviews. In 1990 it was adapted into a film.

Plot



The story is set during the first years of the First Indochina War. Mng, a 12-year-old boy, illegally enters the war-torn city of Hu and sneaks into the then-Trn Cao Vn Regiment consisting of 30 boys around the same age as him, training to be spies and scouts. His purpose was to support the resistance, thus curing his mom, whom he deliberately ran away from in order to join the combat, from her terminal asthma.

After being accepted in the military, Mng soon finds himself familiarized with fellow soldiers, notably Qunh, Lm, T, Kim, Bng. They take part in a series of battles in Hu, crippling French lines. Despite suffering casualties, the boys don't appear to be affected by PTSD. In fact, they seem to embrace the war. Mng is later offered a trip to visit his mom on horseback. However, he didn't have the bravery to meet her, leaving the job to his comrade, who also sends her the herbs that Mng gathered at the camp to improve her condition.

French reinforcements pour into Hu, forcing the Vit Minh to withdraw and set up a base in the mountainous region of Ho M (now in Phong in).

A team consisting of Kim, Lm, T and leader ng re-enters Hu to distribute revolutionary propaganda and newspapers to Hu citizens. Hence, French forces had to strengthen their positions in the city by putting it under martial law. The mission, nonetheless, carried on successfully until Kim encounters Tr, a former Viet Minh and close friend who betrayed the revolution and joined the French forces. Tr captures Kim and has him tortured, the latter succumbed to pain and reveals the entire mission to the enemy. Thus, ng was killed, Lm was captured. T managed to run back to the base.

Lm was imprisoned alongside Thi, an innocent orphan around the same age as him who was mistaken for T. He attempted to escape prison twice, but failed, causing him to be jailed in Tha Ph - an infamous prison in Hu. Here, he befriends fellow guerillas and captured fighters, and flung into conflict with a gang of pickpockets and thieves, led by the infamous Lp. All hopes of fleeing seems to be fading for Lm until he is selected to work in a French post office in Hu, thanks to his relatively good French. He plans to flee by replacing Thi with a sympathetic worker. In addition, he cures Lp from cholera and makes friend with him. In favor of that, Lp gets rid of Lm's dangerous co-worker Tng, (who had been trying to do the same to Lm) and replaces him. Together, at noon break, they drug the guard, steal an M1911 and an SMG, kill Tr (who spotted them en route) and plan to return to the base. Afterwards, their fates remain unknown.

Meanwhile, the resistance base in Phong in is still very busy. Mng, despite being quite illiterate, is very good at maps and directions, and provided a good position for the army that can see the entire Ha M-on a very high tree. He takes care of Qunh, who still needs medical attention from his infected wound. The latter appears to be a very good composer. Other members of the squad, such as Bng, also scout other parts of Hu, raiding French strongholds and camps.

Qunh, whose father is, ironically, a very high-ranking official of Annam, is offered the chance to return home for a better life (Qunh was fascinated by revolutionary songs, much to his father's anger, thus he joined the Viet Minh). Despite a very promising and lucrative deal, Qunh pledged his loyalty to the Viet Minh. At the exact moment that he does so, which some of his relatives are present, he suffered a stroke from his wounds, and dies. He was given a very large funeral.

Kim returns to the base. He betrayed the Viet Minh and now returns as a mole, using Mng's nave nature to cover up his actions of espionage. But at the end, Mng learned of Kim's activities and fights him in the jungle, while Kim was deserting. However, Kim overpowers Mng, knocks him out and brings him to the enemy.

Mng was able to re-enter Ha M, but is captured immediately as he has been wanted for treason. In spite of solid evidence that he was indeed abducted by Kim, his cases are denied and he is jailed.

French forces gather up outside of Ha M and besiege the base. After relentless fighting, the entire army had to withdraw southwards, leaving only a few men behind to hold off the enemy. Viet Minh forces intend to detonate a large land mine that could wipe out a large amount of French infantry and vehicles as they enter a pre-planned area. The boy scouts are ordered to spectate the fight from the position that Mng provided to give the signal.

Mng meets his mother in the base's makeshift hospital after she had volunteered to supply the army with rations and shot by the French. She had searched for Mng around the province, only to find out in the end that her son is rumored to be an enemy spy. About to succumb to bleeding and wounds, she confesses to Mng everything that she had hidden from him: that they are actually from Qung Tr, Mng was actually born out of wedlock, and his biological father had died before he was born the abusive, treacherous man that he calls father is just a bully to his mom. Just as she finished, she passes away, and the hospital is bombed.

A devastated Mng is freed from his escort as the latter took cover when a bomb stroke nearby. Suddenly knowing what to do, Mng ignores his feelings and rushes to the watchtower. The entire crew sacrificed in a bombing. Hearing the noises from the radio above, Mng climbs up the tree and gives the decisive signal that ignited the Vietnamese land mine, destroying large quantities of French troops. In the chaos, Mng is suddenly sniped and critically wounded. As he was dying, he pleaded his commander to stop suspecting him, before finally collapsing.

In the end, the French had to abandon their positions in Ha M. The Viet Minh also withdraw this base and head for Dng Ha (now in Hng Thy). Mng is buried next to his mother on a mountain, which is named after them.

Reception, adaption



In Vietnam, the book received mostly positive reviews and is regarded as one of the best military fictions of the country, comparable to 'The Sorrows of War.' Despite this, there has not been any foreign translations of it.

It received the Vietnamese Children's Literature Prize from the Vietnamese Writers' Association in 1990, the book was adapted into a film in the same year.

References



Category:Vietnamese novels

Category:War novels

Category:Novels set in Vietnam

Category:First Indochina War fiction

Category:1988 novels

Category:Culture in Hu

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