Category: Vietnam War

Indie Spotlight: Viet Nam Short Stories by Nguyễn Trong Hiền

BonnieReadsAndWrites11 Comments

Book Description

This is an anthology of 12 Vietnamese short stories side by side with their English translations. The stories range from the Tự Lực Văn Đoàn period in the 1930s to more recent stories written by members of the Vietnamese diaspora living abroad after the end of the war in 1975.

Review

The author/translator, Nguyễn Trong Hiền, writes in the Preface that he wanted to “introduce English speakers to stories that would otherwise be inaccessible to them, while allowing Vietnamese readers to access them in their original language.” The result is a beautiful, eye-opening, and often heartbreaking collection, presented in both languages. Each story is presented in Vietnamese first, and then followed with its English translation. I wish I could read Vietnamese so I could enjoy both versions.

The stories in this collection that recount the aftermath of the Vietnam war, when many South Vietnamese were placed in re-education camps, are so heartbreaking and at the same time, very important to read. The one that stands out for me the most, while they all do, is Baby Puppet by Ngô Viêt Trong, about a little boy who basically lived in a prison camp all or most of his short life.

Nguyễn Trong Hiền writes the forward for each story. He also provides an inspiring biographical story, The Quiet Hero, which he wrote about a corporal in the South Vietnamese military, Võ Phùng Duong, who was severely and permanently wounded but still sent to a re-education camp after the war. Later, Duong began an effort to recover the remains of his fellow soldiers who died at the Battle of An Lôc in 1972 and return them to their loved ones.

At the same time, the stories written in the 1930s are not to be missed either. They tell compelling tales and legends of love, suffering, and sacrifice.

Some tales read as memoirs, and The Purple Color of Myrtles was my favorite of those, though again they are all fantastic. In this one, Nguyễn Hűu Loan tells of his love for his wife, their short marriage, and her death which inspired his famous poem of the same title. He also talks of his opposition to the Communist Party and Hô Chí Minh, and how severely he was persecuted after he left the party.

I highly recommend this anthology, which shows Viet Nam in various time periods, all of which seem tumultuous. Many of the stories serve as an eye-opening look at the harsh realities of communism. Powerful and memorable, this translated work is a gift to those of us who haven’t read these stories and can learn from them.

About the Author

Nguyễn Trọng Hiền (or Hien T. Nguyen as he is known in the United States) was born in North Việt Nam, emigrated with his family to South Việt Nam in 1954, and came to the United States in 1975 at the end of the Việt Nam war. He lived in California and West Virginia before settling in New Jersey.

He worked for Wells Fargo Bank in California, Allied Chemical in West Virginia and New Jersey, and for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey. He retired from J&J at the beginning of 2018 and is now spending most of his time doing his favorite activities: reading, writing, bird and landscape photography, playing with his grandchildren and Jackie, a Golden Retriever.

In 2012, using the pen name of neihtn, he published on Amazon “Village Teacher”, a love story about the final mandarin examinations in Việt Nam at the dawn of the 20th century.

In August 2020, he published “The Siege of An Lộc”, a novel based on the battle of An Lộc in 1972.

In September 2026, he published Viet Nam Short Stories, an anthology of 12 Vietnamese short stories side by side with their English translations

He is currently working on the Vietnamese and French version of the above anthology.

**Click on the cover image to purchase on Amazon. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read for free.

Before You Go

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Memorial Day Tribute to a Hero #VietnamWar #MemorialDay #MemorialDayTribute

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

This is a tribute to my uncle, Wayne D. Jenkins, who died in Vietnam in 1968 just before he would have turned 21. I was only four years old when he passed, so I never got to know him. I will always wonder what his life would have been like and what additional family members we would have had if he was not taken so young. He is a hero to our family.

FIND A GRAVE MEMORIAL

From the Find-A-Grave website:

SP4 Wayne Daniel Jenkins, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Bryson City, NC.

Specialist Four Wayne Daniel Jenkins was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Army Selective Service and a Draftee, SP4 Jenkins served our country until September 12th, 1968 in Bing Long, South Vietnam. He was 20 years old and was not married. It was reported that Wayne died from small-arms fire or grenade. His body was recovered. Wayne was born on September 16th, 1947 in Bryson City, North Carolina. SP4 Jenkins is on panel 44W, line 038 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for one year.

Sp4 Jenkins, this is in remembrance of you and the members of your squad who were ambushed on September 12, 1968, while on reconnaissance 5 kilometers Northeast of Loc Ninh, Binh Long Province, Vietnam. That day was a long and sad day for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. You will never be forgotten. Niner One.

He was the son of Mr. Ed C Jenkins, Bryson City, NC.

He served with Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, USARV.

He was awarded The Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB), Bronze Star Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart Medal for his combat-related wounds, the Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Army Achievement Medal, and The Army Commendation Medal.

-I will never forget that day. We lost 11 men. Richard Smith, 11571 Hadar Drive, San Diego, CA.

-I served with Recon 1st/28th. I won’t forget you or that day. Love and Peace to your family. Recon was as close to family as you can get. Larry Schluter, Renton, Wa 98056

-Brother, I miss you. Thank you to all who survived and knew Wayne Jenkins. God Bless You! Ed Jenkins Jr., 333 Ed Jenkins Rd, Bryson City, NC (My Uncle Ed has since passed away)

VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

Self-Published Saturday: August 14, 2021 Village Teacher

BonnieReadsAndWrites5 Comments

It’s Saturday, and I’ll be reviewing only Self-Published/Indie books all day. Saturday is exclusively Self-Published/Indie. Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help Indie authors market their books. As I always say, Self-Published/Indie authors have to do it all, from editing to cover design to marketing. My hope is that this feature will give them a little help. Please remember that if you decide to review the book, leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and anywhere else you review the book. This is so important for Self-Published authors. My first SP Saturday feature today is Village Teacher by neihtn, or Hien T. Nguyen. Village Teacher is a wonderful historical love story set in Vietnam.

Village Teacher by Neihtn, who also writes as Nguyen Trong Hien, is a well-written novel set in Vietnam in the late 19th or early 20th century while Vietnam was under French colonization. Teacher Tâm has traveled to the Imperial City of Hue to take the national examinations, challenging tests that help the country choose its leaders. He meets Giang, the daughter of a powerful Frenchman and a wealthy Vietnamese woman. The teacher becomes the student as Giang begins teaching him to write Vietnamese in Romanized script without using the Chinese characters. Outside forces begin to intervene in Tâm’s life in many ways, and the reader is taken on a journey through Vietnamese history, language, and customs as the Village Teacher and those who love him fight for his life and his rights.

This is such a beautiful historical love story. The author is an expert in Vietnamese history and I learned so much in this book. The struggles of Teacher Tâm are struggles that are being repeated even today as the wealthy and powerful try to hold down those of lesser means, especially the smart and talented. Over and over again we see in this book how some of the rich and powerful will use any means to try and destroy anyone who they believe threatens their total control. The love story is beautiful, and the reader gets a master class in Vietnamese history, language, and culture. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the history of Vietnam or anyone who just wants to read a well-written historical love story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nguyễn Trọng Hiền is originally from Vietnam. In the United States, he is known as Hien Nguyen, or Hien T. Nguyen.  neihtn is his Vietnamese first name (Hien)  and initials, spelled backward. Why backward? One reason is to indicate that he now lives on the opposite side of the world from where he was born and spent over two decades of his life.

Hein wrote Village Teacher at night and on weekends over four years while he worked a full-time job. He is now retired and spends his time writing and taking photographs of birds, wildlife, flowers and landscapes. He posts the photos on his blog,  Village Teacher. He also published another novel, The Siege of An Loc, in 2020. The Siege of An Loc shows us the Vietnam War through the eyes of a South Vietnamese soldier.

Buy Village Teacher on Amazon

Buy The Siege of An Loc on Amazon

My Amazon Review of Village Teacher (“Helpful” Votes Appreciated)

My Blog Review of The Siege of An Loc

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