'Dang Thuy Tram and the Third Diary': Revealing Many Touching Stories

Works "Dang Thuy Tram's Diary" (Writers Association Publishing House) and "Dang Thuy Tram and the Third Diary" (Vietnamese Women Publishing House).

In 2005, the book "Dang Thuy Tram's Diary" (published by the Writers' Association) was first introduced to the public, not only attracting the attention of Vietnamese readers but also many international readers, who held it in high esteem. The simple, honest writings of the young female doctor in the fierce war situation created a special phenomenon - where "the individual and the era intersect in the light of ideals". The diary quickly went beyond the scope of a private legacy to become a spiritual symbol for an entire generation that lived, fought, loved and sacrificed with rare purity and enthusiasm.

Following "Dang Thuy Tram's Diary", 20 years later, in June 2025, Vietnam Women's Publishing House released to the public the book Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary . This is not only a continuation of the flow about the female battlefield doctor - martyr Dang Thuy Tram but also a deep echo, opening new doors leading to the soul of the deceased who has/is and still lives forever in the memories of many generations.

In Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary , Dang Thuy Tram's childhood, adolescence and a part of her beautiful youth are recounted, along with memories with her family and friends, in the heart of the peaceful capital Hanoi, with her heart turned towards the South, which is still suffering from bombs and bullets. The book is a bridge to help us approach and look back at the whole special story about the portrait of Dang Thuy Tram with the youth, knowledge and culture of a pure Hanoi girl, full of ideals; a Dang Thuy Tram in the loving arms of her family and friends, before volunteering to go to the battlefield...

Cover of the book "Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary"

The important part of this book is the unpublished posthumous work of female doctor - martyr Dang Thuy Tram , including the "third diary" and some letters with family and friends. In those diary pages, the image of a Dang Thuy Tram full of femininity, with youthful energy, with a heart full of love for the country, family, relatives, friends and even love; a romantic, delicate and passionate medical student, while enthusiastically studying and training in a safe and favorable environment, still always had many concerns about ideals, about the meaning of life, about the dream of curing patients, about the mission of citizens when the country was divided; was the courage to face challenges and injustice, with a Danko spirit without hesitation... And from there, determined to commit to the Southern battlefield, along with many young people from the North, not afraid of sacrifice and hardship.

What once caused much controversy and curiosity was Dang Thuy Tram's unsuccessful love affair with M., a talented Southern soldier. In this book, it is also re-examined from the most honest and "real" perspective.

The book Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary is divided into 2 main parts:

The first part, titled "The Ideal Class" , is a collection of notes by Mrs. Doan Ngoc Tram, the mother of Doctor Dang Thuy Tram, and her three younger sisters, Kim Tram, Hien Tram and Phuong Tram. In this part, for the first time, some pages from the diary that Doctor - Martyr Dang Thuy Tram wrote during her final period at Hanoi Medical University from October 1965 to December 1966, when she was preparing to leave for the Southern battlefield (going to B). Although the remaining diary pages were not published in their entirety, they were still connected into a seamless stream of thoughts, clearly expressing Dang Thuy Tram's torments, intense emotions and strong ideals of life.

Pages 188 and 189 of the book have many valuable pictures and documents about doctor - martyr Dang Thuy Tram.

The second part, titled "The Bridge Over the River of Division", includes a series of articles by three younger sisters, sharing the long and emotional journey of searching for and retrieving original documents and bringing "Dang Thuy Tram's Diary" to the public. These pages are not only rich in material, but also contribute to more clearly portraying the portrait of a resilient, idealistic and kind-hearted female doctor in the minds of today's readers. In addition, this part also provides some private personal information, illuminating the image of martyr Dang Thuy Tram from many angles...

The most valuable thing about Dang Thuy Tram's book and the third diary is the family's quiet but touching collection. There are yellowed diary entries, blurred letters, that had to be reconstructed word by word; there are letters that were not sent yet; there are pages with only a few lines left, but the family still kept them because to them, each word is a trace of a life.

Researcher Ha Thanh Van shared about the book Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary : "Not just a simple manuscript, the third diary is a precious "sedimentary layer", from which we can see the depth of thought and personality of Dang Thuy Tram. At the same time, this is also the result of many years of careful collection and preservation by family members, the "silent storytellers" who continued to write Dang Thuy Tram's life with love and memories. This book can be considered a contribution to the literature of nostalgia and memories".

phunuvietnam.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dang-thuy-tram-va-cuon-nhat-ky-thu-ba-he-mo-nhieu-cau-chuyen-cam-dong-post649026.html