HERO NGUYEN TRONG TAM
Hero Nguyen Trong Tam, a lowland Vietnamese, was born in 1927 at Yen Quang village, Y Yen district, Nam Dinh province. When cited as a hero, he was a party member, a retired official.
During the anti-French resistance war, Nguyen Trong Tam was in charge of propaganda work with enemy officers and soldiers in Nam Dinh city. In 1954 he was transferred to the South to live legally with the enemy, still assuming his former task. In October 1955, Nguyen Trong Tam was arrested by the enemy, who tortured him barbarously, but he remained faithful to the revolution. In prison, he contacted outside revolutionaries, organized prisoners and led them to capture guns and demolish Tan Hiep prison, Bien Hoa, liberating nearly 500 revolutionaries interned by the enemy. Nguyen Trong Tam contributed to build up the first armed forces of the eastern region of South-Viet Nam. He combated and directed many battles, killing many enemies, capturing many weapons, ammunition and war means. The first attack of his unit destroyed Hieu Liem military sub-sector, killing and wounding hundreds of enemies, capturing nearly a hundred guns, over twenty walkie-talkies and over ten tons of ammunition. He also organized our first secret agents to make propaganda with the enemy’s armed forces in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam and directed successful pilot attacks on strategic hamlets by the three close combat tactics. He organized our secret agents in towns and cities controlled by the enemy to hide our armed forces for our military operations after the Mau Than New Lunar Year Festival (1968). In March 1974, he was a member of the economic and financial committee, in charge of trade in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam.
On 30.08.1995, Nguyen Trong Tam was granted the title of Hero of the people’s forces by the State.
LATE HAPPINESS
Anh Hoang
In the beginning of 1960, when I strapped my rucksack to leave division 338 and assume my new duties at the department for propaganda with the population and enemy armed forces (named research department during the anti-American resistance war, presently special department for propaganda with the population), Nguyen Trong Tam had been then present in South-Viet Nam for over five years after the Geneva agreement. This period was the prelude to his 21 year-long fighting history until the total liberation of South-Viet Nam. Yes, over five years only Bay Tam experienced fairly typical situations. Each situation was attached to a historical event of which he was an insider and a live witness.
For one year he lived legally with the enemy in Bien Hoa and Ba Ria as an envoy of the commission for propaganda with enemy armed forces of South-Viet Nam Party Committee, he was one of the first members of Bien Hoa province Homeland front. His contact with the Binh Xuyen staff and Bay Vien resulted in the dissolution of the Binh Xuyen armed forces and the dissension of Bay Mon’s battalion 3 from Ngo Dinh Diem and its rally to the revolution.
He was arrested by the enemy right at the house of our secret agent, mother Ta Thi Loc at Cay Me impasse, Bien Hoa town, after the dissolution of Binh Xuyen. Although he was afflicted with malaria due to his long stay in Ba Ria, he was calm enough to answer the enemy’s interrogations. They searched the house and discovered some resistance songs concealed by the house owner’s daughter. He did not know about this fact. Overjoyed, they asked loudly whose these songs were and where they came from. A good idea flashed in his mind. To ensure safety to our secret agent, he admitted that these things belonged to him. He said:
- Printed songs by Van Cao and Luu Huu Phuoc are sold everywhere and are sung by anybody…
- The enemy took him to the political research department (P 42) for interrogation, then to the Catinat secret police post. After barbarous beatings which contused his body and broke one of his kidneys (a fact which Bay Tam would know about later through an ultrasonic examination), the enemy did not get any more information from him. At the eastern special police department, they did not find enough evidence either to charge him. They suspected only that Nguyen Duy Dan, who signed his emigration certificate, had relations with former resistance war participants. They sent him to a reformation center in Bien Hoa. One year later, the Tan Hiep prison was demolished by its internees. As secretary of the prison Party cell, he drew up a plan to capture guns and liberate nearly 500 interned comrades and implemented it successfully. Later, in April 1958, a meeting took place in Long Nguyen base in the forest between the formers members of the prison Party cell, such as Vo Van Thuan, Nguyen Van Tham, Bay Tam with comrades Mai ChiTho, Nguyen Van Chi and Phan Duc, member of the South-Viet Nam Party committee (alias respectively Tam Cao, Sau Ep and Tu Can), the meeting participants reached this conclusion: These first offensive gun shots announced that Ngo Dinh Diem’s anti-communist policy would fail indubitably. This prison escape was not only timely, it still had an important meaning, aroused a resounding political echo. What was more valuable was that from this event the revolution had more weapons and more cadres. We had more favorable conditions to build first self-defence armed units.
Back into the forest, Bay Tam became an assistant political advisor to comrade Nguyen Huu Xuyen, head of the regional military committee for some time, then one of the first officers of the first companies which participated in the attack on Tua 2, our first big scale attack on an enemy position guarded by a regiment of the Saigon army. Company 59, with Bay Tam as political adviser, was the main attack spearhead in this battle, which took place in the night of 25.01.1960, two days before the Tet (New Lunar Year Festival) of the year of the Rat.
The Tua 2 battle was not the object of noisy propaganda. The Viet Nam station only broadcast the news without commentary. The Saigon radio broadcasting station, in its rubric destined to officers and soldiers of the Saigon army, stressed the fact that hundreds of soldiers of regiment 32 deserted their barracks and returned home for the Tet before the battle. And when we attacked, many soldiers did not resist and ran away. 500 soldiers were captured, educated and released on the spot. To conceal our strength, their radio station also said that the attack was carried out by the armed forces of religious sects Cao Dai and Binh Xuyen against Ngo Dinh Diem.
Only 40 years later, by the end of 1999, did the command of military zone 7 and the Tay Ninh province Party Committee conduct a scientific seminar to draw conclusions on the Tua 2 battle. The meaning of Tua 2 victory exceeded the scope of an ordinary battle. It was really a signal fire which opened a high simultaneous armed uprising movement in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam and in whole South-Viet Nam.
I knew everything about Bay Tam only 18 years later, when I was assigned to the Department. It was then in 1978, three years after the nation had got rid of enemies. Bay Tam was then director of Dong Nai province trade service. That year, the state advocated to confer the title of hero of the forced armed on those who had accomplished outstanding exploits during our national salvation war against the Americans. The political general department of the people’s army of Viet Nam chose three representative figures in propaganda work with enemy armed forces.
Over four years after the Geneva agreement, from 1954 to 1957, the general department successiveness sent over 40 cadres to the south. A third of them had fallen in battles.
Almost the surviving were arrested interned or exiled by the enemy. The three chosen representative figures were typical in their kinds.
Fallen Tran Ba, born in Tuy Phuoc, Binh Dinh, was a member of the provincial Party Committee before enlisting in the army. He was the first cadre sent to South-Viet Nam as a deputy head of the committee for propaganda with enemy armed forces of South-Viet Nam Party Committee. He was arrested by the enemy in 1958 and died in prison after five years’ internment.
Major Hoang Thi Nghi, the young girl from Do Son, was in charge of secret relations and kept close contact with fifth column agents assigned to her. She was arrested two times and was exiled to Con Dao. She showed the high spirit of a revolutionary living legally in occupied areas, faithful and indomitable, ready to sacrifice her life while she was still young and beautiful.
And lieutenant-colonel Nguyen Trong Tam. After the Tua 2 battle, for necessity of service, he served for two more years in the army before Tam Cao returned him back to propaganda work with enemy armed forces. During this brief period, Bay Tan made two great contributions. First, he led his company 200 to make contact with part of unit B90 - the first party of southern cadres returning to the South from the North - and escort it from Quang Duc to the present area of Nam Cat Tien, connecting thus the trail from north to south after this unexpected mission, Bay Tam became the political adviser to battalion 500, renamed later battalion 800 or Dong Nai battalion, the first main force battalion in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam. In its first battle, it accomplished an outstanding exploit: the destruction of Hieu Liem sub-sector and the capture of a great quantity of weapons and ammunition.
From the end of 1961, the Central Party Committee division in the South considered propaganda work with enemy forces to be strategic mission, an indispensable attack spearhead in the three attack-spearhead strategy. Comrade Tran Luong, former manager of the political general department, reinforced the Central Party Committee division under the name Tran Nam Trung (Hai Hau) both as defence minister of the republic of South-Viet Nam and head of the regional committee for propaganda work with enemy armed forces. At the first meeting of the eastern regional committee for propaganda work with the enemy forces, Bay Tam met his previous chiefs. Seven years had elapsed rapidly. Seven years ago, comrade Tran Luong himself and comrade Vu Oanh, head of the department for propaganda with enemy armed forces had assigned him his mission to be fulfilled in the South. The earth is truly round! Chiefs and subordinate were overjoyed to meet each other.
Until the end of the anti-American war, in spite of his numerous position, Bay Tam became an expert specialist in propaganda with enemy armed forces.
He drew up a plan to sabotage the Ben Tuong strategic hamlet, which was Ngo Dinh Diem’s pilot one in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam. After the plan had been approved by the Party Committee, in his quality of mission head, once more in agreement with Sau Trung, secretary of Thu Dau Mot province Party Committee on the plan implementation, he rushed at once to the hamlet.
Bay Tam certainly had his contribution in the first steps of the plan. The main force came from the hamlet, the key work was propaganda with the population. Soldiers’ families fought legally against population confinement. And if the population was confined in the strategic hamlet, soldiers’ families educated their children and brothers (soldiers) to loosen their grip. Our fifth columns in their militia and fighting youth contributed their support and coordination to sabotage the strategic hamlet.
From loosening to sabotaging and dissolution, the basic forces were internal ones. The sabotage of Ben Tuong pilot strategic hamlet brought about a lot of valuable experience after it had been totally destroyed, Strategic hamlets were then Ngo Dinh Diem’s national policy. Draining water away to catch fish, they confined the population in strategic hamlets for the purpose of isolating our armed forces from the population so that they could destroy the Vietcongs (Vietnamese communists). The erasure of Ben Tuong strategic hamlet by the population of southern Ben Cat opened a period of strategic hamlet sabotage which would last until Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown by Duong Van Minh, who tiredly declared that he would renounce this “national policy of strategic hamlets”.
When he was a member of Thu Dau Mot Province Party Committee as well as when he was later a member of sub-regional Party Committee or Thu Bien sub-regional Party Committee, specialized in propaganda with enemy armed forces, Bay Tam was always present on the front, in key places, in important areas. His minute manners, his careful direction and his closeness to the base enabled Bay Tam to become more mature and self-confident. The Ben The post was destroyed three times thanks to his direction and our fifth columns. The position of Tan An Xa and Phu Chanh, guarded by a company of civil guarded, was destroyed by an outside attack combined with fifth columns’ action. These exploits were partly due to Bay Tam’s effort and intellect.
During the last years of the war, Bay Tam served in the new re-established agencies of the eastern region Party Committee. From the position of deputy head of office in charge of management, he was transferred to the economic and financial committee in charge of trade. Utilizing his experience in his propaganda work with enemy armed forces and using enemy soldiers’ families, he solved the greatest problem at that time: the shortage of rice and consumer goods. Rice was transported from km 125 on national route 20, from Ta Lai road to the port. Our secret agents ensured the safety of transportation, in case of impediment they fired signal shots. The transportation of rice and goods by vehicles over a long period of time did not encounter any obstacle. This outstanding achievement would be probably a ground for Bay Tam to be appointed director of Dong Nai service of trade after the liberation.
Of the three representative figures in propaganda work with enemy armed forces, Nguyen Trong Tam deserved to be granted the title of hero. Before making proposal to the general department, colonel Le Dien, deputy head of the research department, who clung closely to principles, contacted the Dong Nai Province Party Committee for consultation and additional appraisal on Bay Tam and the Provincial Party Committee agreed totally with the general department. But an incomprehensible upheaval happened. In October 1978, Bay Tam was suddenly arrested and interned by Muoi Van, director of the provincial police.
Not only Bay Tam, other comrades, such as Ba Lan, Nam Trang, members of the Provincial Party Committee, could not escape this strange misadventure. And other Party members, such as Tam Bung, Chin Ngoc, Tu Minh, Nam Truong Sa…
The political general department very astonished by this news, could not disregard this matter. It sent its employees to make investigation and knew that arrests spread to an adjacent province. What secret was behind these strange phenomena?
The Muoi Van case was only solved five years later. This was a corruption case which central agencies spent many efforts and a lot of time to clarify. Dazzled by gold, bewitched by girls and charmed by flatteries, Muoi Van was a typical corrupted high local official who abused his powers, inhumanly stabled in the backs of his former comrades and team-mates, aggravated the then economic difficulties and made the people discredit the revolution and the Party Muoi Van finally expiated his crimes by his capital sentence.
Thanks to the energetic intervention on from the central internal political committee, Bay Tam was temporarily released on 02.12.1980. For over two years’ internment in B6 (former Bien Hoa prison), he experienced the bitterest months and years in his life.
During his interment, nobody visited him so that he could make confidences to alleviate his sorrows. In prison, the most fearful thing was loneliness and solitude and spiritual tiredness which led to capitulation or loss of self-control which would push him to strike his head against the wall to end everything. But no, he was not foolish enough to let these obscure thoughts vanquish him. He was confident that truth would triumph. An innocent person had nothing to fear. A straight tree would not die in a vertical position.
Only at 35 was he married, when he went to My Phuoc, South of Ben Cat, to implement the plan for sabotaging Ben Tuong strategic hamlet. He stayed at the house of a secret agent, his future mother in-law. She had a daughter who was fourteen years younger than him, a women’s association cadre of the village. His team-mates matched him with her and the local authorities also supported the idea. But only when comrade Tam Cao went here on a mission did he say directly to the mother: “Mother, please take care of Bay Tam, he is still single at thirty-five years of age”. And they became husband and wife.
After the marriage, Hong Diep was rarely happy living apart from him frequently. He still clung to the enemy, was at times arrested, interned, beaten, then transferred to another places. So, he could no longer live legally with the enemy. His two sons were born ten years apart. While he wandered here and there of hid himself in an dark shelter, his wife was pregnant or gave birth to their children. How did his wife and his children manage to overcome difficulties. He felt intense and inconsolable sufferings which incited him to make more efforts for survival.
Seventeen months after arrest, Bay Tam was visited by his wife who embraced in her arms their youngest daughter. Then she made her visit every month. He could only advise her to persevere because he was innocent and would be released early or late.
A week before his temporary release, Bay Tam was transferred from b6 to Tan Hiep prison, where he was no longer guarded closely.
Bay Tam was taken out of prison in a car of the Provincial Party Committee, driven by comrade Chin Nam, a Provincial Party committee member on 02.12.1980, exactly 24 years day by day after the demolition of Tan Hiep prison, an unforgettable coincidence for Bay Tam.
Only released temporarily, he had to wait until the Muoi Van case was heard. Only in 1983 was Bay Tam acquitted definitively and reinstated in his position. Over seven more years’ work in his industrial company for processing of export agricultural products, Bay Tam again demonstrated his talents in economic activities. He gradually formed a new economic structure with tobacco plants, alcohol and beer factories, the export of hundreds tons of coffee and cashew-nuts per year, in some years the budget received billions of VNDs of taxes.
The political general department did not forget Bay Tam either. Before his retirement, colonel Hoang Bich, deputy head of the department for propaganda with the population and some of Bay Tam’s former friends in the department for propaganda with enemy armed forces (during the anti-French resistance war) came to Dong Nai to visit him. They were overjoyed seeing that he still preserved the skill, qualities and manners of a military officer. He proposed that he would submit additional documents about his achievements since 1975 for the State to consider and confer the title of hero of the armed forces on him.
Like previously, the political general department again sent representatives to Dong Nai for consultation and agreement. However, only five years after his retirement, i.e. in 1995, did Nguyen Trong Tam receive this glorious title. He was then 65 years of age.
In retirement, Bay Tam was able to care for and help his wife to do family economy, raise his children and successively send them to the university; they all have employment now. In his spare time he participated in social activities. With his former comrades, he returned to Bu Chap-Ly Lich to see ethnic minority people again, in particular Dieu Noi (Nam Noi), then a hamlet head and talked with him about old stories, about how enthusiastically company 50 was previously supported by the villagers. Or he went to Nhon, Long Thanh, visited former secret agents’ families such as Nam Y’s and Muoi Anh Tuyet’s at Phu Hoi and Phuoc Tho. Or again with Hai Thong he rowed a boat to Phu Huu and Phuoc Khanh. If possible, he and some comrades of former company 200 revisited the place where they previously met Tu Lac and Ba Cung of unit B90. And he attended meetings of former political prisoners, where he again met Nam Kuc, secretary of the fifth column Party cell at Tua 2. he took Nam Kuc to Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee, which gave Nam Kuc some money for him to move his family from Binh Dinh to Dong Nai to earn their living. He many times went to Song Be for the transfer of Hai Khiet’s mortal remains. Tu Khiet, a former political prisoner from Con Dao prison, worked for the commission for propaganda with enemy armed forces of the Provincial Party Committee. He was killed by the enemy at Phu Chanh, a mother at Phu Chanh reclaimed his corpse from the enemy and buried it near her son’s tomb. Tu Khiet’s family lived in Phan Thiet. Bay Tam contacted both parties. Tu Khiet’s family received Bay Tam’s message in 1977, however, only sixteen years later were Tu Khiet’s remains transferred to Phan Thiet. Each time Bay Tam goes to Song Be province, he feels more at ease when he mets the father and the sister of Nguyen The Ca, because he personally proposed that the local authorities should grant the first gratitude house in Phuoc Vinh town to the father of two fallen combatants, one of them was Nguyen The Ca, guarded of the committee for propaganda with enemy armed forces of sub-regional military zone.
Attending the funerals of mother Tu Loc, with great emotion he remembered the memories of his first arrivals in this strange land of Bien Hoa. Following the Saigon line, Khanh Phuong, wife of Ngo Ba Cao, with her child in her arms, took him to Vo Sa ferry-boat which transported him to My Quoi island for him to meet Bien Hoa Province Party Committee. Tu Tru, who would become Bay Khanh’s wife, took him to Vo Van Khanh, former secretary of Ba Cho Province Party Committee during the anti-French resistance war. Tu Tru also took him to Hoang Tam Ky, secretary of Bien Hoa town Party Committee, for Hoang Tam Ky to introduce him to mother Tu Loc. She admitted him as her nephew and called him “teacher”, and he called her “Aunt”. When he was arrested by Ngo Dinh Diem’s at her house, she was, too. At Catinat post, he sought a way to let her know that he had not said anything harmful to her. She was released two months later. And when he was transferred to Tan Hiep prison, she often visited him and brought food to him. She continued to be his secret agent until the prison was demolished.
He had many old acquaintances, either deceased or alive, he remembered all of them. When mentioning the Tan Hiep prison demolition, he spoke about Ly Van Sam. He had already met Ly Van Sam at Catinat post. Looking at the writer’s meager body, Bay Tam had great compassion for him. To encourage Ly Van Sam, he wrote with a small stick on the ground: “a V.C (Vietcong) would die rather than denounce”. He and Ly Van Sam were transferred to Tan Hiep at the same time. Here, he also knew Duong Lu Giang very close friend of Ly Van Sam. Both of them were assigned by the prison Party Committee to make propaganda with warders. Duong Tu Giang was a very dynamic and creative man. Unfortunately, when escaping from the prison he was pursued and killed by the enemy at the prison gate. Bay Tam always remembers Duong Tu Giang, the inseparable couple Duong Tu Giang, Ly Van Sam…
After he had been granted the title of hero, many newspapers and magazines in the capital and provinces inserted articles on Nguyen Trong Tam. Perhaps due to the format of a newspaper article, or the writer’s skill, the stories inserted on the press are genuine, but their presentation might cause misunderstanding to readers. According to him, merits in historical events belonged to collective contribute. The merit in dissolving three Binh Xuyen battalions belonged to population of Rung Sat, mainly the population of Phuoc Khanh. Or in the rally of Bay Mon’s battalion 3 to our camp, the great merits belonged to Ba troung, political advisor of the battalion (this title was proposed by Bay Tam to the Binh Xuyen command staff and approved by Bay Vien), although Bay Tam had already discussed the matter with Ba Truong. Bay Mon had confidence in Ba Truong and knew that Ba Truong’s wife lived at Phuoc Long (Long Thanh, presently Nhon Trach), and that he had joined the Viet Minh revolutionary movement. Ba Truong’s explanations on the situation convinced Bay Mon to rally to the revolution. Ba Truong himself advised Bay Mon to lead battalion 3 out of the siege at Ong Que rubber plantation, then he would send a message to Bay Tam who would contact the Ba Ria Party Committee and department for propaganda with enemy armed forces, which would take this battalion to Rung Giong, Xuyen Moc. Bay Tam timely reported to comrades Hoang Dao and Bay Khanh in charge of propaganda with enemy armed forces in South-Viet Nam and in the eastern region of South-Viet Nam. Later, by decision of the interprovincial Party Committee, comrade Ba Thuan (Pham Thuan), deputy secretary of Bien Hoa province Party Committee met Bay Mon and directed Binh Xuyen battalion 3 to war zone D. Ba Truong died in the anti-American war. His wife was granted the title of Vietnamese heroin-mother.
Remembering the months and days he went to Long Thanh to make propaganda with the Binh Xuyen, Bay Tam said:
- Comrade Thai, who is living in Vinh Cuu, took me to Sau Khanh (Sau Pho), then secretary of Long Thanh district Party Committee at Nam Y’s house. Nam Y is still a teacher at Phuoc An. The plan for penetrating into the Binh Xuyen headquarters had been prepared carefully. Hai Thong took us to Phuoc Khanh in a boat. After many times contacting the Binh Xuyen command staff, our superiors ordered me to make a more step, to meet Bay Vien, the Binh Xuyen commander, at any price. I mat Bay Vien and knew about his feelings. He called Ngo Dinh Diem “son of a bitch” while talking with me. Ngo Dinh Diem had chased Bay Vien out of Cho Lon area and forced him to withdraw to Rung Sat in April 1955. He was then intending to surround and attacked the Binh Xuyen forces to destroy them. Bay Vien was different from Trinh Minh The (Cao Dai) who had surrendered to Ngo Dinh Diem. He also understood that the French had the intention to abandon him. Bay Vien recommended colonel Tu Nho, head of the Binh Xuyen command staff, to conceal the fact that he met me, not to let Lai Van Sang, Lai Huu Tai and Ho Huu Tuong, who were stayed in nearby mooring canoes, know about this fact, Bay Vien was embarrassed and admitted that he did not know what to decide. He proposed that he would meet my superiors before making a decision. Upon Bay Vien’s proposal, comrades Hoang Dao, Bay Khanh and i went to Rung Sat to meet him. I did not attend the meeting because I had to stay outside and ensure safety to our two comrades when they went out. At that time, Ngo Dinh Diem’s forces carried out the Hoang Dieu campaign to lay siege outside. This time, Bay Vien escaped danger by fleeing to Phnom-Penh. He kept contact with us and recommended Bay Mon (Vo Van Mon) to the front. Later, when the national front for liberation of South-Viet Nam was formed, Bay Mon became a member of it.
I think that Bay Tam is modest when he says that in the Binh Xuyen affair he did only the duties of a liaison officer, in charge of secret relations. He does not like to attribute all the merits and achievements to him alone. Bay Tam continued:
- Incomplete and unclear information on these historical events may cause misunderstanding easily to readers. The events happened many years ago, only insiders may remember what and how they did them. However, not all insiders remember what they did, their memories may be erroneous or vague. The restoration of history requires careful efforts and extreme rigour. History describes past events objectively, but a scientific view is necessary to discern true events from fulsome phenomena. For example, only 40 years after the Tua 2 battle are we able to draw conclusions from it, but assessments on concrete details are still very different from each other. It is rejoicing that everybody can see its true and great meaning. It was not an ordinary battle, but an official signal fire of the South-Viet Nam Party Committee opening the high simultaneous armed uprising movement in the whole South-Viet Nam territory at that time.
Talking with Bay Tam many times, I understand him very much more and jockingly call him a popular revolutionary intellectual. His valuable asset is his respect for humanity. He looks at life and at others naively, delicately and lovingly. The environment of his long activities as a propagandist with enemy armed forces probably made a kind-natured person such as him more humane. In addition, born of a Confucian family (his father was both a teacher and a physician), later completing French high school thanks to the support from his brother who had left his native village early to earn his living in the South, then attracted by the revolution, Bay Tam devoted all his life to the national struggle for independence and rarely thought of himself. Only at present is Bay Tam carefree with his small family. His children are growing up. The future belongs to them. Although his daily living is not prosperous, he feels much more at ease. Of course, happiness does not consist only of sweets. The nation is not powerful yet because the population is not rich, if we do not want to say that mane people are still too poor. Bay Tam confides:
- The world changes very fast, especially in sciences and techniques. The development speed is dazzling. The 21st century is an intellectual one. Intelligent heads may have unexpected thoughts. But man’s mind is the essential. If the mind is clear, everything is nice. Otherwise, disaster will be unmeasured. I have confidence in the young generation. Our generation, who did not accept the shame of a dominated people, engaged ourselves in a thirty year war. The present generation has more advantages. Once they have felt the shame of a hungry, poor and backward people, they will certainly achieve what we did. And moreover, this conforms to this law: “A family is happy if the children are better than their father”. The happiness of a people is alike, the young generation, which inherits talents and essences from their fathers will buy a higher level society. Life is made of opportunities mixed with challenges. It is necessary to understand this for making appropriate adaptations and finding happiness. Is it true? Happiness does not come by itself.
From what Bay Tam said, I am rejoiced that at the age of 70, he still has his head calm and his mind clear. Bay Tam always takes care that the living of his family is more stable by his talent and his intellect. He cultivated high-productive cashews on a land parcel his wife brought many years ago. He is going to dig a pond to grow fish beside a small existing pig farm. Bay Tam also participates in social activities. He endeavours to contribute his efforts to charitable works.
He rejoices himself with such things, Happiness has come late to him, but he has found it.
A.H