The book "A War Account 1-2-3-4.75" by Tran Mai Hanh in foreign languages. Photo: An Ninh Thu Do

Tran Mai Hanh, ex war journalist of the Vietnam News Agency in the southern battlefield, is best known for his war documentary novel "A War Account 1-2-3-4.75" (Biên bản chiến tranh 1-2-3-4.75).

In early 1975, he enlisted in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign as a special reporter. According to the author, any original documents he obtained, or pages of notes he took on the spot during the campaign and valuable documents collected helped him to write the novel.

As for the main idea of the book, Tran Mai Hanh restores the historical truth that took place in the last days of the fall of the Nguyen Van Thieu's government along with the revealing top secret documents of the United States and former Republic of Vietnam. The work was appraised by the Truth National Political Publishing House, published in 2014.

The book won Tran Mai Hanh many awards, including the Vietnam Writers Association's Literature Prize 2014, the ASEAN Literature Prize 2015. Photo: Cong An Nhan Dan

In two years the book consecutively won the prestigious awards at home and in the region: “The 2014 Literature Award” of the Vietnam Writers’ Association and “The 2015 Literature Award of the ASEAN countries”. In two years, the book has been republished for three times and in large quantity.

At the ASEAN Literature Award presentation ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand in December 2015, the speech at the award presentation ceremony and the presentation of writer Tran Mai Hanh at the ASEAN Literature Forum together with the summary of a number of chapters of “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” translated into English had the good feedback from countries.

In 2017, this war literature was published in English, and in 2018 in Lao language.

The English version of the book featured photo of Tran Mai Hanh (in black glasses) and his colleagues at the Giai Phong News Agency at the gate of Sai Gon on April 30, 1975 as the cover. Photo: VNA

The work has also been introduced and exhibited at many international book fairs such as the Frankfurt International Book Fair, the Havana International Book Fair.

At the 29th La Habana International Book Fair 2020, with the introduction of poet Nguyen Quang Thieu then Vice President of the Vietnam Writers Association (now President of the Vietnam Writers Association), the launch of "A War Account 1-2-3-4.75" in Spanish was warmly welcomed by Cuban readers.

Responding to the request of the Cuban side, the National Political Publishing House of Truth organized the translation, editing, proofreading, evaluation and publication of Tran Mai Hanh's book in Spanish.

1,000 books were printed; 626 pages thick, 16 x 24cm in size, and a well designed cover. In 2021, the Spanish version was presented to Cuban readers through the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba in Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen.

The book translators are Tran Thi Oanh and Nguyen Mai Anh, both lecturers of the Spanish Department, Hanoi University, who had trained in Spain.

With the publication of the English version (in 2017), Lao version (in 2018) and Spanish version (in 2021), National Political Publishing House Truth contributed to the introduction and promotion of literary works written about the glorious journey for national defense, national liberation and the peaceful aspiration of the Vietnamese people to world readers.

The historical-document novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” has been evaluated and published by the National Political Publishing House in early April 2014.The Executive Board of the Vietnam Writers’ Association decided to have the novel “A War Account 1-2-3-4.75” into foreign languages “to introduce and advertise the literary works on the war for the national defense and liberation and the aspiration for peace of the Vietnamese people” to the world’s readers. Photo: VnExpress

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