One July day, the telephone inside Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le’s home rang incessantly, foreshadowing something highly unusual. On the other end of the line was the familiar voice of a relative, but this time it sounded utterly frantic and laced with choked-back emotions: “Sister, they’ve found Brother Quen!”
Mrs. Le couldn’t quite believe her ears. For all these years, she’s steadfastly awaited news regarding her beloved who departed during the grueling wartime era. Now, the name Huynh Van Quen has resurfaced in a notification concerning the discovery of martyrs’ remains alongside artifacts gathered at Le Thi Rieng Park.
She calmly inquired whether it was truly him. “We still need to await DNA profiling, but numerous details already match up perfectly,” the voice on the other end responded. And she firmly believed he had finally returned.
Born in 1947, Mrs. Le’s generation came of age amidst the tumultuous years when the nation was engulfed in the flames of war; consequently, romantic entanglements, no matter how profound, couldn’t ever take absolute priority.
Back in 1967, when soldier Huynh Van Quen’s unit stationed right in her locality, the young woman enthusiastically participated in serving the troops. Day by day, she carried water and food, purchased vital provisions and medical supplies, and occasionally sat down to affectionately mend every crease on the soldiers’ uniforms. This profound closeness and shared sacrifice essentially drew the two young souls together, their love blossoming alongside the grueling years of resistance.
Then, as the 1968 Tet Offensive rapidly approached, Mr. Quen prepared to deploy for a massive battle. Prior to their parting. which nobody at the time thought would stretch across nearly an entire lifetime, Mr. Quen grasped her hands, leaving behind an ironclad vow. For Mrs. Le, the memory remains vivid. “He told me to stay home and strive to serve the revolution alongside the other women, while he’d decisively accomplish his mission. Once this battle was won, he’d return to marry me,” she recounted. And her ensuing reply, “I’ll wait for your return,” inherently transformed into a lifelong pledge.
He departed for his mandate, while she remained in her hometown to continue serving the revolution, meticulously counting every single day awaiting her beloved’s return. Nobody could’ve anticipated that the impending battle would permanently rob the couple of their chance to reunite.
During Mr. Quen’s days in the combat zone, the sole bridge linking their two hearts consisted of handwritten letters. Upon receiving each letter, every single line from her beloved served as invaluable encouragement amidst their prolonged separation, acting as a strong spiritual anchor making her firmly believe his return wasn’t far off. Even now, Mrs. Le vividly remembers the poetic verses he penned in his correspondence:
Following the 1968 Tet Offensive, the letters grew sparse before completely ceasing. Mrs. Le languished in an agonizing wait, utterly oblivious to his whereabouts, unsure if he had fallen on the brutal battlefield. She carefully safeguarded those letters inside a wooden chest. Although a harsh rainy season eventually left the paper severely decomposed, those written lines once bridging their wartime gap remain permanently etched in her memory.
In 1977, the family officially received his death notice. Clutching the document, Mrs. Le simply couldn’t fathom that her beloved had sacrificed his life, perpetually harboring the belief he would ultimately return. “He promised to return to marry me; however, he was tragically unable to keep his promise,” she tearfully sobbed.
She waited relentlessly, year after grueling year, before gradually accepting the harsh reality of him resting permanently on the battlefield. Mr. Quen’s promise was heartbreakingly left unfulfilled, but she could still uphold hers. “His promise was unavoidably incomplete, but I must keep mine intact; I firmly consider myself already wedded to him,” Mrs. Le confided.
Sitting here is the nearly 80-year-old woman, whose hair visibly silvered by time but still referring to the bygone soldier by his intimate nickname “Hai Quen.” For nearly 60 years, she never once donned a wedding dress, nor did she experience an official day welcoming him back to their shared home. Nevertheless, in her mindset, she has always viewed herself as the devoted wife who exchanged a sacred vow with him.
Following the devastating news of Mr. Quen’s sacrifice, Mrs. Le sought out his family, earnestly pleading to be accepted as their daughter-in-law to fulfill his filial duties toward his parents. Profoundly moved by her unwavering loyalty, Mrs. Le Thi Dieu, the martyr’s mother, wholeheartedly embraced Mrs. Le as her own flesh and blood.
Subsequently, Mrs. Le adopted a niece as her daughter. During Mr. Quen’s death anniversaries, his parents’ memorials, or festive holidays, Mrs. Le would invariably return to manage household affairs and flawlessly oversee the ancestral worship. Within the household, she’s affectionately called “Sister Hai Le” following the martyr’s family ranking, genuinely loved and deeply respected by his younger siblings. Although she lacked a formal wedding to step into her husband’s home, her profoundly noble devotion made her an inseparable part of Hai Quen.
After countless years, the name Huynh Van Quen once again resurfaced in a notification regarding the exhumation of martyrs’ remains at Le Thi Rieng Park. For Mr. Huynh Van Nho, the martyr’s younger brother, the revelation was overwhelming.
He recounted trembling with immense joy upon reading the authorities’ broadcast detailing the discovery of the remains and artifacts of martyr Huynh Van Quen – Deputy Squad Leader, Long An 1st Battalion, South Vietnam Liberation Army, who perished in the Chu Y Bridge battle during the 1968 Tet Offensive. The full name, military unit, and specific battle aligned perfectly with the data regarding his fallen older brother. He read the dispatch repeatedly to guarantee he wasn’t mistaken before immediately dialing Mrs. Le’s number.
That very afternoon, Mr. Huynh Van Nho’s family formally notified authorities in Vam Co Commune of Tay Ninh Province that they have enshrined the picture of martyr Huynh Van Quen. Simultaneously, Major General Nguyen Thanh Trung personally visited Mr. Nho’s residence to carefully collect and verify information. Functional agencies urgently scrambled to review records and execute cautious background checks. By July 7, Mr. Nho and his older brother were escorted to provide biological samples for DNA profiling, explicitly cross-referencing them against the recently exhumed remains.
Whilst awaiting forensic results, involved parties initiated bureaucratic procedures proposing the official recognition of Mrs. Le as the martyr’s wife. Mr. Le Van Xem, the martyr’s cousin, shared that the family desperately wanted her formally recognized as a fitting reciprocation for her profound devotion.
On July 18, Chairman Dang Van Tay Lo of the Vam Co Commune People’s Committee orchestrated a consultation session where six relatives unanimously signed the formal confirmation. Concurrently, the Tay Ninh Province Department of Home Affairs officially acknowledged Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le as the martyr’s legal wife. Upon receiving the jubilant call, Mrs. Le maintained a prolonged silence. “I’m unequivocally happy because the State has ultimately recognized me as his wife,” she stated.
The family subsequently traveled to Le Thi Rieng Park to light incense. Embracing her beloved’s portrait during a televised broadcast, she wept uncontrollably, noting he had finally returned.
The artifact pack comprised a ballpoint pen, a comb, a wallet, and a bottle of medicated oil that had rested deep underground for nearly 60 years. By systematically decoding the unit designation, functional agencies definitively identified martyr Huynh Van Quen as a Liberation Army soldier serving as Deputy Platoon Leader under Company 2, Battalion 1 in Long An Province (designation 962), who tragically perished during the Chu Y Bridge battle in Saigon back in the spring of the 1968 Tet Offensive.
The items that once accompanied the bygone soldier have now returned to his family, carrying a fragmented memory that the grueling war had mercilessly stolen. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le’s life has essentially traversed a traumatic separation vastly outlasting any conventional vow.
In the end, the devotion she safeguarded her entire life has been overwhelmingly acknowledged by both the family and the State. As for the fallen soldier of yesteryear, after lying on the battlefield for almost six decades, he has also been welcomed back in absolute glory amidst the inexhaustible love of those who remained behind.
Content: Manh Thang, Thu Hoai, Cam Nuong
Design: Huu Vi, Mai Thu
Translation: Thanh Tam
