Russians and Vietnamese – A bond of eternal friendship
WVR - Recently, the Novorossiysk Rabochi newspaper (Russia) published an article titled “Russians and Vietnamese – A bond of eternal friendship”, inspired by the story of a Vietnamese woman named Luna Thu (Thu Hang).
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| The Novorossiysk Rabochi newspaper (Russia) published an article titled 'Russians and Vietnamese – A bond of eternal friendship'. (Screenshot) |
In the article, author Maria Ananyeva poses the question: What connects a Vietnamese woman named Luna Thu (Luna means Moon in Russian – "Sister Hang") with the port city of Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Region, Russia)? Despite being thousands of kilometers apart, there are people who always remember Novorossiysk and take pride in the friendship with Russia.
On May 19, 1968, the ship Berezovka carrying humanitarian aid from the Soviet Union departed from Novorossiysk for Vietnam, bringing thousands of gifts from Soviet youth to Vietnamese pupils. At the same time, Novorossiysk hosted a nationwide parade with young pioneers from 15 Soviet republics. The May 21, 1968, issue of Pionerskaya Pravda documented this event.
More than 50 years have passed, but for Mrs. Luna Thu, now 65 years old in Hanoi, the memories of those events remain fresh. She vividly recalls, as a 7-year-old girl in a youth uniform, holding a flag and carrying a gift from the children of Novorossiysk during the parade, waving as the ship departed.
Remarkably, despite living thousands of kilometers away from the Krasnodar region, Mrs. Luna Thu is still moved when recalling events from nearly 60 years ago. She sends warm greetings to the people of Novorossiysk and shares that keeping 'a bit of Russian spirit' in her heart is always deeply meaningful to her.
The story of Soviet-Vietnamese friendship was rekindled by local historian Natalya Konopleva in the village of Betta. She noted that in 1958, a group of Vietnamese students from military academies in Moscow and Leningrad vacationed at the Betta hostel. This prompted her to delve deeper into that special holiday and the friendships they forged.
Mrs. Natalya sent letters to the Vietnamese Embassy, the Podolsk Military Archives, and the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy, requesting assistance in finding witnesses from that time.
The consular section of the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow was the first to respond, pledging support in the search. Information and images collected by Mrs. Natalya from the "Along the Caucasus" group about the Berezovka ship departing Novorossiysk in 1968 were published on several Russian-language websites in Vietnam. Results followed shortly thereafter.
Now, Mrs. Natalia has had the opportunity to speak with Mrs. Luna Thu – a Hanoi resident who visited Novorossiysk in 1968 with her father, Mr. Le Trang, who was then the Counselor of the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the Soviet Union. In a preserved black-and-white photo, a little girl with a white bow, nestled close to her father, stands in front of a large steamship, and that girl is Mrs. Luna Thu.
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| Little Luna Thu (with a white bow) visited Novorossiysk in 1968 with her father when their arrived at Krasnodar airport. (Source: Novorossiysk Rabochi) |
Mrs. Luna Thu speaks Russian fluently and is a member of the Bach Duong (Berioza) Club in Hanoi, which brings together those who love Russian culture, music, and language. To her, Russia is like a second homeland, associated with birch trees, Russian melodies, and childhood toys. As an adult, in her professional life, she was often affectionately called by her Russian name, Luna, by colleagues, with whom she conversed in Russian, becoming a bridge between cultures.
“It was wonderful to see the photo and article. I exclaimed: 'This is my father, it truly is my father!' I asked the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association to convey my family's gratitude to you. After nearly 60 years, I found a photo of my father, and the emotions are indescribable. I couldn't hold back tears, as the longing for him is always intense. My father left us two years ago," Mrs. Luna Thu tearfully shared with Mrs. Natalia Konopleva.
Mr. Le Trang's work was closely tied to the Soviet Union for a long time – he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1960 to 1981, leading departments such as the Press Information Department, the European Department, and the Soviet Union Department at the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1966 to 1969, he was the Minister Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow. Mrs. Luna Thu recounted that when her father worked in the Soviet Union, the family lived there with him. She attended school in Moscow and still fondly remembers her school days with warm emotions.
“You have brought back the warm sunshine of my childhood,” Mrs. Luna Thu emotionally told Mrs. Natalia.
She expressed her willingness to travel to Russia to meet Ms. Natalia in person and revisit Novorossiysk. However, her mother, Mrs. Nguyen Phuong Tram, is elderly and requires constant care, so she cannot be away for long.
“My name means 'Autumn Moon'. My parents gave me this name because I was born in the middle of autumn, during the Mid-Autumn Festival,” the Vietnamese woman explained. “I work at Voice of Vietnam, in the Russian Broadcasting Department”.
Mrs. Luna Thu has carried her love for Russia throughout her life. Her younger sister was born in 1968 in Moscow, named Nga, meaning "Russia".
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| Little Luna Thu (on the stand, in a white dress) during the farewell ceremony for the Soviet ship departing Novorossiysk carrying aid to Vietnam in 1968. (Source: Novorossiysk Rabochi) |
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Vietnam, making the publication of this story particularly significant. "As a local historian, I consider this search very important. Through research, I hope to evoke beautiful emotions in people's hearts," Mrs. Natalya shared. She expressed her desire to find the children who participated in the nationwide pioneer parade on May 19, 1968, in Novorossiysk so they can recount their memories of those years.
Remarkably, after all these years, Mrs. Luna Thu still keeps the stuffed rabbit gifted to her at Krasnodar airport when the plane carrying the Vietnamese delegation landed, even though its ears have fallen off and its eyes now bear traces of green paint.
In a letter to the editorial office, Mrs. Luna Thu wrote:
"It is now midnight in Hanoi. Out of habit, I check my phone before going to sleep and was delighted to read your draft article, which contains so much about me and my family. Honestly, I am deeply moved and couldn't hold back my tears.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to return to the past, to live again in the atmosphere of the old Soviet Union – where people were kind-hearted, warm, and genuinely friendly. I still deeply remember the years spent in the land of birch trees, where I lived for four years. I wrote these lines with a heavy heart.
Yesterday was Cheburashka's birthday (the beloved small, kind-hearted cartoon character of Soviet children). In Vietnam, there is a 65-year-old 'girl' named Luna who sang the Cheburashka song with all the same feelings as before.
Luna Thu.
It is evident that the friendship between nations, especially between Russia and Vietnam, is not only written by the history of solidarity in the struggle for independence but also by simple everyday stories, letters, gifts, and childhood memories. For Mrs. Luna Thu and thousands of Vietnamese children in 1968, it is a sacred memory of Soviet-Vietnamese friendship, enduring through time.
| In 1966, Ta Thu Hang (born in 1960) traveled with her parents (Le Trang, also known as Ta Quang Thuat, and Nguyen Phuong Tram) on an international train to the Soviet Union, where Mr. Le Trang took on the role of Minister Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow. Ta Thu Hang studied Russian at the Foreign Language Specialized School, Russian Department at Hanoi University of Foreign Languages, and after graduation, worked for over a year at the Vietnam News newspaper, then at the Russian Broadcasting Department of Voice of Vietnam until retirement. |
