Haunting story of the person who participated in writing the book about the famine of 1945

Some people were still "dead" and were still thrown into a cart.

In the early 90s of the 20th century, Professor Van Tao, Director of the Vietnam Institute of History, came to see Mr. Dang Van Nhac and shared about the difficulties in compiling a book about the 1945 famine in Vietnam. At that time, Mr. Nhac was Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Tu Loc District Party Committee. The late Professor Van Tao said, “Hai Duong is a research address” and invited Mr. Nhac to participate in writing this book.

The book studies the famine in 23 locations in 21 provinces and cities (from Quang Tri onwards). In Hai Duong, Mr. Nhac was assigned to conduct a survey using historical sociological methods at 500 households in Nhu Tinh village, Quang Khai commune (Tu Ky). Accepting the invitation, Mr. Nhac was both honored and worried because previously there was very little documentation related to this event. Moreover, the concept of "historical sociological methods" was very new to him.

What urged him to do it was Professor Van Tao's saying: "The highest purpose of the book is to clarify history, because there is nothing in history that humans are allowed to forget. Recalling the famine is not to evoke pain about the past but to make the living behave humanely and kindly towards their dead compatriots."

Mr. Nhac was born in Nhu Tinh village, Quang Khai commune. During the famine of 1945, Mr. Nhac was only a three-year-old child but he somewhat understood the situation at that time when hunger and death were covering the whole village. The images and numbers of that year's pain still haunt him.

With the concept that writing history must put accuracy first, Mr. Nhac spent a lot of time on research. Collecting documents took more than 3 years, through many local seminars to get feedback. He also rode his bike everywhere to meet historical witnesses to collect documents. Wherever he went, Mr. Nhac wrote meticulously and carefully in a notebook.

The investigation and survey in Nhu Tinh village, Quang Khai commune was carefully conducted, contributing to a comprehensive reflection of the famine picture in that village. The results showed that 32% of the surveyed households had people die of hunger, of which 17% of the households starved to death. Mr. Nhac also collected some photos of the famine in the locality. “I met hundreds of different witnesses who were people and officials in Quang Khai commune. The stories they told really moved and haunted me. The dead were not buried in time but were only wrapped in mats or those with bed frames were wrapped and buried. Some people who were still “dying” were still thrown onto carts, stacked with corpses, trying to moan and beg not to be buried. It was extremely tragic,” said Mr. Nhac.

Elaborate in finding documents

Flipping through the pages of “The 1945 Famine in Vietnam – Historical Evidence”, Mr. Nhac said that this is the most special book he has ever written. Not only was the research for the materials meticulous, but every detail and word was carefully selected.

According to Nguyen Quang An, former Head of the Documentation Department of the Vietnam Institute of History, this book is the first historical work to apply the historical sociological method, which historians previously only studied based on written documents. Therefore, collaborators in writing books like Mr. Nhac had to both study and research. Mr. Nhac considered it a chance and a blessing to be able to contribute a small part to this research work. With his efforts and contributions, the work "The 1945 famine in Vietnam - Historical evidence" was awarded the State Prize in 2010.

In addition to the book about the 1945 famine, Mr. Nhac also collects and compiles books about local history. Although not a history major, Mr. Nhac has loved writing and literature since he was in school. Over time, Mr. Nhac has considered writing history a passion and a responsibility to the next generation. Every day, he still spends time searching for materials for his writing.

With the motto of “speaking with evidence, reporting with proof”, wherever there were historical traces, he went there to observe and learn. These field trips gave him more opportunities to improve his knowledge of writing history. With the diligent and tireless work of him and some others, historical books about Tu Ky district were published one after another, such as History of the Party Committee of Tu Ky district, volume 1, volume 2, History of the peasant movement and the Farmers’ Association of Tu Ky district (1930-1945)…

In his house, Mr. Nhac still has a special corner as a small library to store books. Looking at the way he arranges the books neatly and scientifically according to each category or the way Mr. Nhac carefully turns each page, one can feel how great his love for books is.

After many years of writing, Mr. Dang Van Nhac’s assets are dozens of valuable historical books. However, he has never been satisfied with what he has contributed. “I will only stop this work when I am no longer healthy. The rewards I receive are not as important as the meaning that each book brings,” Mr. Nhac said.