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Hoa Minh Truong
An Ex-Lieut of ARVN who fought alongside with allies in Vietnam war. After Saigon lost on April 30, 1975, he was sent to reeducation camp in 6 years with 9 camps. During imprisoned period, he had a risky and secret plan to learn English, if Vietcong discovered, he would be in danger, Vietcong condemned English: "counter-revolution and American empire language". He learned English by a pocket dictionary leftover in home, while all the foreign language books burnt down by local government in the camps "beaten counter-revolution literacy". Obviously, his mother tore a pocket dictionary by pieces than used the rice glue to create the sheets like newspaper. Those sheets wrapped the food provided every 3 month a time. He ate food and learned quietly by using a finger written in the air as huge board, his friends considered him as mad man. After 5 years, a pocket dictionary done. In 1981 he was released by illness and plus 12 months probation, then 1982 escaped successful by a small boat. In 1983 resettled anew life in Australia. During working for living, he spent the other 25 years to achieve a first book The Dark Journey: inside the reeducation camps of Vietcong published 2010. In 2011, second book Good Evening Vietnam released and now his third book From Laborer to Author will be published within 2012.
How could a non-English background author write the books? He has done his promise during the reeducation camp: if I survive, I will write story... His books provided the genuine history of Vietnam war, he used more than two decades to hunt the document. Now he lives in the Western Australia with wife and only child. He believes his books would be helpful to who want to know about Vietnam war history and untold stories about Vietcong, Ho Chi Minh...