Pavel Ceban 12/9/11 HSTAS 265 Section AC

Professor Giebel
Vietnam Wars Final Essay
In a nation torn by the elements of war, there are numerous sides, each struggling
to live by their beliefs and ideologies. The Vietnam War, occurring between 1954 and
1975, was especially vicious because it forced the development of different factions
within society. One of the most predominant groups throughout the war was the
survivalist group, the civilians who focused on living until the next day. The novel, When
Heaven and Earth Changed Places, is an excellent autobiographical account of a
Vietnamese womans journey through the war. Author Le Ly Hayslip tells a significant
side of the Vietnam War, the story of her own survival. A similar mentality is expressed
within the devoted inhabitants of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam who chose to fight
for the cause of reunification with the Republic of Vietnam. In the diary of Dang Thuy
Tram, Last Night I Dreamed of Peace, the experiences of Communist cadres and
revolutionaries from the DRVN are given a whole new perspective. Like Hayslip, Tram
focused on similar goals of survival. These two powerful and devoted women gave
gruesome accounts of their own hardships, each of which presents a different perspective
on the war. Tram was a supporter of the DRVN and the Communist regime, and although
a survivalist in her own right, she saw the purpose of the war differently, and her
dedication led her to fight for her ideals. On the other hand, Hayslip never truly felt
connected to any of the administrations and forces in the Vietnam War. Her ideals had
taught her to fight for peace within her own life. Le Ly Hayslip and Dang Thuy Tram
may have their differences, yet both of the narratives essentially achieve the truth behind
the Vietnam War.
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On a social and cultural level, Dang Thuy Tram and Le Ly Hayslip were two
extremely dissimilar beings. Tram was from Hanoi, and although her family lived on
modest means, her parents were still cultured people (Tram v). At the time, no one
was really able to maintain a wealthy status in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The
upper class intellectuals and powerful landowners had lost most of their prestige and
wealth due to reforms by the Hanoi government. As a result, Dang Thuy Tram lived in
similar conditions as that of Le Ly Hayslip. Hayslip was born into the village of Ky La,
living under a workers conditions. For her family, life was centered on planting and
working. Labors and rituals of harvest defined the other half of our existence (Hayslip
8). In both North and Central Vietnam, people had to work hard to sustain themselves
and their families. On the other hand, Trams background does depict some bourgeoisie
elements in her life. Her education was one of a Vietnamese intellectual, and she later
decided to go to Hanoi University Medical School, and trained as a surgeon (Tram
vi). Unfortunately, Hayslip was never able to receive that sort of education. She lived by
rural means, and her own experiences with working on the farm proved to shape the way
she chose to live her life. The regional differences between Tram and Hayslip were
essential in determining the fates that they would later have to face.
Families were also an essential concept of Vietnamese culture, and for Hayslip
and Tram, their families greatly influenced the directions they would each go. Thuy
chose to follow in her fathers footsteps in order to become a surgeon, and it was this
medical background in her family that pushed her to join the war. She was caring and
intelligent, and her will drove her to fight for her nation. Hayslips father was an integral
figure in her life, and he wanted to see his daughter live in peace and do nothing with the
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war. He even told her, Your job is to stay alive to keep an eye on things and keep the
village safe (Hayslip 32). It was this upbringing that shaped the way Hayslip saw her
own future. Just like Thuy, Hayslip was intelligent and caring, only her will drove her
away from the ghastly scenes of war towards peace and stability.
Le Ly Hayslips account of the war displays an increasingly survivalist attitude.
As a mere child, she was forced to work for the Viet Cong in any way that she could.
One of the most striking differences between the two figures is the age that they were
each thrust into the war. For Hayslip, her childhood was marred by soldiers destroying
crops, villagers getting executed, and her playing secret games for the NLF soldiers in
her region. Unlike Hayslip, Tram received a high level of education during her early
years, and Hanoi was actually partly shielded from the war before the first US bombings
in 1964. Tram did not officially enter the war until the late 1960s, and her diary only tells
her story about two months after the Tet Offensive of 1968. By that time, she was already
25 and a grown woman. On the other hand, Hayslip faced the brutalities of the Vietnam
War from the very beginning. The NLF tried to garner support among the countryside,
and villagers in rural areas were main points of support. Since Hayslips account begins
so early in her life, her transformations are more notable. For Dang Thuy Tram, her
transformations are a little more difficult to pursue, yet they do occur. One of the most
striking aspects of both narratives is how both women grow in the midst of turmoil.
Hayslip and Tram each display several childlike tendencies that they later learn to
grow from. For Hayslip, the war began like a game. In her novel, she states, Whenever
we turned something in to the Viet Congwe were rewarded like heroes (Hayslip 45).
According to her depictions, not only did the Viet Cong thrust children into the war, but
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they even rewarded them for their commitment and efforts. Essentially, Le Ly was forced
to commit dangerous acts against the Republicans in order for the Viet Cong to recognize
her. This only became more difficult as she grew older, and the war began to make the
NLF soldiers more suspicious of the villagers. Luckily for Le Ly Hayslip, she was able to
mature in a direction away from the war. The revolutionary nationalist forces in Ky La
became more treacherous and more villagers were executed. It was not long until Hayslip
met her own exile from the village. She was raped and her family torn apart. It was then
that she realized, Both sides in this terrible, endless, stupid war had finally found the
perfect enemy: a terrified peasant girl (Hayslip 97). It was this realization that pushed
her away from any side of the war. For Hayslip, the objective was to survive. Dang Thuy
Tram had her own conflicts at the start of her journey as well. Her heart was heavy with
the love she had for a man called M. This love she bore was present for long parts of her
journey, and it deeply affected her. She could barely bear the losses of her own comrades.
For Thuy, The sorrow has seeped far into my heart (Tram 14). Nevertheless, over the
course of her experiences, she learns to be more resilient and her emotional weaknesses
seem to disappear. In fact, after she finally becomes an official member of the
Communist Party, Tram becomes more devoted to the cause of revolution and more
commanding. In listing her strengths, she later includes: significant progress in
leadership, full comprehension of duties covering all aspects of work (Tram 100). It is
during her second year into the war that Tram develops into a much more powerful
woman, one who has more control over her emotions and work. With the help of the
support around her and the wars bloody circumstances, she even realizes she could not
and would not ever be with M. For Tram and Hayslip, the Vietnam conflict viciously
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altered their ideologies and their sentiments. Both women learned to become hardened
by the war, and every day was a battle to stay alive until peace could be reached.
Furthermore, both women were greatly influenced by the men in their lives. It
was these men that effectively had the largest contribution on their beings. In the authors
recollections, men from both sides shape their very lives. For Tram, M was not the only
significant male in her life. Although he was vital in helping her to become a stronger
woman, Tram was also aided by several other males, either soldiers or colleagues. She
develops a brother-sister bond with many of them. Oh, my young brother, dont let
anything happen to you (Tram 126). The young soldiers, especially, grow extremely
fond to her. For her, the members of the PAVN or PLAF are her brothers, and this
essentially causes her to love the revolution even more. Towards her final moments,
Thuy realizes that the entire revolutionary cause has brought her closer to her fellow
cadres and soldiers than any simple love ever could. This love also adds to the hatred she
feels towards Americans. The devils are the invaders, the ones ruining the lives of the
people she has learned to love as brothers. For Dang Thuy Tram, the hatred would not
end. On the other hand, Le Ly Hayslip, begins to favor the Americans as opposed to
feeling bitter towards them. She experienced the cruelty of men throughout her life, from
the rapes she experienced to the abuses from the Republican soldiers. The two main
groups of people in her life were her father and the Americans. Her father had taught her
how to live, and the Americans eventually taught her how find peace. Unlike Tram,
Hayslip became attached to the American soldiers, and by doing so, she learned to grow
more distant from both sides of the war. One of the harshest scenes in her entire novel
involves her giving herself sexually to an American soldier for a high payoff. One of the
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soldiers, Mike, later says, You now got the highest pussy in Danang! (Hayslip 260).
Nevertheless, Le Ly finds herself to become more comfortable with the American men,
and it is through them that she begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Both narratives have strikingly different accounts of the war not usually seen in
regular textbooks. For Dang Thuy Tram, the Vietnam War was a war with many
conflicts. She persistently tries to be helpful, and this determination and valor ends up
becoming the catalyst for her own death. She died at the hands of American soldiers after
she refused to leave the wounded. Nevertheless, this death may have been the peace Tram
was always searching for. The war had surely transformed her, yet her kind heart could
not handle the violence and cruelty of the war. She died with honor, and because of her
accounts, she has become a true symbol of Vietnamese patriotism. Le Ly Hayslip was
able to find her own peace too. With her growing attachment to Americans, she realized
she wanted to leave the war scene and move to the States. This dream became a reality
after she decided to marry an older American named Ed. For Hayslip, her war did not
officially end until she finally went back to Vietnam in 1986 to make peace with her
family.
Hayslip and Tram offer several different perspectives to the Vietnam War. For
Hayslip, the real Vietnam War was a battle of survival. During her time in Saigon, she
fails to even mention the Tet Offensive of 1968 because it was beyond her concern. Her
story is that of a village girl searching for peace and stability. In Trams case, she was
right in the middle of the war scene. She fought for a side that many Americans fail to
understand, a side with a revolutionary purpose. When Heaven And Earth Changed
Places and Last Night I Dreamed of Peace are two exceptionally well-written accounts of
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the sides of the Vietnam War that many people have failed to distinguish The lessons that
both authors teach are those of forgiveness and determination. With love and spirit,
anyone can fight to protect and fight to survive. Nevertheless, it is essential to forgive as
well or risk living in doubt and hatred. This was their Vietnam War.