Published:  00:00 Saturday - December 26, 2009

A translation of Nhat Ky Dang Thuy Tram (Dang Thuy Tram’s Diary) into Lao was released in Hanoi on December 25 as part of a programme of cooperation between the two governments.

The Lao version was translated by Dinh Van Hung from Vietnam’s National Defence Ministry’s Defence Academy.

The book is significant as it deals with the revolutionary ideal as Dang Thuy Tram set a shining example for not only young Vietnamese people, but also for young people in Laos.

A total of 1,000 copies will be handed over to Laos on December 28.

The 2006 bestseller has already been translated into other languages. The English version was released under the title “Last Night I Dreamed of Peace”.

It was also made into a film called Dung Dot (Don’t Burn), which reflects the heroic army doctor’s life and her love for her country and people.

After Thuy Tram’s last battle in Quang Ngai province’s Duc Pho district, American soldier Fred Whitehurst chanced upon her two diaries, which haunted him for the next 35 years until he returned them to her family three years ago.

The private memoirs, once popularly sought by readers both in Vietnam and around the world, are now preserved at the Vietnam Center and Archive in Lubbock, Texas.