Dang Thuy Tram
Encyclopedia
Đặng Thùy Trâm was a Vietnamese civilian doctor who worked as a battlefield surgeon for North Vietnam
during the Vietnam War
. She was killed, in disputed circumstances, at the age of 26, by American
forces while travelling on a trail in the Ba Tơ jungle in the Quảng Ngãi Province of south-central Vietnam
. Her wartime diaries, which chronicle the last two years of her life, attracted international attention following their publication in 2005.
One of Trâm’s handwritten diaries was captured by U.S. forces in December 1969. Following her death in a gun battle on June 22, 1970, a second diary was taken by Frederic (Fred) Whitehurst
, a then 22-year-old U.S. military intelligence specialist. Whitehurst defied an order to burn the diaries, instead following the advice of a South Vietnam
ese translator who advised him not to destroy them. He kept them for 35 years, with the intention of eventually returning them to Trâm's family, if possible.
After returning to the United States, Whitehurst's search for Trâm’s family initially proved unsuccessful. After earning a Ph.D. in chemistry he joined the FBI and as such could hardly get in touch with anyone from the Vietnamese embassy. In March 2005, he and his brother Robert (also a Vietnam War veteran) brought the diaries to a conference on the Vietnam War at Texas Tech University
. There, they met photographer Ted Engelmann (also a Vietnam veteran), who offered to look for the family during his trip to Vietnam the next month. With the assistance of Do Xuan Anh, a staff member in the Hanoi Quaker
office, Engelmann was able to locate Trâm’s mother, Doan Ngoc Tram, and from then on obtained connections to the rest of her family.http://www.vir.com.vn/Client/TimeOut/index.asp?url=content.asp&doc=7080
In July 2005, Trâm’s diaries were published in Vietnamese under the title Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm (Đặng Thùy Trâm’s Diary), which quickly became a bestseller. In less than a year, the volume sold more than 300,000 copies and comparisons were drawn between Trâm’s writings and that of Anne Frank
.http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=252470&rel_no=1http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article317801.ece
In August 2005, Fred and Robert Whitehurst traveled to Hanoi
, Vietnam, to meet Trâm’s family. In October of the same year, the family visited Lubbock
, Texas
, to view the diaries, which are archived at Texas Tech University's Vietnam Archive, then visited Fred Whitehurst and his family in his home state of North Carolina
.
The diaries have been translated into English and the English version was published in September 2007. It includes photographs of Dang during high school and with her family. Translations have been done and published in at least sixteen different languages, 2011 in Esperanto
.
In 2009 a film about Tram by Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh, entitled Đừng Đốt (Do Not Burn It), was released.
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. She was killed, in disputed circumstances, at the age of 26, by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces while travelling on a trail in the Ba Tơ jungle in the Quảng Ngãi Province of south-central Vietnam
Nam Trung Bo
Nam Trung Bộ is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of the independent municipality of Đà Nẵng and seven other provinces. The two southern provinces Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận are sometimes seen as part of the Southeast region.The region has traditionally been one of the main gateways to...
. Her wartime diaries, which chronicle the last two years of her life, attracted international attention following their publication in 2005.
One of Trâm’s handwritten diaries was captured by U.S. forces in December 1969. Following her death in a gun battle on June 22, 1970, a second diary was taken by Frederic (Fred) Whitehurst
Frederic Whitehurst
Frederic Whitehurst was a Supervisory Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory from 1986 to 1998 where he went public as a whistleblower to bring attention to procedural errors and misconduct.-Vietnam:...
, a then 22-year-old U.S. military intelligence specialist. Whitehurst defied an order to burn the diaries, instead following the advice of a South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
ese translator who advised him not to destroy them. He kept them for 35 years, with the intention of eventually returning them to Trâm's family, if possible.
After returning to the United States, Whitehurst's search for Trâm’s family initially proved unsuccessful. After earning a Ph.D. in chemistry he joined the FBI and as such could hardly get in touch with anyone from the Vietnamese embassy. In March 2005, he and his brother Robert (also a Vietnam War veteran) brought the diaries to a conference on the Vietnam War at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
. There, they met photographer Ted Engelmann (also a Vietnam veteran), who offered to look for the family during his trip to Vietnam the next month. With the assistance of Do Xuan Anh, a staff member in the Hanoi Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
office, Engelmann was able to locate Trâm’s mother, Doan Ngoc Tram, and from then on obtained connections to the rest of her family.http://www.vir.com.vn/Client/TimeOut/index.asp?url=content.asp&doc=7080
In July 2005, Trâm’s diaries were published in Vietnamese under the title Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm (Đặng Thùy Trâm’s Diary), which quickly became a bestseller. In less than a year, the volume sold more than 300,000 copies and comparisons were drawn between Trâm’s writings and that of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
.http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=252470&rel_no=1http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article317801.ece
In August 2005, Fred and Robert Whitehurst traveled to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Vietnam, to meet Trâm’s family. In October of the same year, the family visited Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, to view the diaries, which are archived at Texas Tech University's Vietnam Archive, then visited Fred Whitehurst and his family in his home state of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
The diaries have been translated into English and the English version was published in September 2007. It includes photographs of Dang during high school and with her family. Translations have been done and published in at least sixteen different languages, 2011 in Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
.
In 2009 a film about Tram by Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh, entitled Đừng Đốt (Do Not Burn It), was released.
External links
- "Trở lại một khát vọng hòa bình"(September 14, 2007)
- "Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm có giá trị toàn cầu và vĩnh cửu" (September 18, 2007)
- "Last night I dreamed of peace", published worldwide by Random House, September 11, 2007.
- Full text of The Diary of Dr. Dang Thuy Tram from The Vietnam Center site at Texas Tech University (scans of original Vietnamese text; English translation removed at request of family)
- "Tram Diaries: Soldiers Preserve Writings of Vietnam War"
- "War's cruel poetry moves search by 2 N.C. veterans" Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), October 6, 2005
- "Vietcong Doctor's Diary of War, Sacrifice"
- "Mother Reads Daughter's Vietnam Diaries... 35 Years Later" (October 6, 2005)
- "The real stuff: what a Vietnamese army doctor saw" (September 22, 2005)
- "A daughter returns home — through her diaries" (October 12, 2005)
- "Best-selling diary transformed into television show" (August 15, 2005)
- "Copyright and the translation of The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram"
- "Diarist's mother visits US, holds daughter's manuscript" (October 7, 2005)
- "The Diary of Dr Tram" (February 13, 2006)
- "Day to Day Among the Viet Cong" (August 4, 2006)
Video
- Dang Thuy Tram video from Texas Tech University