[THE FEMALE REVENANT]

What limits exist for a woman’s physical endurance? There is no single absolute answer to this question—but the life of Tran Thi Ly will truly make you shudder in awe at what she endured. 

“Who is she? A girl or a fairy?”

Twenty-five years old. Three arrests. Forty-two wounds. These are the words often used to describe her—a young woman in her twenties, her body marked by the countless pains of war. Tran Thi Ly (Tran Thi Nham, 1933–1992) was a Hero of the People’s Armed Forces, honored with the rare distinction of meeting President Ho Chi Minh three times. Joining the revolution at the age of twelve, she devoted nearly her entire life to the cause of national liberation. By the age of eighteen—when “the sun of truth shone through her heart”—she had been admitted into the ranks of the Communist Party, continuing her passionate activism toward the liberation of the South. After being arrested three times and enduring brutal torture, relentless struggle, and extraordinary hardship, the heart of this resilient and indomitable woman still burned with faith in peace and with an abiding love for humanity and life. Perhaps she, alongside countless heroes and unnamed women—those “fairies” whose names are forgotten—together contributed to a glorious golden chapter in the nation’s history. 

“Fight until America goes away, fight until Nguy collapses”

Without dark nights, how could we see the faint, dazzling starlight? Without bombs or wars, how could there be the serenity but resilience, the gentleness but arrogance of a flower in the midst of fire? Having said that, how can we see her incredible fortitude and unwavering resolve without mentioning the crimes and brutal torture committed by not only the government of the Republic of Vietnam in particular but also wars that have left an imprint on her? Many times she escaped death on duty, many times her fear of dangers had not yet subsided, and the third time being captured, she was forced to endure excruciating torture in front of the enemy. She was taken prisoner by the Republic of Vietnam government in 1956 and subjected to a cruel torture regimen that included electric shock, stabbing, pouring soapy water, cutting her breasts with a knife, and using fire to burn her genitals to the point that she lost her fertility…, but that faithful woman still did not say a word. Sensitivities and private spaces are treated as if they were a valuable commodity, seemingly only to relieve pleasures, vanity, and ambitions that are dehumanising. It is incomprehensible to imagine why people could play countless corrupt "tricks", especially on a woman just over twenty years old. Could it be that no hearts have any little sympathy or little compassion for her? Or could it be that, just because of the struggles and "egos", those once shared Vietnamese blood, were then cruel to a woman without any pity? Alas, twenty years old! A beautiful age, yet sadly marred by the blood of savagery, sacrifices and bravery for the homeland.  

“Pain? - Never have we surrendered!”

In mid-1958, Viet–Soviet Hospital admitted a very special patient. Her medical record read: “Tran Thi Nham (also known as Ly), age 25, from the South; weight: 26 kg. Condition: severe exhaustion, frequent convulsions; 42 wounds on the body continuously bleeding; nipples severed and ulcerated; continuous bleeding from the genital area.” Revisiting these historical records, one cannot help but feel shaken by the aftershocks of such brutal torture. In October 1958, Tran Thi Ly was tortured to the point of complete physical collapse. The authorities of the Republic of Vietnam believed she would not survive and discarded her outside the prison. By a rare stroke of fate, she escaped death—secretly rescued by comrades, transferred to Cambodia, and then taken to the North for medical treatment. As if the immense suffering inflicted upon her body were not enough, she also endured a long and perilous journey back to the frontline of the nation. It was a journey of countless miles, countless hardships, and constant fear for her safety. Yet this indomitable woman survived and returned to Viet–Soviet Hospital, surrounded by the love and anguish of her comrades. She later recounted: “The third time, in March 1956, they took me to Hoi An prison and tortured me with extreme brutality. Phan Van Loi—sent from Saigon by Diem—along with several others, personally carried out the torture. They poured soapy water and filthy water down my throat, then stomped on my stomach and chest with spiked boots until liquid gushed from my mouth and nose. They drove iron hooks through my feet and hung me upside down from a beam; applied electric shocks to my genitals and breasts; sliced flesh from my thighs, arms, and chest with knives. They used red-hot iron pliers to tear chunks of muscle from my body, and forced iron rods into my vagina… They demanded that I confess to being ‘pro-Communist’ and ‘opposing the national government.’” What made this woman so resilient? Was it a miracle of nature, an extraordinary inner strength, or the burning love of country and revolution—a love that would not allow her to fall? Words can scarcely convey the reverence, admiration, and profound respect owed to such an extraordinary woman. And it is at this moment that poetry finds its voice…

“Wake up my dear, the nightmare is over
You’re alive again, you’re alive!
Electric shock, stabbing awl, cutting knife, and fire
Cannot kill you, valiant heroine!” 
“Our voices cannot be silenced. We speak up”

Returning to Viet–Soviet Hospital, returning to the familiar warmth of the homeland, Tran Thi Ly underwent treatment with remarkable determination. Yet after surviving that near-miraculous escape from death, she did not retreat into silence or quietly resume revolutionary activities. Instead, she courageously spoke out to denounce the inhumane crimes committed by the U.S.–Diem regime. Shortly thereafter, at 5:00 p.m. on October 25, 1958, the Voice of Vietnam Radio in Hanoi broadcast a report on Tran Thi Ly, stating: “Comrade Ly was arrested and brutally tortured by Diem’s henchmen, subjected to savage forms of ‘interrogation,’ including having chunks of flesh torn from her body with iron pliers and being subjected to electric shocks applied to her nipples and genital area.” To accuse, to expose, to speak out—this was all that the steadfast woman chose to do after enduring such pain and barbarity. That courage sent shockwaves through international public opinion at the time and ignited a media battle between North and South Vietnam. In doing so, it indirectly curbed the brutality and arrogance of the Republic of Vietnam government, laying bare its merciless cruelty. What if that brave woman had allowed those crimes to sink silently into the past? What if she had accepted the wounds on her body as an inevitable fate? Would such inhumane atrocities have continued—endless scenes of savage torture carried out in the name of military objectives? Only then can we truly grasp the power of voice and exposure that Tran Thi Ly so resolutely exercised—a power capable of sealing away the dark shadows of cruelty and opening a radiant horizon for the future, and for the revolution.

“From the dead, gloriously, you rise
 Like the day you’re gone, to the wave of the scarlet flag
 You return, the triumphant woman
 We hold on you, like our flesh and blood” 
“A women’s history”

Bombs, bullets, blood and tears. That is all people usually write about war. We write about the valiant climate amidst the murky warfares. We write about sweats, blood and tears of the warriors who have sacrificed their own happiness. Seemingly, in all of the recorded depictions, there exist only toughness, frankness and all the glories of a bygone era. They left no space for the softer, harmonizing feel of tenderness . Is that when “The unwomanly face of war” was written, overflowing with feminine, softer perspectives along with unspoken stories from the home front and even post-war pains? As we follow the traces of their souls, emotions, recollections and memories, a concurrent war gradually resurfaced itself from a feminine point of view. A war in which unwavering women engaged themselves in the furious storm of the era, getting eaten alive, crushed, killed or returning with wounds over their body and soul. They kept their memories hidden in the forgetfulness of time. With 19 chapters, the book is structured like a woman's life cycle: From girls aged 12, 13 hearing about the war, to adolescents aged 15, 16, who then made their way into wars. From little girls to damsels, wives and mothers they became. Their entire youths were tied to bloody and disastrous battles. Wars brutally deprived them of everything, and even if they were fortunate enough to return, they were no longer themselves. So beautiful, naive, full of faith were they before wars struck. After wars, they became void, wretched, haunted, unsightly and became forgotten, ostracised and abandoned. How terrible it is to witness our own homeland, our beloved country falling apart. How terrible it is to see our beloved perished under the enemies’ guns. How terrible it is to see our own fellow human beings, having blood of red alike, slaughtering and killing each other. However imperturbable, one could not help but alter their outlook on life. How could there still be much aspiration, hope, much faith left in them after all the horrors they've experienced? All in all, while Ms. Tran Thi Ly allows us a sight into the revulsion and unbearable pain of the body, in the "The unwomanly face of war", that pain becomes a knife plunged deep into the woman’s heart which has soon hardened over time. The horror, the pain left an indelible imprint on their hearts. Even if the clock of time may bring to dust all the ruins, wiping out the traces of history, that pain remains. 

Authors: Ngô Mai Phương, Phạm Khánh Linh