At 90, Tran Huu Dat has many memories. And there are some that he cherishes more than others. The resident of Vu Dai Village in the northern province of Ha Nam likes to recall the days when he and his fellow villagers earned their…

When I visited Nhan Hau Village, I felt I was walking into the pages of Chi Pheo, the Vietnamese literature classic about northern farmers in colonial-feudal society. Just as author Nam Cao (1915-51) found inspiration in the lives of villagers to write the story,…