French poet Madeleine Riffaud, who has been honoured by France as a heroine, remains a strong friend of Vietnam despite her dioxin-related illness. She has always demonstrated a relentless enthusiasm and sentiment toward the Southeast Asian country.

Aged 18, Riffaud engaged in the resistance movement against the German fascists and was sentenced to death by the fascists. The young woman was rescued by the guerrillas before the date set for her execution. Later she threw herself into the struggle against French colonialism in Algeria and was tortured, even threatened with assassination, for her activities.

So far, Riffaud has received many noble titles from the French government, including those granted in 1946 and 2009.

Riffaud came to Vietnam during the country’s resistance war against the French. During the war against the US imperialists, she was affectionately known as ‘Sister Tam’ by Vietnamese soldiers. A correspondent of the French newspaper L’Humanité, Riffaud became famous for her reports and features on Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and reunification that shocked the French and western public.

Her book ‘In Viet Cong resistance zone’ describes her time spent in a base of the Vietnamese liberation soldiers, who faced numerous dangers, not least the deluge of bombs and bullets from the US. The book helps readers understand how a small and poor nation could defeat a much wealthier and stronger enemy.

During her meeting with VOV correspondents in Paris, Riffaud was very proud to recall her memories of meeting ‘Uncle Ho’ (President Ho Chi Minh) in 1946 - who even called her ‘daughter’. Riffaud also kept close contact with the former Vice State President Nguyen Thi Binh.

Combat continued

Old age, fascist torture, and dioxin have made her much weaker. However, she has still struggled tirelessly for the justice of the Vietnamese victims of dioxin.

Just a few years ago, Riffaud took to the streets in support of the victims and participated in the French committee for the Van Canh Friendship Village in Hanoi.

Riffaud was exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin during the American War when she walked through southern Vietnamese fields on which the US military sprayed the poisonous chemical. She said that at the time, she, as well as Vietnamese people and soldiers, did not know that the defoliant was capable of causing so much pain and anguish.

Madeleine Riffaud still treasures her fond memories of Vietnam, which has become a big part of her life. Everyday she cooks herself Vietnamese dishes and never eats a meal without ‘mam’ - a kind of fish sauce peculiar to Vietnam.

“Vietnam will develop quickly and positively. Vietnam has been known much by the world,” Riffaud told VOV. “More and more tourists have arrived in Vietnam. Many of my friends were eager to tell me about the wonderful scenery and hospitable people in the country.”

Last year, a director of Vietnamese descent, Philip Roland, completed a film entitled ‘Madeleine Riffaud’s three fights’, showcasing the heroine’s life for the first time.

The film impressed the audience with her saying: “The strugglers never lose. We only lose when we surrender. Even when we die, we are still victorious because we have won human dignity.”

Source: VOV