---
title: Bức tâm thư (A Heartfelt Letter) to Viet Cong cadres, fighters and militia, in the name of the rallier Văn Công Chúc
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/buc-tam-thu-defector-letter-1963/
description: Page laid out as a letter in cursive hand, signed in the name of 'Văn Công Chúc', who says he is a 23-year-old squad cadre who left the Viet Cong and…
section: Collection
---

[Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/)

[![Bức tâm thư (A Heartfelt Letter) to Viet Cong cadres, fighters and militia, in the name of the rallier Văn Công Chúc](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/buc-tam-thu-defector-letter-1963.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/buc-tam-thu-defector-letter-1963.jpg)

# Bức tâm thư (A Heartfelt Letter) to Viet Cong cadres, fighters and militia, in the name of the rallier Văn Công Chúc

Page laid out as a letter in cursive hand, signed in the name of 'Văn Công Chúc', who says he is a 23-year-old squad cadre who left the Viet Cong and surrendered with a light machine gun. Two photographs show him among officials and a young woman handing him a gift. The tell: a named individual vouches in the first person and the page shows the welcome he says he received (testimonial), while his former side is called 'bloodthirsty killers' (name-calling).

## Text on the object

Original (Vietnamese) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
Bức tâm thư

Thân gởi các bạn Cán-bộ, Chiến-sĩ và dân quân
Du-kích trong hàng ngũ Việt-cộng.
Chào các bạn,

Bức tâm thư này đến tay các bạn giữa lúc toàn-dân Việt, từ miền Nam tới miền Bắc đang cổ-võ chào mừng thắng lợi Cách-Mạng ngày 1-11-1963 của Hội-Đồng Quân-nhân Cách-mạng, lật đổ chế-độ độc-tài gia-đình-trị Diệm-Nhu, xây dựng một Quốc-gia Cộng-hòa Dân-chủ, hạnh phúc và tự-do thật sự.

Tôi là Văn-công-Chúc 23 tuổi sanh quán tại xã Long-Khánh Cán-bộ tiểu-đội thuộc Đại-đội 211, trước đây tôi cũng như các bạn vì bồng-bột thiếu suy xét nên đã lầm đường tiếp tay cho lũ khát máu giết người của Việt-cộng. Nhưng nhờ sớm thức tỉnh nên đã trở về trình-diện với Chánh-quyền địa-phương, mang theo một trung-liên 24 x 29 Số D.38.363, 10 băng đạn trung-liên, 8 trái phóng-hỏa, 3 lựu đạn và một số tài-liệu.

Chánh-quyền và nhân-dân đã niềm nở đón-tiếp, săn-sóc và giúp đỡ tôi cũng như gia-đình tôi một cách thân mật như trong tình huynh đệ, lại làm tôi hối tỉnh nhiều trước những hành-động sai lầm từ trước, khi đi theo bọn ác ôn Việt-Cộng. Thật là, hãi-hùng khi nghĩ đến số phận đen tối của các bạn, những người không may bị Việt-cộng cưỡng bức hoặc bị phỉnh gạt, hoặc vì bị nông nổi nhất thời mà bị đẩy vào con đường phản bội lại chính cha mẹ vợ con và thôn làng thân yêu của mình.

[the letter continues down the page; the remaining cursive lines are not transcribed]

[caption, upper photograph: Chánh quyền tiếp đón nồng hậu / Từ trái sang phải: 1. Anh Văn-Công-Chúc 2. Thiếu-Tá Quận-Trưởng 3. [illegible] 4. [illegible]]
[caption, lower photograph: Đại diện thanh-nữ trao quà ủy-lạo cho anh Văn-công-Chúc]
```

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

```
A heartfelt letter

Warmly sent to you, cadres, fighters and militia
guerrillas in the ranks of the Viet-cong.
Greetings,

This heartfelt letter reaches you at a time when all the Vietnamese people, from the South to the North, are cheering and welcoming the victory of the Revolution of 1-11-1963 of the Military Revolutionary Council, which overthrew the dictatorial, family-ruled Diem-Nhu regime and is building a truly democratic Republic, happy and free.

I am Van-cong-Chuc, 23 years old, born in Long-Khanh commune, a squad cadre in Company 211. Formerly, like you, through rashness and lack of thought, I went astray and helped the blood-thirsty killers of the Viet-cong. But thanks to waking up early, I came back to report to the local Government, bringing a light machine gun 24 x 29 number D.38.363, 10 light machine gun magazines, 8 incendiary grenades, 3 hand grenades and some documents.

The Government and the people received me warmly, looked after me and helped me and my family intimately, as in brotherhood, which also made me repent much of my earlier mistaken actions when I followed the wicked Viet-cong gang. It is truly terrifying to think of the dark fate of you, who are unlucky enough to be forced or deceived by the Viet-cong, or, through momentary rashness, pushed onto the road of betraying your own parents, wife, children and beloved village.

[the letter continues down the page; the remaining cursive lines are not transcribed]

[caption, upper photograph: The Government's warm welcome / From left to right: 1. Mr. Van-Cong-Chuc 2. Major, District Chief 3. [illegible] 4. [illegible]]
[caption, lower photograph: Representative of young women hands over comfort gifts to Mr. Van-cong-Chuc]
```

Cursive handwriting read from an enlarged crop; a few words ('cổ-võ', 'sanh quán', 'cũa' for 'của' as written) are uncertain or non-standard. The rest of the page is not transcribed. Translation is FRAME's own literal rendering, machine-assisted and not verified by a fluent reader.

[← "Macht das Tor auf": Brandenburg Gate model at the inner-German border, east of Lübeck](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/macht-das-tor-auf-border-gate-1962/) [Kỷ niệm ngày 1-11-1963 Cách Mạng thành công (Commemoration of 1 November 1963, the Revolution's Success): Gia Long Palace photograph sheet →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/ky-niem-1-11-1963-gia-long-palace-sheet-1963/)

## Using the same techniques

- [Bronze sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), reverse S P Q R P P OB CIVES SERVATOS in an oak wreath](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sestertius-caligula-ob-cives-servatos-0037/) (Roman Empire · 0037 · Testimonial, Transfer)
- [Seljuq gold dinar of Sanjar, dated 493 AH, with the Abbasid caliph named on one face](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/seljuq-gold-dinar-sanjar-caliph-name-1099/) (Great Seljuk Empire · 1099 · Testimonial)
- [J'Accuse...! Lettre au Président de la République (J'Accuse...! Letter to the President of the Republic), L'Aurore, 13 January 1898](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/jaccuse-laurore-front-page-1898/) (France · Jan 13, 1898 · Testimonial). Content note: Newspaper page about a wrongful-conviction controversy; the letter text refers to a prisoner held in torture-like conditions on Devil's Island; no graphic imagery.
- [The Speaker, front page 'The Week', 22 June 1901: Hobhouse report and 'methods of barbarism'](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/speaker-hobhouse-camps-methods-of-barbarism-1901/) (United Kingdom · Jun 22, 1901 · Name-calling, Testimonial). Content note: Text on deaths of women and children in British camps in South Africa, with mortality rates.
- ["The War with Japan" (Puck cover, 23 October 1907)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/puck-the-war-with-japan-1907/) (United States · Oct 23, 1907 · Testimonial, Scapegoating)
- [Bande Mataram (Paris), memorial page to Madan Lal Dhingra, 17 August 1909](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/bande-mataram-paris-dhingra-memorial-1909/) (France · Aug 17, 1909 · Testimonial, Transfer)
- [Indian Opinion (Phoenix, Natal), page 266: 'Natal Mercury's Comments' and 'The Durban Conference' during the coal-mine strike, 29 October 1913](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/indian-opinion-natal-mercury-durban-conference-1913/) (Union of South Africa · Oct 29, 1913 · Testimonial)
- ['Do your duty bravely. Fear God. Honour the King.' Lord Kitchener postcard (about 1914)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/kitchener-duty-bravely-postcard/) (United Kingdom · 1914 · Testimonial, Transfer)