Last Night I Dreamed of Peace
Đặng Thùy Trâm · 1970
About this book
The wartime diary of a young North Vietnamese doctor killed in combat, discovered by an American soldier and returned decades later. It became a sensation in Vietnam and offers an unfiltered glimpse into the fears, ideals, and humanity of those who fought.
Why read this for language learning
Đặng Thùy Trâm's wartime diary offers a raw, intimate perspective on the Vietnam War from a young Vietnamese doctor. Its direct, personal language makes it accessible for intermediate Vietnamese learners, providing authentic exposure to wartime vocabulary and emotional expression. It offers profound cultural insights into the sacrifices and resilience of individuals during conflict, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of Vietnamese patriotism and the human cost of war.
Vocabulary you will encounter
Start reading in Vietnamese
Upload any page from Last Night I Dreamed of Peace and get sentence-by-sentence translations, grammar notes, and vocabulary building — free.
Start reading for freeMore vietnamese books

The Tale of Kieu
Nguyễn Du · 1820
Vietnam's national poem tells the story of a woman who sacrifices everything for her family, enduring betrayal and suffering with Buddhist resolve. It is the single most important work in Vietnamese literature and its verses are woven into daily speech, proverbs, and fortune-telling.

The Sorrow of War
Bảo Ninh · 1990
A North Vietnamese soldier recalls the war in fragmented, hallucinatory prose that shatters heroic narratives. This novel broke taboos by portraying the psychological devastation of Vietnamese combatants and remains the most acclaimed Vietnamese war novel.

Novel Without a Name
Dương Thu Hương · 1995
A disillusioned North Vietnamese soldier questions the revolution as he witnesses its human toll. Dương Thu Hương's candid anti-war perspective led to her imprisonment and exile, making the book a testament to literary courage in Vietnam.

Paradise of the Blind
Dương Thu Hương · 1988
A young woman traveling to Moscow recalls her mother's suffering during Vietnam's brutal land reform campaigns. It was the first Vietnamese novel published in English and offers a rare critical look at the Communist Party's early policies and their cost to ordinary families.
