Trinh Thi Son was born in 1929 in the area of Dong Trieu, Quang Ninh. In 1945 she joined the women’s committee of her commune, participated in binh dan hoc vu, and in 1947 was the platoon leader of a guerilla team in the area. She came from a well-off family and says her father was respected in her community, and therefore he was made the president of the Lien Viet association of the village. However, during the land reform, her father’s earlier services to the Revolution were forgotten as he was accused along with many others of being a cruel landlord. Though she says she doesn’t understand some of the events that happened during the land reform, she still recounts how things occurred in her area, for instance how non-local cadres encouraged locals to accuse landlords. She talks about many of her experiences during the Indochina War, such as how locals in Quang Ninh had to hide from the French in caves. She describes in detail what she calls some of her proudest achievements during the war, such as when she and others were able to steal a machine gun from a drunken French soldier, as well as how she identified a traitor (Viet Gian) who had infiltrated her local group of Party members. Son touches on the tax system then imposed on the population, along with who had to pay what to whom and at what time. Concerning food supplies and rice in particular, she mentions the Dan Cong (civilian labor/mobilized workforce) and how she had to transport rice during certain campaigns, including rice sent from China starting in 1950. She also talks about the election in 1946 and the competition with the Quoc Dan Dang in her area, some members of which were arrested following the August Revolution but then released by the French upon their return in 1947. She gives information concerning the destruction of pagodas and communal temples (dinh) by the French also. Son spends a considerable amount of time talking about personal and/or family relationships during the war, which were often complicated due to the various and competing loyalties of some of her friends and family, as well as terror tactics used by both sides.