Top 7 Summaries of Prose Works for the National High School Graduation Exam

1. Summary: The A Phủ Couple

The story of the A Phủ Couple recounts the life of a young and beautiful girl named Mị, born into a poor family in the village of Hồng Ngài. Due to the karmic debt left by her parents, Mị is kidnapped by A Sử in the village to become a wife to pay off the debt to the village head, Pá Tra.

Mị's life continues with days of poverty and hardship, far worse than imaginable. She labors tirelessly every day, rain or shine, harder than even the buffalo and horse, becoming quieter and spending her days inside like a turtle kept in a cage. That year during Tet, Mị hears the sound of a flute echoing somewhere, stirring her soul, and she longs to go out, but A Sử catches her and ties her up in a dark room.

That same night, A Phủ, a strong and hardworking young man but poor and orphaned, is punished with bamboo pole lashes for trapping porcupines, causing him to lose a cow to a tiger. A Phủ is tied to a pole by village head Pá Tra, awaiting A Sử to shoot a tiger to set him free.

At that moment, although Mị has become completely indifferent, upon seeing A Phủ's silent tears falling on his exhausted and desperate face, Mị is moved with compassion for his plight. After a moment of thought, Mị cuts the rope for A Phủ. Then, Mị runs after him.

Both flee into the night, crossing through forests to reach Phiềng Sa, where they become husband and wife and build a new life. A Phủ joins the revolution, and they follow cadres A Châu and A Phủ, with A Phủ becoming a guerrilla team leader. They wield guns to chase enemies and protect and preserve their homeland.

2. Summary: Who Named the River

'Who Named the River' beautifully portrays the beauty of the Huế river through various aspects of space, time, history, and poetry, creating the romantic charm of the Perfume River.

The essay praises the beauty of the Perfume River, which is closely associated with the dreamy land of Huế and its historical traditions. At each moment, the river has its own unique beauty.

When the Perfume River flows at its source, it is wild and resembles an epic forest, 'like a Di-gan girl,' 'a mother of reeds,' with a delicate and enchanting beauty. When it reaches the city, the banks of the river stand out with the red of the rhododendron flowers. At this time, the Perfume River is like a waking girl, constantly changing its course, forming arcs around the Thiên Mụ Pagoda hill. The river is multicolored with green in the morning, golden at noon, and purple in the evening, mesmerizing people.

Leaving the city, the Perfume River heads north, embracing the Cồn Hến island submerged in mist, amidst the blue of bamboo and the betel gardens of Vỹ Dạ village. Then the river suddenly turns east-west, returning to the city at Bao Vinh town. Before returning to the sea, the river still lingers with the ancient capital of Huế, like the longing of Kiều for Kim Trọng in the past. Moreover, the Perfume River bears many traces of history and poetry. It has witnessed many battles to defend the country and the glorious struggle for national independence and freedom. Through concrete evidence of the beauty of the Perfume River landscape and its connection to the history and culture of the nation, the author affirms: 'The mysterious river, where the beauty of the nation's soul is born.'

'The Wife Picker' recounts the year 1945, when a terrible famine ravaged everywhere, with corpses piled up without burial, and the living were like ghosts, gaunt and emaciated. The main character is Tràng, a plain-looking man, rough and unmarried, living in a makeshift settlement.

Tràng earns a living by pulling carts and supporting his elderly mother. One day, while pulling a cart of rice to the provincial town, Tràng becomes acquainted with a girl. A few days later, when he meets her again, Tràng does not recognize her, as the girl has changed drastically, appearing ragged and hungry. Tràng invites her to a meal, and she quickly eats four bowls of rice cakes. After a half-joking comment, the girl agrees to marry him.

When Tràng brings the strange woman home, the entire settlement is surprised, their somber faces suddenly brightening. Especially Tràng's mother, who is not only surprised but also worried. After listening to Tràng's explanation, she feels a mix of emotions, shocked, sad, but also hopeful. She talks to her daughter-in-law without showing any disdain for the woman who followed her son home. Then she cries... Their wedding night passes quietly amidst the melancholy atmosphere with the smell of straw and the sound of crying from the neighboring families of the deceased.

The next morning, a bright summer morning, the sun shines brightly. Tràng's mother and the new bride clean up the house inside and out. Seeing this scene, Tràng feels a sense of attachment and responsibility towards his home, and he realizes that his wife is indeed a gentle and proper woman, no longer the rough-looking woman he first met. Tràng's mother happily serves them both a few bowls of watery porridge and a pot of rice gruel. As he hears the rising clamor, through his wife's account, Tràng gradually understands the Viet Minh, and in his mind, he sees images of hungry people flocking to raid the Japanese rice depot, with a red flag waving ahead.

The story is about the Xo Man village in the Central Highlands surrounded by vast forests of Xa Nu, enduring the heavy assaults of the Republic of Vietnam's military. After three years with the Viet Cong forces, Tnú returns to visit the village. The boy Heng guides Tnú through the heavily guarded village entrance: barricades, trenches, and lookout posts...

That night, Tnú eats and stays at Old Man Mết's house. The whole village gathers, Dít finishes inspecting the permits, and Old Man Mết proudly recounts the village's struggle - it's intertwined with Tnú's life. At that time, despite attacks from the Republic of Vietnam's forces, the village secretly harbored Viet Cong operatives (Quyết). Tnú and Mai were assigned to communicate with Quyết, and then Quyết taught them to read.

Once, while delivering letters for Quyết to the district, Tnú was captured by the enemy, tortured, but he did not confess. In prison for three years, Tnú escapes, returns to the village to replace Quyết as the leader of the village's resistance and marries Mai. Word spreads that Xo Man is arming itself, waiting for the right moment to rise up against the enemy. The enemy brings troops to besiege and raid. Old Man Mết, Tnú, and the young men retreat into the forest. Unable to capture Tnú, the enemy captures Mai and their newborn baby. From their hiding spot, Tnú witnesses his wife and child being beaten by the enemy. Boiling with rage, Tnú leaps out to rescue his wife but Mai and the baby end up dead, and he is captured...

The enemy tortures Tnú by burning his fingers with molten Xa Nu resin in front of the villagers. Tnú endures without a sound. Suddenly, there's movement around, Tnú lets out a yell, the villagers rise up in unison, Old Man Mết and the young men annihilate Dục and the enemy troops. Xo Man village wins. Tnú joins the Viet Cong. Tnú completes many missions and is granted permission to visit the village for one night. The next morning, Old Man Mết and Dít see Tnú off. They part ways at the Xa Nu hill, next to the large stream.

As requested by the department head, Phung had to travel to the Central region to take photos to welcome the new year. This was also the place where he had fought during the resistance against America. After researching and deciding on the theme for the calendar, he chose a fishing boat on a peaceful morning. Here, besides playing with Dau, Phung made friends with a boy named Phac.

After many days of ambushes along the coast, Phung finally captured a very valuable scene. It was the image of a boat far out at sea, steering through the early morning mist. The bow of the boat was faintly visible in the white fog mixed with a hint of pink from the afternoon sun, creating a simple yet perfect beauty that mesmerized us every time we looked at it. However, when the boat docked, Phung witnessed a cruel and ugly scene: “A couple of fishermen quietly stepped onto the shore, the woman with a pockmarked face and rough figure walked ahead, the man with a reddish face followed, glaring at her back and suddenly rushed forward to beat and curse the woman. You're all going to die!”. Then Phac, the couple's son, rushed to protect his mother and fought his father.

Witnessing such an absurd scene, Phung threw his camera aside to rush to protect the woman. After learning about the woman's hellish life, Phung decided to stay a few more days by the sea even though he had completed the Tet calendar to help Dau divorce her abusive husband.

However, despite the enthusiasm of both Phung and Dau, the woman refused their help, even kneeling down to beg not to leave her husband. Initially, both Phung and Dau were extremely surprised, unable to understand the woman's actions and words. However, after listening to her story, Phung and Dau suddenly understood all the complexities and intricacies of life because what the woman needed was not to escape from her abusive husband but a solution to make her and her husband's life less miserable, so that her children could eat well and have a proper home. Also from the woman's story, Phung suddenly realized the relationship between art and life, seeing the responsibility of an artist in artistic creation.

Later, when he returned to the city, every time he looked at the photo from that year, he saw the image of the fishing village woman coming back to him, hidden behind the pink mist of the morning sun.

The title of this work is 'The Soul of Truong Ba, the Oily Skinned Vegetable Seller,' written by Luu Quang Vu in 1981 and first published in 1984. It is based on a folk tale and has been very successful, leaving a lasting impression on readers of many generations.

The story revolves around a rather peculiar situation: due to the indifference and negligence of Nam Tao and Bac Dau (two officials in heaven), Truong Ba - a kind, gentle, healthy vegetable seller who is good at playing chess - suddenly dies. Out of pity for Truong Ba, the Heavenly Emperor allows his soul to enter the body of a recently deceased meat seller.

From then on, Truong Ba encounters many troubles and complications: the headmaster harasses him, his son becomes wayward, his wife wants to leave him, and his granddaughter refuses to acknowledge him. Truong Ba's temperament also changes, becoming rude and rough, causing people to shun him. In the end, Truong Ba chooses death rather than entering anyone else's body. This is how he feels he can live in integrity alongside his loved ones.

Summary: The Ferryman of Da River

'The Ferryman of Da River' narrates the majestic nature of the Da River and the image of skilled and courageous ferryman. The Da River is notorious and extremely treacherous due to the rocks along the banks, forming walls, and the river's narrowness like a servant's waist, with countless dangerous 'water attractions' ready to hinder boats attempting to cross the Da River.

In addition, the Da River also appears with a romantic and sentimental beauty, especially when viewed from afar, resembling the hair of a girl. Throughout the year, there are many changes according to the seasons, each season having its own unique and distinctive beauty. Nguyen Tuan vividly portrays the ferocity and sentimentality of the Da River to highlight the image of the ferryman.

Against the backdrop of nature appears the image of the laborer, the ferryman of the Da River, those who perform the duty of steering boats across the Da River. The ferryman is strong, robust, and abundantly courageous. Having been in the profession for many years, he has mastered the arrangement of rocks, waterfalls, and rocky stretches... everything is memorized and held within his grasp. To successfully steer the boat across the Da River, he must combine his own experience with courage and determination. Even if nature is as fierce as a demon, it must still yield to the courage, intelligence, and perseverance of the old man. That victory is the victory of willpower to overcome challenges in life. It is the victory of intellect, understanding, and experience of those who have been closely associated with river professions for many years.

Upon returning to shore, he and his friends still exude the beauty of talent and humility. They view the challenges they have just experienced as everyday tasks. The ferryman of the Da River embodies the golden quality - 'the gold that has been tested by fire' in the souls of laborers, quietly dedicating themselves to the nation.