Colonel, Writer, Journalist Nguyen Manh Thang, born in 1976, currently works at the People’s Army Newspaper (Vietnam). He is the author of 10 published books (2008–2025), many of which have been warmly received by military and civilian readers alike:
Stories from the Company (co-author); Rising from the Construction Sites (co-author); Truong Sa Waves – A Documentary Chronicle (co-author); Light of Faith (monograph & short features); Preventing “Self-Evolution” and “Self-Transformation” (monograph); Portraits of Soldiers in Peacetime (literary reportage); Forever the Leaf of Loyalty to the Army (literary reportage); Soldiers in Peacetime (literary reportage); Ho Chi Minh’s Soldiers in the New Era – A Cultural Perspective (monograph); Preventing “Self-Evolution” and “Self-Transformation”: Pruning Branches and Catching Pests (monograph). He has published numerous short stories and poems in major literary journals and newspapers. He is recipient of several awards.
His very short story
My Power
Before A was promoted to Deputy Head of the department, there was plenty of gossip. People considered his abilities merely “adequate” and his qualifications only “so-so.” Yet Boss Bao insisted on supporting him, citing his “mass-mobilization skills” as a justification, talking about it as if it were pure gold—more valuable than anything else.
At the commemorative ceremony, Boss Bao lavishly praised A as “a shining example on the epidemic’s frontlines”. But in the rows of seats below, the hum of the air conditioner couldn’t drown out the bitter whispers: “A garbage collector made into a hero”; “A cat praising its own long tail”; “Padding fins to make wings”.
At the year-end meeting, Boss Bao flatly rejected the proposal to give employee B a raise, citing the flimsy “offense” of “reckless speech”. Strangely, B had never spoken up at any meeting. That afternoon, Boss Bao’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. A cold message from A lit up the screen: “Boss, I’ve successfully mobilized the masses”.
Boss Bao grinned with eyes nearly closed, secretly thinking of the huge profits waiting at home. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew in, scattering the personnel directive papers. The pages swirled in all directions, leaving only a faint, mocking line: SECONDARY CRITERION.
That night, in a fitful sleep, Boss Bao thought he heard a strange noise outside the window. A sharp, prolonged “wheezing… wheezing…” pierced the silence, harsh as coarse fabric being torn apart. Startled, his heart pounding, he tried to calm himself, muttering in fear and with a warped sense of reasoning:
– Perhaps… even the snitches (gossips) are out there mobilizing the masses
(Translated into English by HFT)
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