1 INTRODUCTION 1. The reason for selecting the topic 1.1. The short stories in the Mekong Delta are associated with many writers such as: Son Nam, Trang The Hy, Nguyen Quang Sang, Anh Duc, etc… and recently Nguyen Ngoc Tu, who are admired by readers. 1.2. Compared to other genres, the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now have grown in number and have had the unique contribution of content as well as arts, especially the representation of life, soul and personality of the Mekong Delta people during this period. However, so far there is no systematic and comprehensive study of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now. For the above reasons, we went into the research on the survey of the features of the short stories in the Mekong River Delta from 1975 to present. 2. The history of the research problem Through our research, we have found the studies of the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 as follows: The short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now – Achievements and concerns (Hoai Phuong) ; Looking for ‘‘the portrait’’of the short stories in the Mekong Delta (Vo Tan Cuong), The prose in the Mekong Delta: a prose area with a lot of originalities (Chiem Thanh) ; The character and bravery of the South prose (Ho Tinh Tam) ; The prose in the Mekong Delta – a way of development (Nguyen Thanh) ; A separate taste of delta stories (Tuong Vi) ; The outstanding contribution of short stories in the 2 Mekong Delta after 1975 (Through the Collection of short stories in the Mekong Delta 1975 – 1995 and the Collections of 18 writers in the Mekong Delta) (Tran Manh Hung) ; The world of characters in Đong Thap short stories (Nguyen Anh Dan); An Giang short stories 1975-2000, Major achievements (Nguyen Kim Nuong) ; The outstanding features Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short stories (Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy) ; The South culture and people in the composition of Phi Van (Đang Van Khuong) ; The artistic style of Trang The Hy (Nguyen Thi Mai Thao) ; Writer Nguyen Thanh – a literature addict (Nguyen Ngoc Tu) ; The world of short stories by Bich Ngan (Huynh Phan Anh) ; A literature lesson from endless fields (Bui Viet Thang) ; The cultural mark of the Mekong Delta land in the short stories by Nguyen Ngoc Tu (Nguyen Lam Đien - Huynh Hai Dang) ; Nature and people of the South in the short stories by Nguyen Ngoc Tu (Tien Van Trieu) ; Sense of the South identity (Huynh Cong Tin) ; A point of view and artistic text in the short stories by Ong Thiem Thu - Tran Kim Trac (Đo Thi Hien) ; Tone factors in the short stories by Son Nam (Tran Phong Dieu) Writer Nguyen Quang Sang with a real South style (Tran Ve Giang) ; Son Nam – a South hyacinth (Tran Manh Hao) ; Aesthetics tastes in the short stories by Nguyen Ngoc Tu (Tran Phong Dieu) ; Prose round-table of the Mekong Delta (Nguyen Ngoc Tu)… Overall, the studies of short stories after 1975 in the Mekong Delta have had the noble, honorable explorations and discoveries in content and arts as well as pointing out limitations of this genre. On that basis, we have opportunity to go deeper, discovering new things about the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975. 3. The purpose of the study 3 With the survey of the features of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 up to now, the dissertation clarifies the concept of the short stories in the Mekong Delta as well as the movement and main characteristics of this category. 4. The object and delimitation of the study The survey object of the dissertation is the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 in the following collection and book of short stories: - The collection of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to 1995, the Publishing House of Writer Association,1996 -Collection 18 of the writers in the Mekong Delta, Mũi Cà Mau Publishing House. -The short stories of three female authors in the Mekong Delta, Literature Publishing House. -The Western short stories, Tre Publishing House - Ho Chi Minh City. - The short stories in Tien Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang and The short stories by Nguyen Ngoc Tu. -Besides, the dissertation also extends the scope of the survey of a number of short stories in the Mekong Delta before 1975 and short stories in other regions to have a basis for contrasting, comparing and helping clarify the characteristics of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present. -Selecting the survey of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to now, we have access to a wide and not quite stable object. Thus, the dissertation only examines the issues that have been shaped mainly in terms of content and arts of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present. 4 5. The methods of the study The dissertation applies the main following methods: - Method of system - Method of type - Method of comparison research - Method of interdisciplinary research 6. New contribution of the dissertation - About scientific meaning: The dissertation help clarify the concept of the short stories in the Mekong Delta, movement and the main characteristics of this category. - About practical meaning: We hope that the dissertation will be a useful reference for researchers and those who are interested in the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present. On the other hand, the achieved results of the dissertation may be the basis for the compilers to select the typical short stories in the Mekong Delta for textbooks or reference materials for teaching and research on literature in secondary schools and universities…etc…. 7. The structure of the dissertation Besides the introduction, conclusion and appendix, the dissertation has 3 chapters: Chapter 1: Generalisation of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now (From page 16 to page 37). Chapter 2: The inspirations in the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now (From page 38 to page 98). Chapter 3: Some artistic aspects in the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now (From page 99 to page 188). 5 Chapter 1 GENERALISATION OF THE SHORT STORIES IN THE MEKONG DELTA FROM 1975 UNTIL NOW 1.1. The outline on history, society and culture in the Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta has an area of over 39,568 km2, including 13 provinces: An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and Can Tho city, with the population of 21 million people. Mentioning the Mekong Delta, we can talk about a real interesting and fascinating history – changing waste land into cultivated areas in South Vietnam in general and in the Mekong Delta in particular. Before the seventeenth century, this area seemed to sleep in a wild and quiet area with indigenous scattered population. In the XVII century, the Vietnamese came here to explore this land. The most typical features in the Mekong Delta are easily associated with the waters with a interlaced network of rivers, streams, and canals. The production activities and daily activities of the local people are always attached to any fluctuation of the water stream and tide. The rivers and canals here also provide freshwater sediment accretion and cooling water for the gardens full of fruit trees, lush paddy fields and innumerous fishes and shrimps. Many families settle in the boat which is treated as their home. Many boats come together to create floating residential areas. During the course of history the Mekong Delta has always undergone the events concerning the destiny of the whole nation. This is where co-reside many ethnic communities such as the Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer and Cham, so it is the place where the 6 process of cultural exchange between peoples occurs. That process has cultivated humanistic values and formed the cultural values of particular identity to this land. The notable feature of the culture in the Mekong Delta is the one of the waters. This is expressed through the customs, practices, rituals in daily life and productive labor, especially geographical names and language of communication related to the rivers and canals. The culture of food, clothing, housing, travel, etc. also carries its own characteristics which are appropriate and in harmony with natural ecological environment. A floating market is not merely a marketplace for commodity exchange, but it has become its own culture of the waters. The common traits of the South people are: haughty spirit, justice, rationality, openness, harmony, friendliness, sociability in new communities, no proud of scholars, no asking for equal background. The Mekong Delta is home to many ethnic festivals and other cultural traditions such as traditional music of amateurs, reformist opera stage of the Kinh. In summary, using the approach from the premise of history, society, culture, the dissertation has fairly solid basis for identifying the recognition and feature of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present. 1.2. Concept on the short stories in the Mekong Delta The short stories in the Mekong Delta can be understood in two ways: 7 For the first broad interpretation, in a broad sense, it is the short stories by the writers in all regions of the country about the Mekong Delta. For the second interpretation, in a narrow sense, it is the short stories about the Mekong Delta by the writers born and grown up and working in the Mekong Delta, or by those from other lands to earn their living in the Mekong Delta. From ''love makes strange land become homeland'' (by Che Lan Vien), the writers consider this land good one for bound resettlement and then write about it. There are also some native writers who have written extensively on the Mekong Delta, but later moved to Ho Chi Minh City such as: Son Nam, Anh Duc, Nguyen Quang Sang With short stories by these writers, we temporarily classify them into the second interpretation. In fact, through the collections of short stories in the Mekong Delta so far, we find that the selected stories are in the second interpretation. From two above interpretations, we have the concept that the short stories in the Mekong Delta in the second interpretation. Maybe at a certain angle necessary to ponder and think more, but for us it is the basis to do research and identify the characteristics of the short stories in the Mekong Delta. 1.3. Team of the authors of the short stories in the Mekong Delta The classification of the generations of the writers of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now is only relative. In our opinion, it is possible to visualize the authors of short stories in the Mekong Delta in a continuation of three generations 8 The first generation includes the writers who became famous before 1975 such as Doan Gioi, Anh Duc, Nguyen Quang Sang, Trang The Hy, Tran Kim Trac They wrote the short stories which were known nationwide to the readers before 1975. After 1975, they still composed abundantly, energetically, and continued to contribute to the country's literature. The second generation includes the famous writers after 1975 and on this stage they are still energetic, such as: Pham Trung Khau, Trinh Buu Hoai, Ngo Khac Tai And the pennames became mature after 1975, and are now the major team, such as: Vu Hong, Kim Ba, Thai Sac, Le Dinh Bich, Phan Trung Nghia, Mai Buu Minh, Tram Huong, Da Ngan, Bich Ngan, Anh Dao, Nguyen Lap Em, Pham Ngoc Diep, etc. And the third generation consists of the pennames appearing in the early th 21 st century as Tram Nguyen Y Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, etc. 1.4. The movement of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present After 30/04/1975, the country entered a new historical stage. National literature in general and the Mekong Delta one in particular have changed in the posture of detecting the best methods able to promptly reflect diverse social life before the new requirements of the times. Short stories attract the creation of the generations of writers in the Mekong Delta. They have devoted readers a pretty massive amount of short stories, many of which are excellent ones. Our sense of the explored short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to now is the wealth of diverse topics and styles. With the feature of the genre, each short story reflects only 9 one or few aspects of life, but if placed side by side with a broad view, the readers can fully visualize the basic characteristics of life, people and scenery of this land. The direction of exploiting the interactions between yesterday and today is always screened and interpreted from many dimensions. The short story writers in the Mekong Delta have exploited the war theme on a new dimension and with a new look. In the context of the early years after the war and in the renovation period, the writers of the short stories in the Mekong Delta often go into exploitation and justification for the moral dimensions of everyday life. The human problems in the war and life today are always reflected in the beliefs, concerns on each page of their text. Before the numerous changes of the new life, many writers are interested in affection and gratitude. Many other problems in the daily lives continue to be exploited, such as trust and empathy altruism, belief in future life, respect for happiness, though happiness is very simple. Many lives, life-like scenes of all social classes have been revived by short story writers in the Mekong Delta. They are ''farmers major in fields”, women, children, the war wounded, veterans, artists, etc. and even the weak and degrading staff, etc. New life with many challenges that people have never tasted, especially the issues of recovery, economic development and social management in the context of innovative economic thinking, moving to market mechanism, is a quite detailed way through the concerns, thoughts and human destinies. The nature of the wetland is peaceful and prosperous, with the retained landscape of wild features, mysterious, harsh and 10 intense, but sticking with people and cultural life, which creates topics for many writers to be interested in exploiting. Trying to understand the short stories in the Mekong Delta, we found that the short story writers have a style of writing which is quite diverse and unique. It is rich and charismatic style of writing because there is something new of Son Nam when he thought ''To integrate into the literature, it is necessary to take risks, to write something new for people to read instead of repeating old ones that none wants to read''; Trang The Hy’s style of writing is full of concerns and elegance; Vu Hong has both liberal and deep tone with short stories about the harmony and conflict in lifestyle, intergenerational psychology of people of the South; Le Dinh Bich has a close and psychological style of writing and loves finding songs on ancient myths; Da Ngan often exploits emotional conflicts and human ethics; Nguyen Ngoc Tu has a style of writing spontaneously, honestly with sharp spatial South, especially, she has used the local language quite successfully in her creating, etc. In spite of realistic approach, personality in the style and different success rates, it is easy to notice agility, sense of exploration and innovation and rise of the creative writer. This proves that they've caught up the circuit and development of literature after 1975. Chapter 2 THE INSPIRATION IN THE SHORT STORIES IN THE MEKONG DELTA FROM 1975 UNTIL NOW The inspiration about praising nature and people, criticizing limitations and negatives in life, perceiving the depth of human nature and cultural life is the main inspiration in the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now. [...]... of the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 in the movement of Vietnam short stories So many questions about the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 such as : the world of characters, narrative view have not been mentioned by us We hope that there will be more comprehensive and deeper studies on the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 In the limited capacity and scope of the... Mekong Delta from 1975 to now is the critical questions that the writers set out for the readers, but with a gentle and not harsh attitude This is consistent with lifestyle and environment of human activities in the Mekong Delta 2.3 Aware inspiration of searching for human nature By using different ways to explore and express uniquely, the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975, reflect personal... contribute to improving the personality and ethics This is one of the remarkable contributions of the short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 to present 2.3.3 Man with spirituality Discovering the spiritual life, the writers of short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 have touched ''underground'' vessel of life dominating the action, the behavior of people with the community, society, nature and... of spiritual life reflected in the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 Besides, the torment and the obsession of human with their wrongs are also explained from the spiritual perspective of consciousness by the writers In short, spiritual life of people reflected through the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975, is light transmitted from the inner world of each person, explain the... the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975, readers can feel a cultural life that is abundant and vivid 2.4.1 Reformist art Talking about the South is mentioning the cradle of opera and traditional music for amateurs This art form is consistent with the topographic characteristics of the waters as well as the lives of the South people Therefore, for a long time, traditional music for amateurs and... of the river lively and attractively Chương 3 SOME ARTISTIC ASPECTS IN THE SHORT STORIES IN THE MEKONG DELTA FROM 1975 UNTIL NOW 3.1 Arts of creating situation, structure, space and time 3.1.1 Arts of creating story situation: Doing the survey of the short stories in the Mekong Delta since 1975, we find the authors noted the development of mood situations, situations of action, situation of awareness,... orientated to be aware, think and act properly 3.1.2 Arts structure and end of the story: The short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 have freer structure and happy end; closed end and open end are common ones in the short stories in the Mekong Delta after the 1975 Many ends make a deep impression in the heart of readers as well as creating the 18 space, leaving readers become co-creative, self-judging... Mekong Delta from 1975 to now covering the space of the stories are natural space, living space and private space bearing the mark of the waters The time is the one of the past, of the memories associated with the situation, the scenes where each person is living and experiencing A motif of time that the readers frequently spend in the short stories in the Mekong Delta after the 1975 is a mixture between... everyday activities associated with life and the fate of every human being This is also what makes a human value in the short stories of the Mekong Delta after 1975 In summary, the unique creation of arts in the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 is not much, but enough for the readers to identify specific characteristics of this region compared to the short stories in other regions CONCLUSION... in the Mekong Delta The continuous flow of the short stories in the Mekong Delta bases on continuation of three generations of writers , the generation before 1975 still has contribution for national literature, the generation grown up after 1975 , the main staff at present appeared in the early of the 21st century , they are young and energetic The desire for emotional resolution about nature, about . famous before 1975 such as Doan Gioi, Anh Duc, Nguyen Quang Sang, Trang The Hy, Tran Kim Trac They wrote the short stories which were known nationwide to the readers before 1975. After 1975, they. the 2 Mekong Delta after 1975 (Through the Collection of short stories in the Mekong Delta 1975 – 1995 and the Collections of 18 writers in the Mekong Delta) (Tran Manh Hung) ; The world of. found the studies of the short stories in the Mekong Delta after 1975 as follows: The short stories in the Mekong Delta from 1975 until now – Achievements and concerns (Hoai Phuong) ; Looking