The Town is within the range
(Thị xã trong tầm tay)

Vu, a reporter, leaves for Lang So’n to report on the crimes committed by the Chinese expansionists. On the dark train, Vu recalls his old love affair with Thanh in that very town. At that time, a Chinese chemist had tried to get him tojoin the Chinese cultural révolution. While Thanh saw through the négative aspects ofthe campaign, Vu ivas indiffèrent as he had no sense of responsibility. The chemist also pretended he knew ail about Thanh’s “suspicions background”. Afraid of the possible conséquences on his future, Vu broke off his relationship with Thanh. The young woman volunteered to go back to her home town to work as a teacher. Now Vu is ransacking the wreckage of the destroyed town with a deep hatred for the enemy. He realises the consequences of the cultural revolution: the war of aggression against his homeland. The presence, then the death, of a Japanese journalist with progressive ideas help him understand the situation and himself better. With a feeling of remorse, Vu sets out in search of Thanh but it is too late. She leads a happy life with a loving officer.