The book is based on a true story about a female Vietnamese doctor who was killed during the Vietnam War. Her diary was later found by an American soldier and returned some 35 years later to her family in Hanoi.

"Last night I dreamt of peace" is a translation of the diaries into English by Andrew X. Pham that includes an introduction by acclaimed Vietnam War journalist Frances FitzGerald, a former Pulitzer prize winner.

Immediately after coming to light in 2005, the diaries became a media sensation in Vietnam. Dang Thuy Tram died in the war, but she springs to life from the journal chronicling her days as a physician on the front lines.

The diaries are a Vietnamese best seller and a cultural phenomenon - appearing as excerpts in newspapers and inspiring a documentary film. A hospital and library in Vietnam have been named in Tram’s honor.

The diaries of Dang Thuy Tram, which are now kept at the Vietnam Archives Institute in Lubbock, Texas, have been published in Romania and the Republic of Korea.