'A Tribute' Commemorates Fallen Heroes

Over 100 artists and 1,000 spectators offered candles and incense to commemorate fallen heroes during the "A Tribute" art performance.

The art performance, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, People's Committee, Steering Committee 515, and Department of Culture and Sports, took place on the evening of 13/10 at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park. The program aimed to commemorate fallen heroes before the city reinterred their remains at the Ho Chi Minh City Cemetery.

The performance "Sacred Vietnam". *Video: HTV1*.

The most poignant moment of the evening was when all artists lit candles of gratitude on stage, accompanied by the melody of "Ngon nen tri an - Linh thieng Viet Nam" (composed by An Hieu - Le Quang, poetry by Tran Tuan Anh). As People's Artist Ta Minh Tam and Meritorious Artist Pham Khanh Ngoc sang, over 1,000 spectators collectively observed a minute of silence to remember the heroes who sacrificed for the nation's independence and freedom.

For nearly two hours, the art performance guided the audience through a range of emotions with revolutionary music. 50 members of the Ho Chi Minh City Volunteer Artist Team harmonized in the medley "Bao noi len roi - To quoc oi ta da nghe" (composed by Trong Bang - La Huu Vang). This performance continued the heroic spirit from President Ho Chi Minh's 1968 Tet Mau Than New Year's greeting poem, broadcast on Voice of Vietnam: "This spring is better than past springs. Victorious news echoes across the nation. North and South compete to defeat American invaders. Advance! Total victory will surely be ours."

Artists commemorate fallen heroes during the "A Tribute" concert. *Photo: Thanh Tung*.

The artistic performances were interspersed with live interactions. A moving highlight of the program was a conversation with former military doctor Tran Van Ban, 82 years old. Despite his advanced age, he diligently assisted the team collecting samples to identify the remains of fallen soldiers at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park from early morning until late afternoon. He expressed that he was fortunate to survive the war and return, and thus wished to dedicate his efforts and expertise to "repay a debt of gratitude" and bring his comrades back to their homeland.

Former military doctor Tran Van Ban (left) shares his story of searching for comrades during the program. *Photo: Thanh Tung*.

The atmosphere of the evening became profound during the dramatic performance "Khac khoai noi mong cho" by Meritorious Artists Le Thien and Tuyet Thu. Many shed tears at the artists' portrayal of the pain of a heroic Vietnamese mother whose husband and children sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. Additionally, performances such as "Hen uoc Bac Nam" (composed by Pham Hong Bien, performed by Quoc Dai, To My), "Nguoi linh gia va hoa hong tham" (composed by Nguyen Dinh Khiem, performed by Lan Nha), and "Duoi co To quoc anh ve" (composed by Nguyen Duyen Quynh, performed by Nguyen Van Chung), all evoked deep gratitude for the preceding generations.

In the second part, titled "Continuing the Nation's Legacy", the concert conveyed a message of continuing to build the country through songs like "Vet chan tron tren cat" (composed by Tran Tien, performed by Cao Minh), "Hat cho nguoi con song" (composed by Truong Quy Hai, performed by Phuong Thanh), and "Con gi dep hon" (composed by Nguyen Hung, performed by Nguyen Phi Hung, Trung Kien, Tung Lam, Minh Sang, Leo Minh Tuan).

Spectators and artists commemorate fallen heroes at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park. *Photo: Thanh Tung*.

The program began at 19h, but from over 17h, a large crowd of residents, artists, youth, religious dignitaries, and veterans gathered at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park. Writer Kim Quyen, one of the early attendees, stated that even though her home was just over 5 km from the commemoration venue, she arrived very early because she "did not want to be late for such a special city event today".

Having followed the search for the remains of fallen heroes at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park since its early days, Ms. Kim Quyen was moved that 731 sets of remains have been found to date. "Despite the delay after so many years buried in the earth, finding the remains of these fallen heroes is a great comfort", she said.

Previously, a search lasting over three months at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park had uncovered the remains of fallen heroes in two mass graves. All biological samples were digitized and sent to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in Hanoi for DNA testing, to be cross-referenced with samples provided by relatives to identify the fallen soldiers.