'Saigon Commandos' is a typical film of Ho Chi Minh City in the past 50 years.

The results were announced at a ceremony honoring works on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of national reunification, on the morning of April 25 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 50 outstanding works are in nine fields, including: Literature, Music, Theater, Dance, Cinema, Photography, Fine Arts, Architecture, and Literature and Arts of Ethnic Minorities. The voting process went through three levels, with many experts participating. Initially, the preliminary jury selected 91 works, then finalized the list of 50 names through the rounds. In the field of film, Saigon Special Forces (directed by Long Van) was one of the six films voted.

Ms. Thanh Thuy - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City - said that the work meets the criteria of quality, ideological and artistic value, praising the qualities of Vietnamese people and having a wide influence.

Artist Ha Xuyen plays Ngoc Mai, an intelligence officer with the code name Z20, in "Saigon Special Forces". Photo:

Vietnam Feature Film Studio

Released in 1986, the film revolves around the exploits of the special forces in the resistance war against the US. The work was originally ordered by Major General Hai Phung (former Commander of the Saigon Special Forces, then Commander of the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command), starting in 1981, shooting for four years.

The film consists of four episodes : Rendezvous , Quiet , Storm and Return My Name. The main characters are Tu Chung - Commander of Saigon Special Forces, and his teammate Ngoc Mai, pretending to be a wealthy couple, facing the enemy every day. Their other teammates such as Sau Tam, Huyen Trang, Nam Hoa (codename K9) hold many positions, together completing the mission.

Artist Thanh Loan plays the role of nun Huyen Trang - a commando soldier who must wear a monk's robe to operate. Photo:

VFS

The film impressed with its fighting scenes and tense mind games. Mr. Vu Van Nha - the film's director - once said that after its release, the film attracted more than 10 million viewers to the theater. The film was the launching pad for a series of names from main to supporting roles, such as Thuong Tin, Quang Thai, Thuy An, Thanh Loan, Ha Xuyen.

After nearly 40 years of its release, the film is one of the timeless works of the Vietnam Feature Film Studio, and is re-screened on several national anniversaries. On a YouTube channel that posts the film, each episode attracts about seven to eight million views.

Scene of character Tu Chung (0:27) - played by artist Quang Thai - in "Saigon Special Forces". Video :

VFS (Screenshot)

Filming during a time when the country was still in need, director Long Van did not use stuntmen, the artists had to fight with bare hands in many scenes. Artist Hai Nhat (playing Ba Can) said that the most memorable scene was when Thuong Tin (playing Sau Tam) kicked his private parts, the force was so strong that it hurt him. In the scene where nun Huyen Trang was tortured, artist Thanh Loan was doused with cold water, filmed in one take. In the scene where the young liaison played by Van Dung - director Long Van's daughter - was tortured with a group of snakes, he bought real snakes from a restaurant, pulled out their teeth, and extracted their venom, without telling his child in advance.

The remaining films on the list of honorees include: Wild Field (director Nguyen Hong Sen), Flipped Cards (director Le Hoang Hoa), Bitter Taste of Love (director Le Xuan Hoang), television documentary Mekong Chronicle (general director Pham Khac), and the film Jade in the Stone (director Tran Canh Don).

At the end of February, the management agency continued to solicit public opinions through a digital voting platform. The final step was a city-level vote, with the council voting by secret ballot, and then recommending that the city leaders recognize 50 works. After the announcement, Ho Chi Minh City organized an exhibition to honor the works and planned to promote them for two years to spread the influence of the works to the public.

List of 50 typical works of Ho Chi Minh City in the past half century

Music: Spring in Ho Chi Minh City (composer: Xuan Hong), Songs from the city named after Him (music: Cao Viet Bach, lyrics: Dang Trung, Cao Viet Bach), City of love and nostalgia (music: Pham Minh Tuan, poetry: Nguyen Nhat Anh), Country full of joy (composer: Hoang Ha),

By the statue of Uncle Ho (music: Lu Nhat Vu, lyrics: Le Giang), A lifetime, a forest (composer: Tran Long An), Symphony No. 6 "Saigon 300 years" (composer: Nguyen Van Nam).

Stage: Cai luong play Nguoi ven do (author: Minh Khoa, adapted by: Nguyen Gia Nghiem, director: Minh Tri), spoken drama La durian (author: Hoang Dung, director: People's Artist Ngo Y Linh - People's Artist Kim Cuong), Cai luong play Tieng drum Me Linh (author: Viet Dung - Vinh Dien, director: People's Artist Ngo Y Linh),

The opera Le Cong Ky An (author: People's Artist Huu Danh, director: Nguyen Hoan), the opera Rong Phuong (author: Le Duy Hanh, adapted by Hoang Song Viet, director: People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau), A O Show (Lune Production) and the drama Da Co Hoai Lang (author: Meritorious Artist Thanh Hoang, director: Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh).

Cinema : films Wild Field (director: Nguyen Hong Sen), Flipped Cards (director: Le Hoang Hoa), Bitter Taste of Love (director: Le Xuan Hoang), television documentary Mekong Chronicle (general director: People's Artist: Pham Khac, directors: Du Kim Hoang, Ly Quang Trung, Nguyen Hoang), films Jade in the Stone (director: Tran Canh Don), Saigon Special Forces (director: People's Artist Long Van).

Architecture: Hung King Memorial Temple, Ho Chi Minh City (Architect Nguyen Truong Luu), Ben Duoc Memorial Temple, Cu Chi (Architect Khuong Van Muoi), Children's House and Children's House complex, Ho Chi Minh City (Architect Nguyen Truong Luu), Hoa Binh Theater, District 10, Student Cultural House, Ho Chi Minh City (Architect Nguyen Trung Kien).

Dance : Golden Tray of the Mekong Delta (People's Artist Thai Ly), Love Story of the Country (People's Artist Vu Viet Cuong, People's Artist Tran Kim Quy), Legend of Sac Forest (script, choreography: Huynh Quang Tri, music: Duc Trinh), Black and White ( Light and Darkness ) (script, choreography: People's Artist To Nguyet Nga, music: Ca Le Thuan), Lotus Blooming Season (People's Artist Hoang Phi Long).

Fine arts: Statue of Uncle Ho with children (sculptor Diep Minh Chau), statue of Motherland and unknown soldier (sculptor Nguyen Hai), painting of Thanh Nien Thanh Dong (painter Nguyen Sang), statue of Nguyen Tat Thanh (sculptor Pham Muoi), ceramic painting set of Ben Duoc Temple (group of authors).

Photography : Mother and son on the day they met (Lam Hong Long), wartime photo book (Lam Tan Tai), Secretary Vo Van Kiet presenting the flag of departure to the youth of Ho Chi Minh City (Thien Dieu), photo book Resilient Saigon (Nguyen A), photo book Overcoming the darkness (Tran The Phong).

Literature: Homeland of the Underground (poet Vien Phuong), Ancestral altar of a singer (writer Nguyen Quang Sang), In R - Stories after 50 years (writer Le Van Thao), Blue eyes (writer Nguyen Nhat Anh), poetry collection Whispering with the river (poet Hoai Vu).

Literature and art of ethnic minorities : literary books Learning from the moral example and ideology of Ho Chi Minh on the policy of national solidarity (editor: Dr. Tran Thanh Pon), books Cham people with Uncle Ho (editor: Dr. Phu Van Han), calligraphy Prison Diary (editor: Calligrapher Tran Xuyen), calligraphy collection Implementing Uncle Ho's will 1969-2019 (editor: People's Artist Truong Lo), Cultural beauty of the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City (Luu Kim Hoa).