Director Pham Hoang Giang returns to emotional peak after 10 years thanks to performing national concert

Taking on the role of stage director at the Hanoi bridge from the historic Ba Dinh Square, director Pham Hoang Giang could not hide his emotion and pride when contributing with the crew to produce the program "Under the glorious flag", recreating heroic and touching historical moments for millions of patriotic hearts.

The art performance "Vietnam brocade" opened the art program at Ba Dinh Square ( Hanoi ). Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA

The political and artistic program "Under the Glorious Flag", which took place on the evening of August 9, connecting 3 points - Ba Dinh Square (Hanoi), Ky Dai (Hue) and Creative Park ( Ho Chi Minh City) - left many echoes, which were pride and emotion for thousands of viewers watching live, as well as millions of viewers watching on television.

This national political and artistic event was directed by the Central Military Commission, chaired by the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army and coordinated with localities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution (August 19, 1945 - August 19, 2025) and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025).

The program is not only one of the national concerts celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day September 2nd, attracting a large audience, but also an artistic epic, a declaration through emotions and images about patriotism, about the desire for peace , about the Vietnamese spirit throughout the history of building and defending the country.

"Party Flag" performance at Hanoi bridge. Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA

The audience present at the Ba Dinh Square bridge point - Hanoi was luckier than ever to witness the closest, most authentic and touching, sacred and heroic atmosphere of September 2, 1945 - the moment President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence; the changing of the guard ceremony and for the first time an artist sang the song "We guard your sleep" (musician Nguyen Dang Nuoc) in front of President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum...

Duets between 2 locations or 3 locations, combined performances from the North, Central and South regions... also made a special impression on the audience. The program also moved the audience when interwoven with reports that were true accounts of historical witnesses, heroic stories about those who devoted their youth to the peace and independence of the nation, with the spirit of "Determination to die for the Fatherland to live".

Behind the success of the program “Under the Glorious Flag” is a powerful team with thousands of people, from the director, general director, director of each bridge, visual director, music director... Among them, Pham Hoang Giang is the stage director of the Hanoi bridge, honored to contribute his passion and effort to a program of special significance.

“It's been 10 years since I've done such an emotional show.”

“When I received the invitation from the Organizing Committee, I was quite worried and knew that there would be a lot of pressure when making the program. However, I am also very proud to contribute a small part of myself with thousands of people in the crew and actors at 3 locations. We often say to each other: We are all “Under the glorious flag” and proud to be born and raised on the land of Vietnam - a wonderful country.

The program crew is based in Hanoi.

It has been probably 10 years since I last experienced such a special emotion. When the program ended, I saw tears falling. It was a sacred moment, a pride in having overcome the pressure, to go to success with everyone. The joy and emotion that surged like that has been a long time since I felt it again,” director Pham Hoang Giang confided.

Director Pham Hoang Giang has had the opportunity to produce many large programs, but “Under the Glorious Flag” is truly special in its value, timing and space. “Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the country’s independence, standing in Ba Dinh Square, in front of Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum, recreating the heroic moments of the nation on September 2, 1945, the feeling is extremely sacred,” Pham Hoang Giang emphasized.

Director Pham Hoang Giang.

“I always want to recreate every event and every emotion in that journey as truthfully as possible, and that is the stage method I approach for this program. From the opinions of the commander-in-chief and the director of all program content as well as the production organization, from the script to the complete program, it is the collective creativity of a team that unanimously contributes and builds every smallest detail. Historical topics require absolute accuracy, so whether it is choosing words, images, costumes or props, the team always relies on authentic sources of information and has careful advice from experts and experienced colleagues," the director shared,

Revealing more pressure behind the scenes, Pham Hoang Giang said that the program posed a huge challenge: Connecting three points at the same time. Unlike staging on a fixed stage, this time every second, every minute had to be precisely matched, which point, which singer, which song... to make everything blend together. Therefore, the close coordination between the general director, stage directors of the points, the film directors of QPVN, VTV, the film directors of the 3 points, along with a series of technical departments, artists, art crew... was very continuous and precise through the hotline.

“That huge amount of work required absolute concentration and high pressure. But it was that pressure that created collective strength, helping us create an art program worthy of the name Under the Glorious Flag,” he said.

Director Pham Hoang Nam and director Pham Hoang Giang.

Director Pham Hoang Giang expressed: “I would like to thank the Ministry of National Defense, the Organizing Committee - QPVN, the Military Radio and Television Center and the entire production team: General Director of the program - Journalist, Colonel Phung Viet Anh, General Artistic Director Pham Hoang Nam. I also want to thank Music Director Duong Cam - who worked very hard to make music, combine live orchestra for all three locations, an extremely complex challenge. Duong Cam is truly one of the people who contributed greatly to the complete success of this program. And together we all created the emotional harmony Under the Glorious Flag”.

“First time” and one-of-a-kind performances

Watching the program “Under the Glorious Flag”, the audience was extremely impressed with the flag-raising ceremony and the moment President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence. According to director Pham Hoang Giang, the crew decided to recreate the solemn atmosphere of September 2, 1945, so from the music to the setting, it made the audience feel like they were reliving that sacred historical moment.

Another special part is the changing of the guard combined with the performance of the work "We guard your sleep". For the first time, a performance was allowed to be performed right in front of Uncle Ho's Mausoleum and broadcast live - a decision that was carefully considered by the Organizing Committee, the Mausoleum Management Board and the leaders. The changing of the guard is the same, whether in wartime or peacetime, the program exploits that not only a simple task but also has a deep symbolic meaning. That moment carries a strong national spiritual value, expressing the soul, identity, resilience and indomitability of the soldiers in the honor guard - guarding Uncle Ho's sleep is also guarding peace, independence, borders and the tranquility of the country.

The performances combining three points also created a special impression for the program. One of them had the participation of the Army, Navy and Air Force at three points, depicting the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers in the era of peace. Particularly at the Hanoi point, director Pham Hoang Giang staged a special gun dance performed by soldiers of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Command, both powerful and symbolic.

The two final performances “Under the Glorious Flag” (composer Xuan Thuy) and “Forgetting Yourself for the People” (composer Doan Quang Khai) with the choir of all three locations, gathered nearly 1,500 actors and artists. This was a “huge” staging challenge, requiring absolute coordination to create a majestic symphony to complete the program.

In particular, the nearly 100-member orchestra at the Hanoi location played live accompaniment for both the Hue and Ho Chi Minh City locations. This was truly a unique highlight, bringing new life to the immortal epics.

“Perhaps this is the first time a television bridge in Vietnam has been able to perform a harmonized performance at all three bridges. The biggest challenge is handling the signal delay between the bridges - a task that the entire crew, especially the technical directors of QPVN and Viettel, have tried their best to solve. Everyone can imagine that, even within the same bridge, the transmission of signals from the color car to the LED screen has a certain delay. However, this time, all three bridges in Hue, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi can still sing together, in harmony - that is extremely difficult and also a miracle of the program", director Pham Hoang Giang shared.

Connected by the sacred emotional bond of the nation

“Under the Glorious Flag” is considered a “national concert”, part of a series of programs celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. While other programs honor the national spirit and entertain, the message of this program is very clear: honoring the historical value, cultural beauty, and noble qualities of Uncle Ho’s soldiers.

The program deeply depicts the heroic feats of Uncle Ho's soldiers - a symbol of national spirit and a torch illuminating the revolutionary ideal. At the same time, "Under the glorious flag" conveys responsibility, belief and a burning desire to contribute to the young generation - those who continue the journey of building and defending the Fatherland.

The organizing committee wants to affirm the spirit of "Under the glorious flag", we are one nation, one belief, one will and aspiration to reach the future and the solid support of the Party, the country, the people, is the heroic Vietnam People's Army.

“I think art programs like Under the Glorious Flag or national concerts Fatherland in the Heart or V Concert taking place at the same time contribute to expressing the spirit of patriotism and love for the Vietnamese people. When the National Anthem or Uncle Ho's Declaration of Independence resounds in Ba Dinh Square, it is an unforgettable moment, making every heart surge with sacred emotions and deep pride” - according to director Pham Hoang Giang. He also affirmed: “Under the Glorious Flag is truly very special, not only connected through television signals, but also connected by the sacred emotional thread of the nation. The harmonious combination of many diverse stage techniques has created a profound artistic experience”.

“After the program, I had the opportunity to talk with some veterans, and saw that they were very happy and excited. They shared with me about the war, the wounds on the battlefield that had caused them a lot of pain, but today, they think that those sacrifices are nothing compared to the pride of living in peace. Moreover, they feel happy to be part of the program, when everyone still remembers their contributions and contributions. Listening to those confidences, I am even more proud to be participating in such a meaningful program,” director Pham Hoang Giang expressed.

Facing many pressures and challenges, Pham Hoang Giang and his team constantly strived to overcome, coordinated well in every small detail, together writing an epic poem - an emotional and visual declaration of patriotism, aspiration for peace and Vietnamese bravery. "Under the glorious flag" became a proud mark in the series of programs celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, strongly inspiring today's and future generations.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/dao-dien-pham-hoang-giang-10-nam-moi-tro-lai-dinh-cao-cam-xuc-nho-thuc-hien-concert-quoc-gia-a426178.html