"Hail to the soldiers of Dien Bien Phu!"

With a profound understanding and comprehensive perspective on national history, rooted in the experiences and feelings of someone deeply connected to the hardships, sacrifices, losses, and glorious victories, To Huu wrote and praised little Luom, a messenger girl; the elderly women and mothers of Viet Bac; the girl from Bac Giang who destroyed the main road; the soldier on Nhe Pass; the soldier going to the Northwest... All contributed to the resistance against French colonialism. However, it was only after the Dien Bien Phu campaign ended, with victory belonging to our people, that the poet's emotions were sufficient to write "Hail to the Dien Bien Phu Soldiers" (May 1954).

"Hail to the Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu" is a vigorous, vibrant poem with heroic, exhilarating, and dynamic tones, spanning many different levels. The poem, nearly 100 lines long, is relatively large in scale. Overall, it is divided into three main parts: Part I (the first four stanzas) records the shared joy and feelings upon receiving news of the victory; Part II (the middle four stanzas) directly describes the campaign; and Part III (the last two stanzas) discusses the impact of the victory. The poem includes sections written in a relatively stable four-syllable, five-syllable, and seven-syllable verse style, with familiar, flowing six-eight meter lines. However, generally speaking, it is a free verse poem, with the shortest line being three syllables and the longest reaching thirteen syllables. The number of lines in each stanza and section varies depending on the author's thoughts and feelings.

What surprises readers is that the poet To Huu wrote from the heart, with a sensitivity to the burning events of the era. Therefore, the opening of the poem "Hail to the Dien Bien Phu Soldiers" is truly unique:

Midnight News

Urgent, urgent!

The horse flies up the hill.

The torch illuminated the forest.

These four lines of poetry are both figurative and onomatopoeic. Instead of using the sound of horse hooves on the road, the author uses the phrase "Rapid, rapid," which helps us understand that the horse is receiving the power of the nation's historical joy, to "fly up the slope." But that flying horse's power, when "the torch illuminates the forest," is bestowed upon the people who are the first to receive news of victory – the people of Dien Bien who were once inseparable from the soldiers. And the news of the Dien Bien Phu victory has become an invisible bird flying to all corners of the world.

Tonight, friends from near and far...

The news will surely bring joy and shared happiness.

The poem "Hail to the Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu" is expressed in a narrative style, leaving an impression on the reader not through poetic music or the melodic embellishments of the words, but through the profound weight of the direct combat experience of the soldiers in the trenches.

The fierce and arduous battles were fought with "blood mixed with mud," but thanks to the soldiers' absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, their "courage did not waver/their will did not fade." The Dien Bien Phu campaign produced many heroic figures who brought glory to the nation, such as Be Van Dan, Phan Dinh Giot, and To Vinh Dien... The poem praises the heroic Dien Bien Phu soldiers for their extremely courageous actions. The poet draws material from exemplary figures such as Be Van Dan, To Vinh Dien, and Phan Dinh Giot... but does not stop at any one individual name. Poet To Huu has inscribed their names in poetic sculpture:

My comrades were buried to make gun mounts.

Loophole cover

Crossing through a mountain of barbed wire

A raging storm

The comrades who used their backs to save the artillery piece.

Even with my eyes closed, I still cling to you, my body shattered.

Hands that carved mountains and rolled bombs

Make sure to clear the way for our car.

Battlefield reinforcements.

These heroes sacrificed their youth for the Fatherland and the People, forged in a thousand-year tradition of patriotism. The soldiers of Dien Bien Phu were thousands of soldiers and national defense troops at the Dien Bien Phu stronghold, facing the enemy, determined to fight to the death for the Fatherland. The soldiers of Dien Bien Phu were also the civilian laborers who toiled day and night transporting supplies... They possessed an unwavering faith, stemming from "Hands that carved mountains and rolled bombs," "Opening roads for our vehicles to reach the battlefield to provide reinforcements," and from "On Pha Din Pass, women carried loads, men hauled goods / On Lung Lo Pass, men sang, women chanted." The entire nation marched swiftly to Dien Bien Phu to continuously support the soldiers on the front lines who were enduring hardships of "carving tunnels in the mountains, sleeping in bunkers, enduring rain, and eating meager rations." A nine-year, arduous march, guided by the military strategy of "Total People's Resistance, Comprehensive Resistance."

In describing the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the historic "final battle," To Huu does not shy away from the losses and sacrifices. That was the price in blood we paid to achieve victory. Through numerous images: "Blood mixed with mud; Shattered bodies, eyes closed; Bones shattered, flesh torn apart..." - every force suffered losses. It is true that we had to extinguish the flames of the war of aggression with the blood of our lives; there was no other way. And then:

Listen, this afternoon, May 7th

Above, a raging torrent of fire flies!

Appearance: On all four sides, the ramparts and fortifications have collapsed.

The generals flew a jumble of surrender flags.

Look: We have the red flag with a yellow star.

The sky and land of Dien Bien Phu shone brightly with complete victory!

Hail to the soldiers of Dien Bien Phu!

With a sensitive and subtle intuitive perspective, the poet To Huu is like a photographer capturing this special historical moment. The photograph contrasts two distinct colors: the defeated, all raising white flags in surrender; the victors raising high the red flag with a yellow star. The poet skillfully chooses the word "chaotic," allowing the reader to better understand the painful and bitter defeat of the enemy. The rhythm of the poem is fast, strong, and exuberant, accurately depicting the victorious spirit of "Nine years of struggle culminated in Dien Bien Phu / A red wreath of flowers, a golden epic." The entire poem has three lines of "Hail to the soldiers of Dien Bien Phu," forming a refrain, but only this line is placed in its proper position, possessing the highest expressive value. However, reading To Huu's poem, one does not feel any sense of sorrow or horror. The author describes the sacrifice to highlight the courageous and unwavering fighting spirit, the willingness to self-sacrifice, and the immense sacrifices made to achieve victory. That is also a way to remember the sacrifices – to forever remember the heroic martyrs who fell at Dien Bien Phu so that: Muong Thanh, Hong Cum, Him Lam / The apricot blossoms turn white again, the orange groves turn yellow again.

"Hail to the Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu" is written in simple verse, creating a sense of closeness with the reader. It's as if To Huu has "transformed" with the soldiers, planting the flag of poetry on top of De Castries' bunker. The poem carries a profound ideological scope, transcending its own voice to become the voice of the people, of the nation, proving to the whole world that Vietnam – a small country – has defeated a great empire.

The poem's structure is seamlessly connected by different people and scenes, but it is a trumpet call of victory, bringing endless joy to all. In that resounding trumpet call across mountains and rivers emerges the image of President Ho Chi Minh, the Father of the Nation, and General Vo Nguyen Giap, the brilliant commander who, with his military strategy of "attack surely, win surely," caught the enemy off guard, "Lightning strikes day and night upon the French invaders," causing the entire nation to erupt in happiness.

No night is as fun as tonight.

On this historic night, Dien Bien Phu shone brightly.

In this country, like a medal on the chest.

Our nation, a heroic nation!

The defining characteristic of an artistic image is its specificity and generalization. The poetic imagery in the poem "Hail to the Dien Bien Soldiers" tends to be more generalized. It generalizes the hardships and sacrifices, the patriotism and heroic qualities of the Dien Bien soldiers, and of the entire nation. The poem also generalizes the significance of the era and the widespread impact of the Dien Bien victory: "Dien Bien, so far away, yet the hearts of the four seas beat in unison with ours..."

"Hail to the Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu" is a profound reflection on the country and people of Vietnam during the war of national defense. It is the feeling of someone who experienced it firsthand, someone who was directly involved. Therefore, many stanzas, poetic images, and the tone of To Huu's poem resonate with the reader's soul. The voice of the poet, the voice of the artist's soul, meets the "melody of the masses," rising to become a common song, a shared resonance. To Huu's political lyricism, blended with the lyrical voice of civic responsibility, helps explain why his poetry is able to convey socio-political content into the sweet and tender voice of civic responsibility. In "Hail to the Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu," various segments of the population participated in this momentous historical event. Therefore, the collective heroic spirit within the vast ranks of the people is the inexhaustible inspiration for To Huu's poetry, a prominent characteristic of the epic tendency in the poem.

LE XUAN SOAN

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