From left to right: Huy Khanh, Tran Kim Hai and Mi Le in the play "Sugar-coated bullet"
On the evening of July 4, the atmosphere of the 5th National Professional Art Theater Festival on "The Image of the People's Public Security Soldier" in 2025 attracted a large audience to watch and cheer for the play of the University of Theater and Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City - "Sugar-Coated Bullet" (author: Master of Theater Dai Dai Loc, director: Master - PhD student Mi Le, art advisor: Meritorious Artist Master Le Nguyen Dat.
Anti-corruption topic
Ho Chi Minh City stage once again became hot at the festival when participating in the play "The Sugar-Coated Bullet" - a powerful work on the topic of anti-corruption, led by the central character: Lieutenant Colonel Ha Vi (Mi Le's role), a woman who is uncompromisingly committed in the vortex of power, morality and sweet but deadly handshakes.
From left to right: Mi Le, Meritorious Artist Hoang Tung, Hien Nhi in the play "Sugar-coated bullet"
Without any need for fancy decoration, the play focuses directly on the fierce confrontation between Ha Vi and her close friend - a person who holds power over the resettlement plan of people in the suburbs of the city but is corrupted, accepting bribes from businesses to turn the resettlement area into luxury apartments, serving the interests of businesses, causing people to suffer. Through the tense dialogue drama, the audience is drawn into sharp debates, where numbers become evidence, and silence is the clearest form of confession.
Actor Huynh Thanh Khang plays the villain role extremely subtly, while Huy Khanh portrays the charisma of Minh Tri - a corrupt official.
"You didn't change this city, you only changed yourself. From a person who always talked about justice, now you compromise with deceit" - Ha Vi's line rang out like a knife tearing apart the moral coating covering the "seemingly successful" projects.
Not the typical villain
The special thing about the play is that it does not create a simple villain. The man – the subject of the interrogation – is not a typical "bad guy". He explains, justifies, and even feels pain. He admits his mistakes, holds out his hands and waits to be handcuffed – not because he realizes his mistakes, but because he knows he has lost everything: his ideals, his beliefs, and he has come to Ha Vi for her help.
Actor Tran Kim Hai - plays a police officer who loves the people and wholeheartedly cares for them against floods.
Behind this confrontation is a picture of a society with a strong sense of reality: where "the poor people by the river still have to suffer misery, not because they are incompetent, but because of people like Minh Tri (Huy Khanh's role)". This is no longer the story of an individual, but a painful warning about compromise in the so-called development in the period of renovation.
Lieutenant Colonel Ha Vi appears as the image of a warrior who not only enforces the law, but also represents the voice of conscience in a society where morality often has to be put behind " economic efficiency".
She is not an idealized character. She is hurt, she is conflicted, but she chooses not to compromise. The "sugar-coated bullet" does not call for anger. It calls for awareness. Because silence - the seductive sweetness - is the real "bullet."
From left to right: Meritorious Artist Le Nguyen Dat, People's Artist Le Tien Tho, People's Artist Le Chuc, director Mi Le and author - theater master Dai Dai Loc after the performance of the play "Sugar-coated bullet"
A sharp look at the temptation of power and the bravery of police officers
The 5th National Professional Theater Festival on the Image of Police Soldiers - 2025 has been marked by many quality works, in which the play "Sugar-Coated Bullet" stands out as an emotional and topical case, creating a deep resonance about public ethics, professional courage and the fragile lines between right and wrong in today's social life.
The metaphor of the "sugar-coated bullet" is deeply deployed throughout the entire structure of the play. It is not only an image of the temptation of power and material things, but also a painful message about current violations - when many officials, who come from the desire to contribute, have been caught up in the cycle of degeneration by invisible pressures and goals disguised as good ideals.
Le Minh Tri is a typical image: a young, enthusiastic cadre who wants to develop the locality but because of misconceptions, because he cannot overcome temptation - he has lost himself in the sweet shells of fame and mechanism.
Actors participating in the play "Sugar Coated Bullet"
The play also shows the silent but irreplaceable nature of the police officer in his journey to protect justice. There are always conflicts and life-and-death choices between morality, emotion and reason. The "sugar-coated bullet" is the price that society must pay for ignoring warnings, and is also a test for each law enforcement officer: whether they dare to shoot that bullet or not, and have enough courage to not be covered by it.
However, in her acting, Mi Le restrained her dramatic dialogue, from the office to when she returned home, met old friends, and called her husband who was working far away, she still spoke in a preachy manner. If only her dialogue had been more realistic and real, it would have created a better effect for the play.
The play is a representative work of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema - the cradle that trains many talented artists for theatre, cinema and television in the Southern region, demonstrating the efforts to teach towards standards in the curriculum and the approach to the public through a seriously invested play.
The play created a stage for the following artists: Huy Khanh (as Minh Tri), Me Le Ivai Ha Vi), Huynh Thanh Khang (as real estate tycoon Huynh Khang), Tran Kim Hai (as Minh), Meritorious Artist Hoang Tung (as grandfather), Hien Nhi (as Phuong)....
They created a play that delighted the capital's audience on the theme of honoring the role and responsibility of the people's police officers.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/huy-khanh-mi-le-tran-kim-hai-tao-dot-pha-voi-vien-dan-boc-duong-196250705070722301.htm
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