Bring singing to fight the enemy
"From the age of 13 until now, I have done nothing but art," Meritorious Artist Le Thien shared. At the age of 13, the art troupe came to perform for the people of Central Vietnam, stationed near her house, Le Thien secretly watched here and there. ''Suddenly, the troupe needed a girl, so I was selected. At first, my family was very proud and honored that I was selected, but then my parents were worried because I was the only girl... My brothers tried their best to convince my parents. Finally, I was able to join the troupe," she said.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien.
At first, Le Thien simply thought that he would only be gone for 2 years and then return, but on the first night, he felt homesick. "There were 4 older brothers in the family, and I was the youngest daughter who was pampered. The family ate rice mixed with potatoes, but I always had a bowl of plain rice to eat. At home, I never slept far from my mother. Even if my mother lay on a hammock, I would spread a mat on the ground and lie next to her. One hand was hooked to the hammock, and I had to touch my mother to sleep."
From the age of 16, Le Thien studied ballet, then vocal music, drama, and reformed opera. But when the Southern Reformed Opera Troupe needed actors, Le Thien went deeper into reformed opera.
Unforgettable memories with Uncle Ho and leader Fidel Castro
One of the memories of Meritorious Artist Le Thien is the times she performed for Uncle Ho. Every time she performed at the Presidential Palace. "Uncle was very friendly so we cuddled into his arms to take pictures. After the performance, Uncle gave us a bowl of pho. At that time, a bowl of pho was as precious as a grand feast," she recalled.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien.
At first, Le Thien simply thought that he would only be gone for 2 years and then return, but on the first night, he felt homesick. "There were 4 older brothers in the family, and I was the youngest daughter who was pampered. The family ate rice mixed with potatoes, but I always had a bowl of plain rice to eat. At home, I never slept far from my mother. Even if my mother lay on a hammock, I would spread a mat on the ground and lie next to her. One hand was hooked to the hammock, and I had to touch my mother to sleep."
From the age of 16, Le Thien studied ballet, then vocal music, drama, and reformed opera. But when the Southern Reformed Opera Troupe needed actors, Le Thien went deeper into reformed opera.
Unforgettable memories with Uncle Ho and leader Fidel Castro
One of the memories of Meritorious Artist Le Thien is the times she performed for Uncle Ho. Every time she performed at the Presidential Palace. "Uncle was very friendly so we cuddled into his arms to take pictures. After the performance, Uncle gave us a bowl of pho. At that time, a bowl of pho was as precious as a grand feast," she recalled.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien (left cover) takes a photo with Uncle Ho and the delegation of Hanoi artists.
In the following years, Meritorious Artist Le Thien had the opportunity to perform abroad. The trip to Cuba and the meeting with leader Fidel Castro left a deep impression on her. Meritorious Artist Le Thien said: "After the performance, our purpose was to give him a conical hat - the hat of the liberation army. People jostled and climbed up to the window to see him because he was so tall. My co-performers and I tried to get closer to see how close we were to him."
With the enthusiasm and innocence of youth, the group of artists succeeded in giving Fidel Castro a conical hat.
Decades later, when leader Fidel Castro passed away, artist Le Thien went to the Cuban Consulate General to pay her respects. She brought with her a photo taken with Fidel Castro in 1967. "Until now, I will never forget the land of Cuba," she said.
Journey on Truong Son Road - between bombs and love
One of her most memorable experiences was the time she spent at Truong Son, especially after she had a daughter. The decision to leave her 2.5-year-old daughter in the care of friends and go to the battlefield in the South was a difficult but necessary one.
"I am a Southerner, who once wore the liberation army uniform to fight in foreign countries. Now, in this urgent period, I cannot help but go," she said.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien when he was young.
During her time in the North, she lived with the spirit of "not a pound of rice missing, not a soldier missing".
The journey on the Truong Son road was full of hardship and danger. The art troupes moved like real soldiers.
"We go like that to get to the performance venue around 3-4pm. The performance is very simple, no lights, no microphones, the equipment is all in the backpack. We can perform 3-4 times a day, I don't know where we get the strength to do that," she said.
During her breaks, she would worry and miss her little daughter at home. But the next morning, all worries were put aside and she continued on her journey.
One time, while standing near the edge of a trench singing the song “The Dressmaker’s Song ,” a bomb exploded and the force threw Le Thien into the trench. Luckily, she and her teammates were able to continue the performance. Le Thien realized that death was just around the corner.
After the troupe had been traveling for more than three months, across the plains of Laos, one day she suddenly heard the cry of a child. "At that moment, my heart felt like it was being crushed. At that moment, I missed my mother and thought of my little daughter. The day I left my family to pursue art, I could not imagine how much my mother would miss me and be sad...", she recounted.
National Reunification Day and Memories
On April 30, 1975, while in Hanoi and hearing the news of the liberation of the South on the radio, she burst into tears in the middle of Hue Street.
After the country was reunified, Le Thien returned to Saigon with the task of taking over and managing the Cai Luong stage and artists from the South. The Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Opera Theater was established, where she was both an actress and a troupe leader.
Image of Meritorious Artist Le Thien when he was young.
One of the most touching moments was the reunion with his mother after 21 years apart. Arriving at the old house at 9pm, Le Thien was led in by his fellow guerrillas. The whole family was skeptical, no one recognized each other after more than two decades. "My mother didn't know if I was still alive. She picked up my right hand, saw the scar and said: 'This is it, '" she said.
Le Thien’s mother forced her sisters-in-law to slaughter a pig as an offering because her daughter, who had left home at the age of 13, had returned alive. The joy of reunion was short-lived as she was only home for a few hours before having to return to Saigon because the troupe of more than 30 people had to prepare for a performance.
Looking back 50 years - love is still intact
From a 13-year-old girl following the art troupe to a singer amidst the bombs and bullets of Truong Son, Meritorious Artist Le Thien has lived fully with the teaching "artists are soldiers" that Uncle Ho taught. Looking back on his journey, at the age of 80, Meritorious Artist Le Thien still maintains his passion and health to participate in activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien at the parade rehearsal on the evening of April 25.
When she saw the rehearsals and preparations for the upcoming April 30th celebration, she said: "Just thinking about the moment after the parade ends, the soldiers go home, the people run after them singing, that scene is very memorable. These past few nights, I cried every night. I suddenly thought how can we make people emotional if it is not the love in the blood of today's young people?"
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ky-uc-ve-bac-ho-va-nuoc-mat-hanh-phuc-ngay-30-4-1975-cua-nsut-le-thien-2394477.html
Comment (0)