Hoa Binh Cinema: The Golden Age

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - Hoa Binh Cinema, Duy Tan Street is a familiar place to the people of Quang Ngai town (now Quang Ngai City), especially those who love cinema during the period 1975-1985. But then, from now on, this name will become a thing of the past...

A time of prosperity

Previously, Hoa Binh Cinema was called Kien Thanh Cinema, invested and built by Mr. Huynh Van in 1950. Mr. Tran Van Phu (72 years old), living on Le Dinh Can Street ( Quang Ngai City), is a relative of Mr. Huynh Van's family, said that in 1965, his parents rented a house near the cinema to sell water. At that time, the cinema was always crowded, the busiest on Saturdays and Sundays. Besides showing movies, the cinema also had cai luong troupes, big music concerts, and even boxing matches.

Hoa Binh Cinema on Duy Tan Street (Quang Ngai City) has been degraded and closed recently. Photo: Bao Hoa

At that time, Mr. Huynh Van's family had an ice cream factory on Ngo Quyen Street, so the economy was quite good. There was a period when Kien Thanh Cinema was packed with viewers, Mr. Huynh Van invested in building My Van Cinema on Nguyen Nghiem Street (later named May 1 Cinema) and another mini cinema on Tran Hung Dao Street. In 1979, Mr. Huynh Van's family went abroad, and the cinema was handed over to the State for management. "At that time, there was no television, and entertainment was very rare. Many people from all over crowded into the cinema to watch movies. Every movie was crowded, the most memorable is the movie "Thang Bom" shown in 1988, 1989. In particular, the cinema showed many films about love for the country, very touching, many viewers were moved to tears," Mr. Phu recalled.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan (89 years old), who lives opposite Hoa Binh Cinema, said that in the past, on Saturdays and Sundays, people from all over rode their bicycles to watch movies from morning to night. They lined up from the cinema door to this side of the street, right in front of my house. I have 5 children, and at that time, I worked as an ice cream and dessert seller... The dessert and ice cream shop was so crowded that I estimated that I could support up to 10 children. Back then, this area was very busy.

Unforgettable memories

For many people, watching movies at Hoa Binh Cinema is one of the most memorable memories of their childhood. "When I was a child, every summer, my greatest joy was to go fishing and watch movies. In 1986, I learned about Hoa Binh Cinema. I loved going to the cinema to watch movies, but I didn't have money to buy tickets. I just stood outside the cinema waiting, until my legs were tired, then I sat down right in front of the door. The ticket inspectors took pity on me and let me in. Even though I only saw half of the movie, I was very happy and will always remember it," said Mr. Huynh Huu Thanh (48 years old), in Group 2, Nguyen Nghiem Ward (Quang Ngai City).

Mr. Thanh still remembers watching many famous Vietnamese films such as Saigon Special Forces, Flip Cards, Floating Season... “Vietnamese films at that time were very good, both the content and the cast were impressive. I felt proud when I watched them, and after watching them, I went home and told my family about them. Sometimes, at the cinema, there was a week of free historical films for the public. There was a period when the cinema was showing Journey to the West, and every episode was crowded with people,” Mr. Thanh recalled.

Ms. Vo Thi Lieu (68 years old), in group 1, Tran Hung Dao ward (Quang Ngai city) used to be an employee at Hoa Binh cinema. Memories of the cinema always remain in her. Ms. Lieu recounted that the golden age of the cinema was after the liberation, when the State took over the cinema, especially in the period of 1975 - 1985. At that time, domestically produced films were very popular, attracting customers to Hoa Binh cinema. Not only contributing to the propaganda mission and the people's need to enjoy movies, the cinema also contributed to the state budget. Previously, Quang Ngai town (now Quang Ngai city) and districts all had mobile cinema teams, but Hoa Binh cinema was known to many people because it was located in the central area and was established the earliest. Day and night, crowds of people jostle to see films such as Chi Tu Hau, Rung Xa Nu... Films with scenes filmed in Quang Ngai such as Mua Rau Muong Bien, Huyen Thoai Me and films starring actors from Quang Ngai are loved by many people.

Later, rental discs became popular; audio-visual equipment and televisions became popular, and many people rented discs to watch with their families. Over time, market demand and viewer tastes changed as electronic devices became more and more popular, and cinemas gradually lost customers. Hoa Binh Cinema had been closed for many years. Recently, Hoa Binh Cinema was successfully auctioned for 33 billion VND, with a 49-year lifespan.

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