For a victorious spring

Exactly 50 years since the day of peace, the soldiers of the Arts and Propaganda Subcommittee of Zone 5 still remember the fierce years of war as a special mark that will never fade...

Artists of the Quang Nam Liberation Tuong Troupe - the predecessor of the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Troupe. Photo: archive

Exactly 50 years since the day of peace , the soldiers of the Arts and Propaganda Subcommittee of Zone 5 still remember the fierce years of war, as a special mark that will never fade...

Soldiers on the cultural front

In August 1964, at the base of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee located in Dong Linh village, Binh Phu commune, Thang Binh district, the Quang Nam Liberation Art Troupe was born.

Together with the Quang Da Liberation Art Troupe formed earlier in 1963, the troupe's activities met the cultural and artistic life needs of the people in the liberated areas; propagated and disseminated the policies of the National Liberation Front to promptly serve revolutionary tasks.

Director Tran Thanh Viet is one of the first generation actors of the Quang Nam Liberation Art Troupe.

He said that at that time, the troupe staged many types of opera, dance, song, scene, scene, comedy, folk song..., with the folk opera genre of Bai Choi as the main genre throughout the performances.

The content is concise, suitable for the war situation, and closely follows the reality of the harsh and fierce battlefield. The main plays that were often staged and performed at that time were: "The Flag", "Three Fathers and Sons", "The Cheo Deo Bird Drama Team", "A Human Life", "The Go Noi Mother", "The Quang Nam Daughter", "Return to the Old Village", "The Gun-Holding Mother"...

Director Tran Thanh Viet recalls: “I was very lucky to be the first person present on the day the troupe was founded, to witness the ups and downs, the great sacrifices and losses of my comrades. People thought that performing arts and literature was very easy, but the war was so fierce, we followed the troops to serve the soldiers and the people… and sacrificed a lot.

The Quang Da Art Troupe alone had 18 artists sacrificed, including Van Can and Phuong Thao… The Quang Nam Art Troupe had 20 comrades sacrificed. Many were arrested, imprisoned, and wounded. Until now, the image of the steadfastness and bravery of my comrades at that time is still vivid in my mind…”.

Melody from the heart

Making art during wartime is extremely difficult. Artists have to stay close to the troops, writing scripts and staging short programs while ensuring both practicality and artistic value to serve the war.

Not only that, due to the thin force, each person has to take on many tasks of performing activities while also participating in carrying and increasing production to serve life.

Director Tran Thanh Viet (right) recounts memories of performing on the battlefield. Photo: DANG TRUONG

In the memories of the artists of the Quang Nam Liberation Tuong Troupe - the predecessor of today's Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Troupe, the years of war are forever in their hearts. In the fierce and arduous wartime conditions, the troupe continued to perform for soldiers and people in all provinces of Zone 5 until the end of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

Meritorious Artist Phan Thi Lan Phuong - Quang Nam Liberation Tuong Troupe, recalls: “What I remember most is when I was on the bus to the South, the soldiers on their way to the North, seeing the girls, immediately shouted, the battlefield in Zone 5 was very fierce… The whole troupe shouted, we were not afraid, we were determined to go in”.

People's Artist Tran Dinh Sanh - former Director of Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theater, said: "The greatest wish at that time of our artists was to directly contribute our strength to the resistance war, for a victorious spring."

In the spring of 1972, from a school training actors and musicians to serve the battlefield in Hanoi, Thanh Hoa boy Nguyen Sy Chuc and his comrades put on their backpacks and went to Zone 5, the land of fire, to join the Central Central Liberation Drama Troupe.

That year, Nguyen Sy Chuc was just sixteen years old. The youthful heart with the desire to go to the front line at that time was like a calling fire, urging the young man from Thanh to overcome the challenges on the journey to the South to set foot on Quang Nam land for the first time.

The names of the lands and villages that he and his comrades passed through, such as Nuoc My, Nuoc Y, Nuoc Ngheu, Tranh River, Truong River, Ba Huynh, Ba Xa... and the place where the group settled in Tra No - Phuoc Tra, Hiep Duc district, all left indelible marks.

Nguyen Sy Chuc believes that the land of Quang Nam is both a test of the passionate hearts of youth and a setting to hone and fan the flame of passion for traditional art that has been burning since childhood.

He told about the last Tet of the war and the life-and-death moment when he crossed the Vu Gia River to go to Dai Loc B area to serve the people during the spring festival. It was the afternoon of the first day of Tet in 1975, when the whole group crossed the river, mortar shells from Thuong Duc were fired continuously. Luckily and thanks to the support of local brothers, the group crossed the river safely.

That night, people flocked to see the play “Thoai Khanh Chau Tuan”. When the play had just ended, from Thuong Duc, mortar shells were fired continuously, one hit right in the middle of the stage, where just a few minutes before, Nguyen Sy Chuc was standing conducting the orchestra… He said, those were moments that were deeply engraved in his heart, so that later, every time he encountered ups and downs in life, he would confidently move forward…

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/vi-mot-mua-xuan-toan-thang-3153739.html