“I stood in stunned silence within the cells of Pleiku Prison and Buon Ma Thuot Exile Prison, and before the more than 3,600 marked graves, alongside those yet unidentified, at Gia Lai Provincial Martyrs’ Cemetery”, shared Meritorious Artist Phi Yen, former member of the Liberation Art Troupe, her voice filled with emotion amidst the magnificence of the Central Highlands today.
“Every inch of this land, every tree root, every blade of grass, seems imbued with the spirits of countless martyrs. My own parents perished in the war, and my mother endured the torment of imprisonment. My personal sorrow, intertwined with the collective history of arduous yet indomitable struggle by our historical heroes, moved me to tears.”
Meritorious Artist Phi Yen
She added, “Only by physically visiting these sites, by truly touching these memories, can one gain a comprehensive understanding of war’s profound harshness and the enduring significance of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.”
“Every clod of earth sings an ancestral song
Embracing fallen forms, soaked in blood, saturated with sorrow
Countless souls sacrificed for you, dear homeland
Forging an epic of national defense…”
Upon reaching this land, once a maelstrom of bombs and bullets, a veritable “death zone”, writer Nguyen Thu Ha was moved to pen these evocative verses.
She confided that standing within the prisons originally constructed by French colonialists and later expanded by the Americans, the brutality of the past enemy became terrifyingly clear, evoking both deep sorrow and profound admiration for the resilience of the communist soldiers.
“The vast cemeteries, the prisons scattered across the Central Highlands, continue to narrate the sagas of immense sacrifice, of blood and bone offered for the liberation…”, the writer expressed, her voice thick with emotion.
According to Deputy Head Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diem of the Science-Education, Culture, and Arts Office of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission under the HCMC Party Committee, this “journey back to the origin” provided an invaluable opportunity for the city’s artists and writers to connect deeply with the exemplary heroism, indomitable spirit, and immense sacrifices of their forebears.
“We firmly believe that by internalizing the historical lessons embedded in every feature of this land, in its people, in every blade of grass and tree branch across the majestic Central Highlands, today’s artists will be endowed with richer material and deeper emotional currents to continue creating and performing works of high artistic and historical value, reflecting our revolutionary traditions”, Deputy Head Ngoc Diem emphasized.
Walking the timeworn trails of the Ta Thiet Special National Historical Site (Ta Thiet Base), sculptor Tran Dinh Thang, a member of the HCMC Fine Arts Association, was visibly moved. He felt that every space and every artifact vividly re-enacted aspects of the arduous yet extraordinarily heroic life and struggle of those bygone years.
Prior to this heritage tour, Thang had been awarded second prize in the “Campaign for Composing, Staging, and Promoting Literary and Artistic Works” commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. His recognized work was a monumental sculpture titled “Peace”, itself inspired by this profound wellspring of gratitude and national pride.
People's Artist My Uyen, Director of San Khau Nho (5B Stage) Drama Theater, shared the deep sense of gratitude that welled within her during the trip. She observed that the Central Highlands not only bears the indelible marks of a pivotal historical era and served as a crucial gateway protecting the South, but has now also evolved into a vital center for instilling patriotism and gratitude in succeeding generations.
Following the success of the play “Comrade”, produced by her theater in 2024, Director My Uyen is diligently seeking new creative material to continue conveying potent messages of national pride and patriotism. For her, this journey to the Central Highlands held immense significance, helping to ignite the creative spark within herself and her younger colleagues.
The enduring sun and winds of the Central Highlands sweep over historic roads, where narratives from “red addresses” – sacred revolutionary sites – are now integral to traditional culture, linking past battlefields to contemporary HCMC. This journey offered artists a unique chance to touch history, connecting the past’s profound depths with their vibrant creativity to continue composing heroic epics through music, theater, cinema, painting, and poetry.
Organized by the HCMC Party Committee’s Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, the late May “Following the Footsteps of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising” tour visited the provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Binh Phuoc. The delegation included 108 outstanding HCMC artists spanning multiple generations.
