Forever resounding "The immortal epic"

Dien Bien soldiers attended the program and visited the graves of their comrades resting at A1 Martyrs Cemetery.

A thousand candles of gratitude

The program opened with the solemn ceremony of “Remembrance bell ringing, candle lighting in gratitude”. Leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, leaders of ministries, departments and localities performed the candle lighting ceremony to pay tribute to heroic martyrs at Hang Duong Cemetery and A1 Martyrs Cemetery.

At Hang Duong Cemetery, delegates of the Party, State and local leaders, together with 150 union members and youths, lit more than 3,000 candles on each grave to commemorate the heroic martyrs who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. More than 3,000 flickering candles illuminated each grave of heroic martyrs, revolutionary soldiers and patriots in 4 areas A, B, C, D of Hang Duong Cemetery to express infinite gratitude for the heroic sacrifice of previous generations.

In Dien Bien, hundreds of flickering candles were also lit by the young generation as a profound gratitude. And that is also a reminder for the young generation to cherish the value of independence and freedom, to be more determined to maintain and promote the revolutionary tradition of the nation, and to strive to build the country more and more civilized and prosperous. Pham Thi Bich Ngan, Thanh Nua High School, Dien Bien District shared: “I feel very honored and proud to participate in this program. Not only is it grand in organization, but it also has great meaning, speaking of the sacrifices of heroes and martyrs for the Fatherland. This is also an opportunity for us, the young generation, to have a deeper understanding, from there, to try to study to build the country, to repay the heroes and martyrs.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized: The war has long since ended, but to this day, there are still nearly 200,000 martyrs lying on the old battlefield, nearly 300,000 graves of martyrs whose names and hometowns have not been identified; millions of wounded and sick soldiers have lost a part of their flesh, health and youth. Hang Duong Cemetery and A1 Martyrs Cemetery are two of thousands of "red addresses" symbolizing the revolutionary heroism, patriotism and sacrifice of generations of fathers and brothers.

“From the top of Hill A1 to Con Dao - the sacred altar of the Fatherland, let us light candles and incense to commemorate and pay tribute to millions of heroes, martyrs and patriots who sacrificed for the glorious revolutionary cause. Vietnamese history and people will forever remember and be proud of the indomitable will of our ancestors and their “Immortal heroic epics” to regain peace, independence, freedom, prosperity and happiness for our people, our mountains and rivers, our country”.

The epic echoes forever

After the touching moment of the candle lighting ceremony, the art program "Immortal Epic" continued to bring the audience to colorful performances with a sense of gratitude, remembering the heroic martyrs, appreciating the value of independence and freedom and aspirations towards the future. The art performance was structured into 3 chapters, respectively with the names: "Vietnam of blood and flowers", "Immortal petals" and "Song of peace". What is special is that the program took place at 2 points of Dien Bien - Con Dao, with the interweaving and connection between the performances but very seamlessly, as if telling a sacred, emotional story for the audience watching live and on television...

If in the red land, the story of the girl and the pear-ki-ma flower has become a legend, then in the Northwest, the color of the Ban flower and the golden ripe rice remind us of a victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world" 69 years ago, and to make the victory, countless soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers were left here. And right next to the grave of Heroic Martyr Be Van Dan at the A1 Martyrs' Cemetery, his former comrades stood silently to one side to listen to the song "Be Van Dan lives forever". The melody and lyrics of the song, combined with the incense smoke and flickering candlelight on the grave of the national hero, brought many emotions to the audience...

The performances also reminded the audience that the motherland Vietnam was stained with the blood of its outstanding sons, ready to volunteer, ready to fight to the last breath to gain peace, independence and freedom. Those images were presented through the stories of Dien Bien soldiers and former prisoners of Con Dao from two locations. Most of those things many audiences had learned, heard and studied through history books. However, today they were presented realistically with "living witnesses" and memories of a glorious time... Once again, the audience watching the program could not hide their feelings of pride and emotion before the sacrifices of heroic martyrs, wounded soldiers and sick soldiers, and were even more grateful and appreciative of the value of independence and freedom today...

There were many other impressive performances such as the string ensemble Returning to Motherland performed by students of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Or in the closing part of the program, veterans at the Dien Bien bridge sang the medley Uncle Ho is marching with us - Stepping forward under the military flag with artists and actors from both bridges...

It must be affirmed that the art program "Immortal Heroic Song" held for the first time at Dien Bien is one of the meaningful activities towards the 76th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, to pay tribute to the great contributions of generations of fathers and brothers. And the echoes from "Immortal Heroic Song" about the heroes of Vietnam will continue to resonate forever, adding motivation for today's young generation to build their homeland and country with a spirit of pride in the past, looking towards the future...

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