Art program "Keeping the sea and sky of the homeland" towards the 60th anniversary of the first victory

"Protecting the homeland's sea and sky" tells stories that represent the intelligence, creativity and heroic spirit of our army and people in the first victory 60 years ago.

"Keep the land and sky of our homeland/ Keep what we love" - these lyrics were composed by musician Hoang Van when he was present at the Quang Binh fire line in the historic days of August 1964. A poem about martyr Dong Quoc Binh who sacrificed himself 60 years ago also shares the same spirit of keeping the sea and sky: "At 19 years old, I sacrificed myself for the country/ My childhood yearned day and night/ To be a wave under the hull of the Fatherland's ship/ To be a soldier standing guard day and night/ To keep the sky and sea of my homeland safe".

Based on the determination to protect the land, the sky, and the sea of that day, the production team of the Entertainment Program Production Department, Vietnam Television Station, chose the theme "Protecting the sea and sky of the homeland" for the program commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory of the first battle of the army and people of the North in fighting against the destructive war to protect the Socialist North (August 2 and 5, 1964 - August 2 and 5, 2024). The program will tell stories typical of the intelligence, creativity and heroic spirit of our army and people, including the glorious victory of the navy, air defense troops, and militia and self-defense forces 60 years ago. This is also an activity to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024).

Heroic stories

To find material for the program, the crew went to many locations such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh , Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City,... to meet veterans and historical witnesses. 60 years have passed, but the battle is still vivid in the memories of many witnesses.

That was the moment when facing life and death, the captain of the Torpedo Boat T333 - Nguyen Xuan Bot bravely sped up, trying to drive the destroyer Maddox out of the Northern sea on August 2, 1964. Or the unparalleled fighting spirit of gunner Pham Van Nam (gunner No. 1, Company 141, Battalion 217, Air Defense - Air Force), who pulled the trigger of the 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun, contributing to shooting down an enemy plane at Hon Gai, Quang Ninh .

Along with that is the story of female militiamen who sacrificed themselves, rushed into danger to fight, supply ammunition, and treat soldiers. We can mention the examples of Mrs. To Thi Dao, Hoang Thi Khuyen, Vu Thi Tinh (Thanh Hoa province). The love of Mrs. Vu Thi Tinh and the heroic captain Le Van Tieu of the battle on August 5, 1964 blossomed in that situation.

One of the highlights of the program is the objective analysis from the US historians themselves when decoding secret documents about the "Gulf of Tonkin Incident". VTV crew made rare footage at the Turner Joy Museum, Bremerton city, Washington state and exclusively interviewed the historian of the US National Security Agency (NSA) Robert.J.Hanyok, author of the shocking work "Skunks, monsters, silent hounds, flying fish: The Mystery of the Gulf of Tonkin 2-4/8/1964".

Epic art performances

Music is also a highlight, connecting the stories told in the program. The songs performed were all written by the musician from the burning emotions of the historic days of 1964, including: Stick to the homeland sea (Pham Tuyen), The enemy came to our house to fight. (Do Nhuan)... Many performances are staged in an epic style, helping the audience understand more about the fierce battles of the past.

The program will have the participation of artists such as Le Anh Dung, Hoang Viet Danh, Duong Tran Nghia, Hong Duyen, Phuong Anh, Le Viet Anh, Khuc Xuan Duc, Cellist Le Thi Nga.

The program "Preserving the sea and sky of the homeland" is produced by Vietnam Television in collaboration with the Navy and the Air Defense - Air Force, broadcast live at 8:10 p.m. on August 3, 2024 on VTV1 channel. We invite you to watch!

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