Quang Binh, O My Homeland (Quảng Bình Quê Ta Ơi)

Annotation — North Vietnamese Songs

Released on the Dihavina record label (# 6601), originally the state label of North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) before reunification in 1975. The opening song "Quảng Bình quê ta oi!" ("Quang Binh, O My Homeland!") praised the soldiers, both men & women, fighting the war: "militia sister guarding the coast... soldier guarding the sky", as well as the "mothers" who prepare the "rice to feed the army". In the chorus, the narrator looks forward to returning to their home: "We will return...on the day of victory". It also notes "the seeds of revolution" and refers to the conflict as "the resistance war". Note: Google translate used.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: If anyone asks why our homeland has so many new tiled roofs / Tell them that we tasted bitterness, and that is why we now have sweetness / If anyone asks why our homeland's rice fields flourish / Do you remember the dark, wretched days of the past? / Quảng Bình (khoan khoan hò khoan), so dearly loved (khoan khoan hò khoan) / Ten years have passed, and our homeland has changed so much (khoan khoan hò khoan) / From the blue sea (khoan khoan hò khoan) to the green mountains and forests (khoan khoan hò khoan) / Lush in all four seasons, ringing with the hò khoan songs of Lệ Thủy on the Kiến Giang River, overflowing with love for our native land / Oh, militiawoman standing guard by the coast / Oh, soldier keeping watch over the sky / With each passing day our homeland matures; the seeds of revolution have sprouted, sprouted fresh and green Oh, Quảng Bình, our homeland! / Let us safeguard the land and sky of our homeland / Let us safeguard all that we hold dear / Oh, Quảng Bình, our homeland! / Millions as one, we send our steadfast, loyal hearts to Trị Thiên / Awaiting the day of victory, when we shall return to one family Whoever comes to Đại Phong, please stop by the Tiến wharf area / The hands that wielded hoes to reclaim the wilderness have driven back our impoverished past / Whoever comes to Quảng Phú will gladly hear the songs of those hauling in the nets / A cooperative sharing the same sky and sea, with holds full of fresh fish / How glorious (khoan khoan hò…

Notes

Dihavina 6601 (CK 1), "Đĩa Hát Việt Nam", 45; label: "Quang Binh, O My Homeland!", solo mezzo-soprano Kim Oanh with the "Voice of Vietnam"'s vocal group and folk instruments orchestra. The picture sleeve front, titled "Quang Binh o my homeland!" and "Quảng Bình quê ta ơi!", shows a drawing, signed L. T. Đức, of a young woman with a rifle slung on her back carrying a fishing net, with nets hung to dry on a beach behind her. The back lists the three songs: 1. "Quang Binh, O My Homeland!" (Quang Binh quê ta oi!), 2. "Ready for Fighting" (San sang chiên dâu), 3. A "Bumper Crop" of Victories (Vui mua chiên thang); distributors Xunhasaba, 32 Hai Bà Trưng, Hanoi, D.R. Vietnam. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Kim Oanh (NSƯT Kim Oanh, born 1933 in Hanoi) was a Vietnamese singer of the first generation of soloists attached to the music ensemble of the Voice of Vietnam (Đài Tiếng nói Việt Nam), the state broadcaster of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and later headed its vocal group; she premiered a number of celebrated wartime compositions before retiring from performance. "Quảng Bình quê ta ơi" was written in 1964 by the composer Hoàng Vân (real name Lê Văn Ngọ, 1930-2018) after a work assignment in the province, and celebrates the endurance of Quảng Bình under bombing; Kim Oanh was its first…

Themes

Vietnamese Perspective · Vietnamese Patriotic · Women Fighters

In collections

North Vietnamese Songs