The Song of Ben Tre

Annotation — North Vietnamese Songs

Also of particular interest is the final song "Tiềng hát Bển Tre" ("The Song of Ben Tre") about the Battle of Bến Tre which took place during the Tet Offensive, when Vietcong forces attacked Bến Tre, the capital of Kien Hoa Province. US forces killed 328 VC soldiers - civilian casualties were over 500, over 5,000 homes destroyed, and over 30,000 refugees as a result of the battle.2 Sources2Wikipedia: Battle of Bến Tre↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

Dihavina 7202 (sleeve "7202 - 33/30"), 33 rpm, olive-green labels; "Songs presented by the South Viet Nam Liberation Radio"; distributor Xunhasaba, 32 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi, D.R. Viet Nam. Side I: "Sai Gon on the March" (Sài Gòn tiến quân; Nguyễn Đồng Nai; Male Vocal Group and Orchestra of South Viet Nam Liberation Radio, conductor Hoàng Bội Phương), "To Our Brothers, the Gunners" (Gửi anh chiến sĩ pháo binh; Trí Thanh; Female Vocal Group and Orchestra), "Song of the Border-Area Fighters" (Tiếng hát của người chiến sĩ hành lang; Nam Hồng; solo Ngọc Ánh, conductor Lê Hồ Luân), "We, the Militiawomen of Sai Gon" (Em là nữ tự vệ Sài Gòn; music Phạm Minh Tuấn, words from a poem of Lê Anh Xuân; solo Mỹ An, conductor Hoàng Bội Phương), "Song for the Fighters on Highway 9" (Bài ca gửi ra Đường 9; Huy Quang; Choir and Orchestra, conductor Lê Hồ Luân), "Hail the Heroic Fighters on Highway 9"…

About the artist

Performing ensemble credited on North Vietnamese / NLF revolutionary-song recordings of the Vietnam War era; individual members uncredited.

Themes

Vietnamese Perspective · Vietnamese Patriotic

In collections

North Vietnamese Songs