New TV series honours young hero volunteers

Gather for the cause: A scene from Huyen Thoai 1C (The Legend of Soldiers), a 22-part TV series on the life of members of the Youth Volunteer Force, being screened every evening on HCM City Television. — File Photo

HCM CITY (VNS)— The first episode of a television series on the life of members of the Youth Volunteer Force (YVF), which played an important role in the Anti-American War, was screened yesterday on HCM City Television.

The 22-part series, Huyen Thoai 1C (The Legend of Soldiers), is based on a screenplay by Doan Minh Tuan and Anh Dong, the latter a former member of the YVF.

The series' director, People's Artist Nguyen Thanh Van, and his staff spent two years on making the film, which was funded by the culture ministry.

The film tells the story of young soldiers who volunteered to work on the 1C line crossing the southwest region, a fierce battlefield between 1967 and 1975. 1C is known as the "Heroic Route" where more than 800 members of the YVF faced daunting challenges in facilitating the transfer of thousands of soldiers, wounded soldiers, and army officers from the North to South and vice versa.

More than 13,000 tonnes of weapons and several thousands tonnes of drugs and foods were also transported during the period.

The members of the force joined over 200 battles.

"Through the film, we wanted to highlight the Young Volunteer Force and the remarkable spirit shown by members in contributing to the country's freedom," Van said.

"We want to help young audiences understand the spirit and revolutionary cause of the force in Vietnamese history," he added.

After selecting the actors for all the roles, Van and his crew spent months filming in Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Kien Giang, An Giang, Can Tho and Can Gio, a rural district in HCM City.

Produced by the private studio Tay Nam Film, Huyen Thoai 1C is aired every day at 5.30pm on HTV9. — VNS