HÀ NỘI — People can watch two valuable documentaries on television soon – one on the last days of the America War in Việt Nam in 1975, and the other on late president Hồ Chí Minh.

On April 30, on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of southern Việt Nam and national reunification, Việt Nam - 30 Days in Sài Gòn will be aired on Việt Nam Television. Hồ Chí Minh in the Country of Lenin, a documentary on Hồ Chí Minh’s activities in the early days after the establishment of the nation, will be screened in May.

The 66-minute colour movie, Việt Nam – 30 Days in Sài Gòn, directed and produced by Jean-Pierre Moscardo in 1975, records the last days of the war – the battle on April 27 and 28, 1975, images of people fleeing – and Sài Gòn in the first few days under the leadership of South Việt Nam’s interim government.

The black-and-white 30-minute movie, Hồ Chí Minh in the Country of Lenin, produced by the Central Studio for Documentary Film of Russia in 1975, focuses on Hồ Chí Minh’s activities for establishing the communist country of Việt Nam and for developing friendly relations between Việt Nam and the former Soviet Union. The documentary shows the late president in diplomatic meetings with Russians and his speech on the 40th anniversary of Russia’s 1957 October Revolution.

While the original Việt Nam – 30 Days in Sài Gòn documentary is preserved in France’s National Institute of Film, the other one is with Russia’s National Film Archive Institute.

“These are lively, authentic films made by foreign producers about Việt Nam and have not been shown [in the country] before,” Nguyễn Thị Hà, director of Science-Technology and Archives Centre, was quoted as saying to Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

“With these two movies, the young people who have not witnessed these significant historical events will have the chance to see them from a foreign perspective. The live, genuine images will help the audience visualise the context in South Việt Nam after reunification,” Hà said.

Việt Nam – 30 Days in Sài Gòn gives a comprehensive view of the events that took place on April 30, 1975, as well as activities of people from the south, accompanied by opinions based on the French viewpoint, said Hoàng Trường, deputy head of the Archives Department.

“After 1975, several films, documentaries, and journalistic photos were released by news agencies based in the south of Việt Nam, but they are under copyright. We haven’t had any film on the 1975 period by foreigners. This documentation [the two films] is precious. These films are like the memory of humankind in general, and Việt Nam in particular,” Trường said. — VNS