Symbol of victory

“

The tank in the Independence Palace

The tank in the Independence Palace
The grass has grown green between the old tracks
The tank crashed into the gate of the Independence Palace.
The city named after Him is shining with star-spangled flags

The tank in the Independence Palace
The barrel of the cannon no longer has any smoke of gunpowder flying.
Old comrades, who is still alive, who is gone?
Forty years later I come to this place again…

I suddenly met the little brothers
Run around the tank turret
(The war is as far away as it ever was.
Saigon noon sun suddenly lingers…).

The tank in the Independence Palace
No more red earth color of the old battlefield
The steel plate remains the same color as the steel.
Become a witness to history now.
NGUYEN NGOC PHU

The victory of April 30, 1975 has become a brilliant milestone in the history of our nation's resistance against foreign invaders, a vivid manifestation of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism. That great victory has become an endless source of inspiration for countless writers and poets to continue the flow of proud and joyful emotions mixed with sacred and touching memories. Author Nguyen Ngoc Phu (former Editor-in-Chief of Hong Linh Magazine, Ha Tinh Province Literature and Arts Association, member of the Vietnam Writers Association) composed the poem "The Tank in the Independence Palace" to recreate a major event and express his thoughts and feelings for a relic of that heroic war.

The poem has 4 stanzas, concise, condensed with emotions, both like a diary recording a historical event that has faded into the past, and reminding the present and future generations to remember and be proud of the miracles of their ancestors. The poem opens with the image of a tank in the present Independence Palace:"The tank in the Independence Palace/The grass has grown green between the tracks of the past/The tank crashed into the gate of the Independence Palace/The city named after Him is bright with star-spangled flags.

At about 10:45 a.m. on April 30, 1975, tank 390 of Company 4, Battalion 1, Brigade 203 (Armored Corps) crashed through the main gate of the Independence Palace - the last stronghold of the Republic of Vietnam regime, creating a historic moment marking the collapse of the Saigon puppet regime, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country. This was the inevitable result and victory of the resistance war against the US, saving the country of our army and people. The simple, rustic narrative poem brings readers back to the historical moment, although it has been nearly half a century, despite "the grass has grown green between the tracks of the past", the color of memories will remain forever green. The joy of complete victory for us filled the city named after Him in the brilliant star-studded flag:"The tank in the Independence Palace/The barrel of the cannon no longer has any smoke of gunpowder flying/Old comrades, who is still alive, who is gone?Forty years later I came to this place again"…

Image“The tank in the Independence Palace”is repeated over and over again as an emphasis, impressing the reader with an important artifact of the war in the past. This is an artifact with profound propaganda and education significance in revolutionary traditions for all classes of people, and is authentic evidence marking the great victory of our army and people in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, in the historic General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975.

Image"The barrel of the cannon no longer has any smoke of gunpowder flying"is an implicit comparison, to convey a message about the value of peace and freedom. The war is no more, bombs and gunpowder are only a haunting memory for those who directly participated in the battle and were lucky enough to survive and return, to "forty years later" come to the Independence Palace to relive the old memories that seem like yesterday. The sadness and sorrow permeate every word when the author remembers his comrades and wonders:"Old comrades, who is still alive, who is gone?". The price of independence and freedom is measured by the blood of the people, first of all the blood of the soldiers who fought directly on the battlefield. Many tank soldiers are no longer in this world, but all of us and future generations will always remember the merits of the soldiers who fell to regain the peaceful and happy life like today.

"I suddenly met the little juniors/Running around the tank turret/The war is as far away as it ever was/Saigon noon sun suddenly lingers...

Pictures of the little brothers"running around the tank turret"is a symbol of the lucky generation born and raised in peacetime, innocent and carefree with the relics of the glorious war."The war is as far away as it ever was"But the traces of the war are still here. The tank in the Independence Palace reminds us of the victories and losses. The emotions of the old soldiers when visiting the old place cannot help but be nostalgic, nostalgic, and "hesitant".

In the last stanza of the poem, the image of the tank is mentioned again. Although"No more red soil of the old battlefield"But"The steel plate remains the same color as steel"The tank that contributed to that resounding victory has become a witness to history, a witness to the most memorable moment when the power of the liberation army, the power of justice created a legend.

With simple verses and unadorned language, the poem“The tank in the Independence Palace”by author Nguyen Ngoc Phu has revived the memories of the heroic battle. The poem reminds us of the words of historian Duong Trung Quoc: "We often attach importance to the preservation of historical relics, but let's attach importance to preserving memories. Let's preserve and cherish memories." The image of the tank in the poem - an artifact in the Independence Palace is forever a beautiful symbol of the historic victory of April 30, liberating the South and unifying the country.