The documentary Half a Century, One Dream is a rendezvous with leading intellectuals and renowned artists of their time. They are the children of famed Southern artists who moved North. The film dedicates space to recounting the lives of their fathers, the artists from Southern drama and cai luong troupes, and other relocated art units such as director Nguyen Ngoc Bach, through the reflections of Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau; director Bich Lam, recalled by his daughter, artist Xuan Huong; Professor and musician Quang Hai, remembered by his daughter, conductor Hoang Diep; composer Hoang Viet and his sons; and directors Le Chi Dung and Lam Le Dung (also known as Le Trung Phung)...
The film features valuable archival footage of these veteran artists during their years of prolific activity.
The narrator of the documentary is director Truong Long, who is also the son of People's Artist Can Truong, a member of this pioneering generation of artists.
The daughter of Meritorious Artist Nguyen Ngoc Bach shares her parents’ heartfelt longing for the South.
Teacher Nguyen Ngoc Bach belonged to the first generation of revolutionary artists who joined the anti-French resistance from 1945 to 1954. He helped found art troupes that performed in support of the resistance in South Vietnam. After the 1954 Geneva Accords, he and his family relocated to the North. Initially thought to last only two years, the journey unexpectedly extended to over two decades, with an ever-present yearning for home.
Knowing that their return would not come soon, the Southern artists regrouped, recruited new members from military and civilian units, and passed on their skills. This gave rise to the Southern cải lương and spoken drama troupes, , which produced numerous stage works such as The Island of Venus, Truong Dinh, People on the Outskirts, and culminated in The Kremlin Clock, which featured the first portrayal of Lenin on a Vietnamese stage.
Conductor and Meritorious Artist Hoang Diep learned much from her father, both musically and morally.
Throughout his career, Professor and People's Artist Quang Hai conducted hundreds of symphony and opera performances. He was also the only Vietnamese to conduct the Russian State Honored Artist Orchestra. After reunification, he served as Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music for over 20 years. His legacy includes two operas, one ballet, dozens of symphonic works, and an entire generation of Southern classical musicians — a legacy now carried on by his daughter, Meritorious Artist Hoang Diep, not only through her musical talent but also through her commitment to preserving that tradition.
Artist Xuan Huong recalls fond memories of her father.
Few know that comedian Xuan Huong, beloved for her sharp and witty performances in Youth Laughs and Lives, Those Who Love to Joke, and other shows, had an incomplete childhood due to her father’s prolonged absence. Her father, director Bich Lam, was once an officer of the National Defense Army, a journalist, and later a leader of the Department of Performing Arts.
But the pain was not felt alone by those who stayed behind . Those who left also carried a lingering homesickness that gave rise to the phrase “North by day, South by night”, now etched into history. Though they lived peacefully in the Northern rear, their dreams of home remained vivid. They went about their daily lives in the North, but each night was filled with yearning.
The son of composer Hoang Viet recalls memories of his famous father.
Both natives of Tien Giang Province, composers Quang Hai and Hoang Viet, went North and studied abroad. However, unlike Quang Hai, who started a family in the North with fellow artist Hoang Khanh, Hoang Viet's wife and three sons remained in the South, awaiting his return.
Fifty years have passed, and the next generation has grown upto carry on the dreams of their forebears. Upholding the legacy of integrity and artistic tradition established by the Hoang Viet–Le Chi Truc family is no small feat. Yet director Le Dung, Lam Le Dung, writer Le Huu Dung, and daughter Thanh Binh, along with Hoang Viet’s grandchildren, have carried the torch forward. This sacred and simple wish of those who once sacrificed everything has quietly become a reality.
