“Guiding Star” Live Broadcast Marks 79th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day

Produced by VTV’s Department of Culture and Entertainment, the program will be broadcast live from Hanoi, Tuyen Quang, Quang Tri, and Ho Chi Minh City. More than a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation, the program honors the people who continue the mission of bringing fallen soldiers home.  These honorees include bomb and mine clearance teams, units searching for and recovering martyrs' remains, officers collecting DNA samples from relatives, scientists developing the national DNA database, residents preserving wartime memories, and countless families who have never given up hope of finding their loved ones.

According to the production team, the title Guiding Star honors a line from   Vu Cao's  poem Nui Doi: “He joined the army with a star upon his cap / Forever that bright star lights the way”. Each fallen soldier is remembered as a star in the sky. Some have been identified, while others remain lost  in forests, beneath the earth, at sea, or on former battlefields. Whether their names are known or not, their sacrifice continues to illuminate the nation's path forward.

Stage design at the Bac Son Monument live broadcast in Hanoi.

The program also reflects the nationwide “500-Day Campaign to Search for, Recover, and Identify the Remains of Fallen Soldiers”. This initiative has mobilized agencies and communities nationwide in a race against time. With each passing year,  the number of  surviving  eyewitnesses dwindles,  closing  the window of    opportunity to return names to service members.

Through moving personal stories, Guiding Star portrays the ongoing effort to restore the identities of those who never returned home, allowing them to reunite with their families and hometowns after decades of separation. The program highlights that remembrance is  about more than just honoring the past; it is also  about fulfilling a shared responsibility for present and future generations.

Each of the four broadcast locations carries its own historical significance. In Tuyen Quang, the program will originate at the Thanh Thuy Martyrs Memorial, a site associated with fierce border conflicts and the ongoing work of search-and-recovery teams.

Stage design at the Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemetery live broadcast in Quang Tri Province.

In Quang Tri, one of Vietnam’s most symbolic wartime provinces, the broadcast will take place at the Road 9 National Martyrs Cemetery, where tens of thousands of fallen soldiers are laid to rest.

The Hanoi segment will be staged at the Bac Son Monument, a national memorial honoring those who gave their lives for Vietnam's independence. The capital also represents the country's commitment to remembrance through national policies and initiatives, including the “500-Day Campaign”.

Stage design at the Thanh Thuy Martyrs’ Memorial House live broadcast location in Tuyen Quang Province.

Stage design at the Le Thi Rieng Park live broadcast location in Ho Chi Minh City.

In  Ho Chi Minh City, the broadcast   will take place in Le Thi Rieng Park, where a mass grave containing soldiers who died during the 1968 Tet Offensive was discovered. The site serves as a reminder that the effort to recover names, identities, and memories continues to this day.

Seventy-nine years after the first War Invalids and Martyrs Day, Vietnam’s journey of remembrance remains ongoing. Through stories of sacrifice, perseverance, and reunion, Guiding Star pays tribute to generations who fought for the nation's independence while honoring those who continue working quietly to bring the fallen home.

Guiding Star is scheduled to air live on VTV1 on July 26.