Bangladeshi artists will perform the Bengali version of the play Legend of Youth, recently staged by Hanoi-based director Le Quy Duong in collaboration with the Vietnamese Women's Museum and premiered in Hanoi on Vietnamese Women's Day, October 20.

It's the story of 10 female martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Dong Loc Junction in the central province of Ha Tinh in 1968 to protect the transportation route to the southern front during the national resistance war against the US Army.

The work is dedicated to ten young men who gave their lives to victory at the Dong Loc crossing. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The play has been highly appreciated by experts and audiences, especially the young generation, helping them to better understand the past contributions and sacrifices of Vietnamese youth for the sake of national reunification.

It is also a play that has tried many new experiments in staging, close to the development trend of world theater, where the audience can interact and be embedded in the war space re-enacted on stage.

Touched and admired by young Vietnamese volunteers who sacrificed their lives for independence, freedom and unification of the country during the war, the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka decided to stage the play in Bengali version.

According to Professor Israfeel Shaheen, Head of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka, he was very moved when he read the script of Legend of Youth, which was translated into English by The Hanoi Times reporter Do Minh Thu.

The play is rehearsed by Bangladeshi artists. Photo courtesy of director Le Quy Duong

Israfeel Shaheen said that he and his colleagues and the actors were overwhelmed with emotion when they read Le Quy Duong's screenplay about the young generation of Vietnam during the war and how the Vietnamese people won it to reunify the country. That's why he decided to translate it into Bengali.

He wants to share the message of the play "Live a Worthy Life" and spread the aspiration for peace, independence, freedom and human values to the young generation of Bangladesh.

According to Israfeel Shaheen, in the context of a volatile world with conflicts and wars, the story of the 10 young women who fell at Dong Loc Junction helps today's generation to appreciate peace and human values and calls for an end to wars and conflicts worldwide.

"More importantly, this legend is a true story about real people from Vietnam. They volunteered to fight for their homeland and for peace in their country, helping the Bangladeshi public learn about the people and life in Vietnam and understand why they defeated a powerful force like the Americans," he said.

Israfeel Shaheen said the play Legend of Youth is also a lesson for Bangladeshi playwrights, directors, and artists on how to create characters, develop plots, deal with related themes and new staging styles.

The play will premiere early next year in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Audiences in Hanoi can enjoy the play on Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street.