People's Artist, Colonel from Nghe An, 3 times general director of major state events

Imprints of three great festivals

From the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (A70), to the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South (A50), and now the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2 (A80), the name People's Artist Thu Ha has always been associated with the role of general director of the ceremonial vehicles and the staging of artistic formations.

At each grand festival, she always seeks to innovate: from designing props for each car, to choreographing each parade movement to make it beautiful, harmonious, and contain a profound message.

At A80, the image of the National Emblem car with 108 people (54 men, 54 women) was designed by her as a symbol of national unity. The car carrying the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh has 80 young people holding lotus flowers - a flower symbolizing a pure heart, gratitude to Uncle Ho. The model car of the 80th anniversary of National Day gathers the workers - farmers - soldiers, intellectuals, students - students, soldiers, police, militia and representatives of ethnic groups from the North - Central - South, singing together the aspiration for the country to rise. "The footsteps of the soldiers walk proudly like the way our ancestors moved forward without faltering", she emotionally shared.

During the training days for A80, Hanoi continuously experienced heavy rain and intense heat up to 42 degrees Celsius. However, in the midst of torrential rain or intense heat, the female colonel was still present on the training ground, shouting and encouraging hundreds of soldiers, trainees and students. Her familiar saying to everyone: "Heavy rain is considered a small rain, small rain is not rain""has become the motivation for the whole team to overcome the challenge. According to her, for the young people, participating in the parade on the great day is not only an honor, but also a mark of maturity, a way for them to continue writing the heroic history with their solemn footsteps under the national flag. "Patriotism is not something far away. That is when you proudly stand up straight, walk beautifully, in harmony with your teammates, under the bright red flag with yellow star", she said.

Not only is she the general director, People's Artist Thu Ha is also the one who inspires patriotism in the younger generation. She asserts that today's youth have many ways to express their patriotism: participating in commemorative activities, creating content to spread national pride on social networks, or simply keeping each step in the parade formation.

Across platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram... images of the national flag, parades, and military parades are being spread by young people. According to her, this is not only a continuation of tradition, but also a way for the new generation to shape their patriotic identity: sincere, proactive, and creative.

The pride of an artist - soldier

Born in Hanoi, Thu Ha's hometown is Dien Cat commune, old Dien Chau district, now Minh Chau commune, Nghe An province. Born into a revolutionary family with grandfather Nguyen Tat Thang, a party member from 1930 to 1931. Since childhood, Thu Ha was educated to strive to contribute to the military environment, serve the Party, serve the People...

Growing up, she was selected to attend the Military Culture and Arts School and then joined the Art Troupe of Military Region 4. People's Artist Thu Ha shared: "From the time I started working as a dancer until I decided to study choreography, I always thought I would choose this path for the rest of my life. If an actor loves dancing and simply chooses to be an actor to be able to transform on stage with ability and training, then their career will not last long. Usually, after the age of 35, female dancers have to give up the stage to younger dancers, and many dedicated actors will stay in the profession by working as choreographers."

In her choreography, with enthusiasm, passion and innate talent, Thu Ha has contributed to the country's performing stage many good works of high artistic value. Especially in the festival performance or outdoor performances on major holidays. Thu Ha once said: "To me, creating dance works means creating music, scenery and distilling it from the poetic and cultural values ​​of our ancestors from thousands of years ago. I am always dedicated, concerned, and searching for breakthroughs in artistic creation to find the beauty and quintessence of national culture and contemporary life." Right from the first days of her choreography career, she had highly appreciated works such as: "Love of the Countryside" - Second Prize for National Choreography Talent in 2001; "The Van Kieu Mother", Gold Medal of the Army Festival in 2006; or "The Mother Patching the Flag", "The Color of Brocade"... which have left an impression on the hearts of audiences and dance lovers. After that, there were a series of programs, works, and clusters of works, including a cluster of works that won the State Prize in 2023.

In addition to her role as Director of the Practical Arts Theater of the Military University of Culture and Arts, People's Artist Thu Ha has actively promoted the role of the performing arts unit. She and a group of staff, actors, and students have participated in staging and performing many major programs to serve the country.

Three times participating as general director at three important milestones of the nation is a testament to the artist's long journey of dedication in military uniform. For People's Artist, Colonel Thu Ha, each event is not only a mission, but also the heroic heartbeat of the country.

These days, when the parade groups are rehearsing for the last time to prepare for the parade on the country's important day in the historic Ba Dinh Square, the female director hopes that each formation, each step, each ceremonial vehicle will become a sacred and majestic picture, remaining in the hearts of millions of Vietnamese people.