Tiến Quân Ca

Tiến Quân Ca
English: The Song of the Marching Troops
National anthem of Vietnam
LyricsVăn Cao, 1944
MusicVăn Cao, 1944
AdoptedMarch 13 1945 (Democratic Republic of Vietnam)
1976 (Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Preceded byGiải phóng miền Nam (as the anthem of Republic of South Vietnam)
Audio sample
United States Navy Band instrumental version

"Tiến Quân Ca" (lit. "The Song of the Marching Troops") is the national anthem of Vietnam. The march was written and composed by Văn Cao in 1944, and was adopted as the national anthem of North Vietnam in 1946 (as per the 1946 constitution) and subsequently the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976 following the reunification of Vietnam. Though it has two verses, only the first one is usually sung.

History

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Its lyrics and title were based on Văn Cao's previous works, "Thăng Long" (lit. "Rising Dragon", a former name of Hanoi).[1] Part of the lyrics were also different during its early stages,[2][3] as it went through numerous changes starting in the early 1940s.

Lyric changes and completion

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"Tiến Quân Ca" went through many changes shortly after it was composed. For instance, the first sentence "Đoàn quân Việt Nam đi" ("The Vietnamese army marches") was originally "Đoàn quân Việt Minh đi"[2] ("The Viet Minh army marches""). The sixth part of the lyrics was also originally "Thề phanh thây uống máu quân thù"[3][4] (We swear to tear apart the enemy and drink their blood), expressing his anger at the colonials administration for letting two million Vietnamese people perish. After many suggestions, Văn Cao changed it to "Vì nhân dân chiến đấu không ngừng" ("For the people let's fight until the end").[2] The last sentence "Tiến lên! Cùng thét lên! Chí trai là nơi đây ước nguyền!" ("Together we shout onwards, our spirit is here") was changed to "Núi sông Việt Nam ta vững bền" ("Vietnam's mountains and rivers shall be us forever"), but when it was published it was changed to "Nước non Việt Nam ta vững bền!", which had the same meaning but a slightly different tone, which Văn Cao commented, "With a song that requires solemn, 'nước non' seemed too weak while being sung with 'núi sông' would be more reasonable."[2]

After completion of work, Văn Cao met and let Vũ Quý try the song. Vũ Quý was very happy at his work, and "Tiến Quân Ca" was published in papers in November 1944 with lithographs by Văn Cao.[5]

On 17 August 1945, the song was sung for the first time at a rally of civil servants in Hanoi by a Ph.D under the flag of the Việt Minh, and "robbed the loudspeakers". Văn Cao quoted, "That quiet man was an attraction to thousands of people listening that day".[6][7]

The poet and musician Nguyễn Đình Thi was touched after hearing Văn Cao sing the song and asked each person to write another song for "The Viet Minh Frontline". He posted his own "Diệt Phát Xít", meaning "Killing Fascists". Văn Cao wrote "Chiến Sĩ Việt Nam", meaning "Vietnam Soldiers". Both songs are still popular and sung to the public today.[5]

As a national anthem

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On 17 August 1945, Hồ Chí Minh approved "Tiến Quân Ca" to be officially recognized as the anthem of the new established Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

On 2 September 1945, marching was officially performed on the day of the Proclamation of Independence at Ba Đình Square by the Liberation Army band commanded by Đinh Ngọc Liên. At the day before the performance, musicians Dinh Ngoc Lien, Nguyen Huu Hieu, and Văn Cao discussed for changing the two words in "Tiến Quân Ca" in order to shorten the song by shortening the length of the first E pitches in the word "đoàn" and the F in the middle of the word "xác" to make the song more "snappy".[8]

In 1946, the 1st National Assembly officially recognized "Tiến Quân Ca" as the national anthem. In the first Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Article 3, it states directly about the national anthem. In 1955, the 5th session of the first National Assembly decided to invite authors to participate in another editing of the song.[9][10] Văn Cao had regrets after this because the "heroic spirit" of the song had been lost after being edited.[1]

After 1975, the government of South Vietnam fell, and on 2 July 1976, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (in most common situation, the phrase "Viet Cong" actually refers to it) and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam agreed to be reunified into the new Socialist Republic of Vietnam. "Tiến Quân Ca" was chosen as the national anthem. In 1981,[11] a contest was opened for a new national anthem but after more a year, it was and has never been mentioned again nor are there any official statement about the results. Thus, "Tiến Quân Ca" remains today as the national anthem of Vietnam.

Official lyrics

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Vietnamese original English translation

I
Đoàn quân Việt Nam đi, chung lòng cứu quốc
Bước chân dồn vang trên đường gập ghềnh xa
Cờ in máu chiến thắng mang hồn nước,
Súng ngoài xa chen khúc quân hành ca
Đường vinh quang xây xác quân thù,
Thắng gian lao cùng nhau lập chiến khu.

Điệp khúc:
Vì nhân dân chiến đấu không ngừng,
Tiến mau ra sa trường,
Tiến lên, cùng tiến lên!
Nước non Việt Nam ta vững bền.

II
Đoàn quân Việt Nam đi, sao vàng phấp phới
Dắt giống nòi quê hương qua nơi lầm than
Cùng chung sức phấn đấu xây đời mới,
Đứng đều lên gông xích ta đập tan.
Từ bao lâu ta nuốt căm hờn,
Quyết hy sinh đời ta tươi thắm hơn.

Điệp khúc

I
Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward, with the one will to save our Fatherland
Our hurried steps are sounding on the long and arduous road
Our flag, red with the blood of victory, bears the spirit of our country,
the distant rumbling of the guns mingles with our marching song.
The path to glory passes over the bodies of our foes.
Overcoming all hardships, together we build our resistance bases.

Chorus:
Ceaselessly for the people's cause we struggle,
Hastening to the battlefield!
Advance! All together advancing!
Our Vietnam is strong eternal.

II
Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward, the gold star of our flag in the wind
Leading our people, our native land, out of misery and suffering
Let us join our efforts in the fight for the building of a new life.
Let us stand up and break our chains.
For too long have we swallowed our hatred
Let us keep ready for all sacrifices and our life will be radiant.

Chorus

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In 2010, Nghiêm Thúy Băng, the wife of late musician Văn Cao, addressed a letter to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam proposing to donate the work "Tien quan ca" to the public, the Party, the National Assembly and the State. This is also the wish of Văn Cao when he was still alive.[12][13][14][15]

However, in 2015, the family of Văn Cao, registered the song with the Vietnam Center for Protection of Music Copyright, demanding royalties for all public performances except in certain situations like schools and "important state ceremonies". Văn Cao's eldest son Văn Thao said that his family "never reached consensus on 'gifting' the song, so they authorized the center to collect royalties on his father's songs".[16]

The copyright announcement has angered many veteran musicians. Nguyen Quang Long says the "anthem must belong to the public, and people should be allowed to sing it without worrying about royalties". Singer Ánh Tuyết, who is best known for her performance of Cao's songs, agrees that the anthem "long ago became a song of the people, so it should be gifted to the people".

On 25 August 2015, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent an official letter to the music copyright agency to stop collecting royalties on "Tiến Quân Ca".[17]

On 8 July 2016, Văn Thao confirmed that he and his family were going to donate the song to their country and people as his father's last wish. A letter, signed by all the legal inheritors in the family, stated that the family would donate the song for free use.[18]

On 15 July 2016, The National Assembly Office held a ceremony in Hanoi to receive the national anthem, donated by family members of Văn Cao, and to bestow the composer with the Ho Chi Minh Order.[19][20][21][22][23] Also at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam presented a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister to Nghiêm Thúy Băng, the composer's widow, in recognition of her efforts in preserving the composer's works.[24][25]

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There are still disputes over the copyrights of each recording versions of the anthem, for example during the broadcasting the football match between Laos and Vietnam on 6 December 2021, the sound of anthem music was muted using the reason of copyrights.[26] The copyright claims met with huge backlash from the author's family, the government, and other opinions who considered national anthem should be free for all.[27][28][29] Opposite opinions claimed that although the lyric and music sheet of the anthem is free, it is legal to claim the copyright of specific recording versions of the anthem.[30][31][32]

The Government then announced a "free" recording version of the national anthem which had been already published on the government website and emphasized that "Vietnamese laws strictly forbid the obstruction of popularizing the national anthem, directly or indirectly, under the regulation of rules and laws."[33] The Department of Sport also issued an instruction called for the use of the "free" version published by the government.[34] The "free" version was then used in subsequent sport events.[35]

On 16 June 2022, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed the bill of "Amendments to some Articles of the Law on Intellectual property" related to "Tiến Quân Ca", in which Clause 2, Article 7 of the law was added to be: "The exercise of intellectual property rights must not infringe the interests of the State, the public interest or the legitimate rights and interests of other organizations and individuals, and must not breach other relevant provisions of law. Organizations and individuals exercising intellectual property rights related to the National Flag, National Emblem, National Anthem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam must not obstruct their use and dissemination."[36][37] The amendments were set to become effective on 1 January 2023.[38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "VietNamNet". Vnn.vietnamnet.vn. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Không tìm thấy nội dung này - Báo điện tử Tiền Phong". Tienphong.vn. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh với bài Quốc ca Việt Nam". Old.bqllang.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Thuykhue". Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Người "bảo vệ" Quốc ca". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  6. ^ Bài Tiến Quân Ca, hồi ký Văn Cao trên tạp chí Sông Hương số 26, tháng 7 năm 1987
  7. ^ "Nhân Văn Giai Phẩm - phần XIII : Văn Cao". Viet.rfi.fr. 11 April 2010. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Bộ Kèn đồng của Ban nhạc Giải phóng quân đã cử hành Tiến quân ca trong ngày độc lập". Btlsqsvn.org.vn. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Quốc ca Nước Cộng hoà xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam". Cpv.org.vn. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Van kien Quoc hoi toan tap". www.na.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Van kien Quoc hoi toan tap". Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Gia đình cố nhạc sĩ Văn Cao hiến tặng "Tiến quân ca"". 11 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Yêu cầu dừng thu tiền bản quyền ca khúc Tiến quân ca". Thanh Niên. 26 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Hiến tặng tác phẩm "Tiến quân ca"".
  15. ^ "Hiến tặng Quốc ca là tâm nguyện của ông Văn Cao"
  16. ^ "Vietnam: Family seeks royalties for national anthem". Bbc.com. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Yêu cầu dừng thu tiền bản quyền ca khúc "Tiến quân ca"". Tuổi Trẻ. 26 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Composer's family donates anthem". vietnamnews.vn. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  19. ^ "Lễ tiếp nhận bài "Tiến quân ca" và truy tặng Huân chương Hồ Chí Minh của Chủ tịch nước cho cố nhạc sĩ Văn Cao". Cov.gov.vn. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Composer's family presents national anthem to State, people". En.vietnamplus.vn. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  21. ^ "Composer's family presents national anthem to State, people". English.von.vn. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Gia đình cố nhạc sĩ Văn Cao hiến tặng bài 'Tiến quân ca'". Vnexpress.net. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Composer's family presents national anthem to State, people". Vietnam News Agency. 16 July 2016.
  24. ^ "Composer of national anthem bestowed with Ho Chi Minh Order". Nhân Dân. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Hiến tặng tác phẩm "Tiến quân ca" cho nhân dân và Tổ quốc". 15 July 2016.
  26. ^ "'Tiến quân ca' bị cắt tiếng gây bức xúc". vnexpress.net (in Vietnamese). 7 December 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  27. ^ 'Chiếc gậy' của BH Media, nhận vơ và sự trục lợi bản quyền các tác phẩm trên nền tảng số
  28. ^ "Dư luận bức xúc khi Quốc ca Việt Nam bị BH Media nhận vơ bản quyền". congly.vn. 4 November 2021.
  29. ^ Trí, Dân (7 December 2021). "Vụ Quốc ca bị tắt tiếng trên YouTube: Con trai nhạc sĩ Văn Cao rất bức xúc". Báo điện tử Dân Trí.
  30. ^ "Có phải ai cũng được quyền sử dụng Quốc ca?". vnexpress.net.
  31. ^ "Vụ BH Media phản pháo VTV về bản quyền Quốc ca: Luật sư nói gì?". Báo giao thông. 5 November 2021.
  32. ^ Trí, Dân (9 December 2021). "Tự ý ngắt tiếng Quốc ca dù không bị "đánh" bản quyền bị xử lý như thế nào?". Báo điện tử Dân Trí.
  33. ^ {Quốc ca Việt Nam đang được phát chính thức trên Chinhphu.vn, không ai có quyền ngăn chặn, cản trở việc phổ biến tác phẩm này
  34. ^ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (11 December 2021). "Hoạt động thể thao chính thức của Việt Nam sẽ sử dụng bản ghi Quốc ca đăng trên website Chính phủ". TUOI TRE ONLINE.
  35. ^ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (12 December 2021). "Quốc ca Việt Nam không bị tắt tiếng trong trận Việt Nam - Malaysia". TUOI TRE ONLINE.
  36. ^ Thư viện, Pháp luật. "Law: Amendments to some Articles of the Law on Intellectual Property". Thư viện pháp luật. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  37. ^ Tạ, Hiển (16 June 2022). "Bổ sung quy định về Quốc kỳ, Quốc ca trong Luật Sở hữu trí tuệ". VTV Báo Điện tử. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  38. ^ Hải, Liên (16 June 2022). "Sửa đổi, bổ sung một số điều của Luật Sở hữu trí tuệ". Báo Điện tử Chính phủ. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
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