The Vietnam War witnessed one of its longest and fiercest confrontations with the 81-day Second Battle of Quảng Trị in 1972. During the Easter Offensive, North Vietnamese troops captured the Quảng Trị Citadel and held it under relentless artillery bombardment as South Vietnamese forces, backed by the U.S., attempted to reclaim it. The siege and subsequent counter-offensive became a defining episode of the war, claiming tens of thousands of lives and leaving even more wounded.
In this regard, the Vietnamese epic historical war drama Red Rain (Mưa đỏ), directed by Đặng Thái Huyền and adapted from Chu Lai’s novel, vividly captures both the brutality of war and the intimate portrayals of camaraderie, fear, and longing. It follows a group of North Vietnamese soldiers of Squad 1 and their struggle in defending the Citadel, highlighting the human dimension in warfare. The film centres on Cường, a student at the Hanoi Conservatory, who abandons the prospect of studying abroad to fight, along with his squad comrades—Tạ, Bình, Tú, Sen, and Hải. It portrays their camaraderie, moral dilemmas, and the human cost of war. In addition, civilians like Hồng show their courage and compassion, revealing the psychological and emotional toll of war and the resilience required to endure it.
Red Rain’s character-driven storytelling and its cinematography, along with the visuals and musical score, capture the intensity and stakes of the battle. It is now not only the highest-grossing Vietnamese film in history but has also been nominated as Vietnam’s entry for Best International Feature Film for the 98th Academy Awards. It is a must-watch not only for its cinematic execution but also for its embodiment of the human and political aspects of conflict and its role in preserving the integrity of Vietnam’s wartime memory.