Top 20 Poems Honoring Fallen Heroes

RETURNING TO QUANG TRI
Author: Pham Hong Giang

That day I returned to Quang Tri, no rain
Sunshine on Truong Son Mountains, abundant on tombstones
How many share the same memorial day
Incense rises, ancient amidst mossy stones.

That day I returned to Thach Han, clear water
The boat paddle gently on the mother river
Softly, gently, peacefully, my dear
Deep below lies the quiet place where you rest.

That day I returned, seeking permission to visit
The sacred Bo De tree near the commemorative platform
Buddha was born on this rare land
Guiding the way to find loved ones.

That day I returned, requesting a pause
Hill Ben Tat, many graves left unfilled
A strip of Truong Son, high pass, gusty wind
People forever living in their twenties.

I wish to return, even if just once
Fragrant incense.....
Offered to you.....
Homeland!
21/07/2018 Hong Giang.

FATHER'S SORROW

Poem: Hoang Minh Tuan

He and his father enlisted on the same day
He, a country boy, and his father from the city
He enlisted to ease the burden on his homeland
While his father abandoned university for the call of duty.

He met his father, no hesitation in his speech
Your complexion is fair like a young lady, he said
Will this rifle make you fall? He joked
As they marched off to a distant battlefield.

Father smiled, his voice sincere
Determined to go and be a soldier
Go on, don't rush to judge
Who are we before the battle returns...

He and his father traveled through many rural landscapes
Wherever they went, he praised his beautiful homeland
There were rivers, boats, and water's edge
Summer evenings with the wind playing bamboo music...

In Hanoi, you only hear the sound of cicadas
The streets are crowded with frozen traffic
Crowded in winter, scorching in summer...
After liberation, you returned to my hometown...

Father doesn't know the dreams of those years
Of his old friend, now lost
In front of Saigon, your friend and father fell
After the outburst, the door was opened...

The whole army still charged forward
In your father's hands, your friend lay asleep
He smiled, your father's heart bleeding!
After liberation, did you mistakenly leave me?!

April 30th, that day, every year
Father finishes the story, my heart throbs
Falling into father's arms, oh father, I cry
Now I understand your fatherly sorrow.

Many years have passed since that day
Father still returns to that homeland
Thank you, father, for letting me see
The soldier's spirit in your heart

Hanoi, 1/5/2018

MOTHER STILL WAITS FOR HER SON

Author: Chu Long

Though the war has come to pass
Simple old thatched roofs still last
A piece of altar, a worn-out table
Faded images on it, with mold and splotch

The oil lamp flickers in the dark
Green smoke intertwines with the thatch

A bowl of rice with a pinch of salt
Boiled sweet potatoes, and greens your mother planted.

Eat, my child, to warm the heart
Let your mother ease the pain inside
Watch the gentle, green smoke rise
In your mother's heart, her child resides forever

Old eyes tired from the years' toil
Bent back leans against the door, watching for the distant return
The figure of the child, separated from the rural fields
Never returning to visit mother and homeland.

Old, solitary mother stands alone
Waiting for her child, through life's every season.
19/6/2018 Chu Long

WAR!

Author: Phan Thúc Định

When I came into this world, the country was already scarred
Yet, the pain lingers, the war stories are told
War to me is tales recounted
And the returning veterans with incomplete bodies!

My village has dozens with prosthetic limbs
Legless, wheelchair-bound, blinded eyes, shortened arms...
On nights that stretch into the sky, I jolt awake at the shout: Fire, fire...!
The sounds of combat, screams in the midst of peace!

My village lies near Nhón Mountain, close to Thành Vinh
During the storm of fire, it was the dumping ground for American bombs
War to me is the deep craters that suck you in
And the silent graves that endure through the years!

The remaining temples and pagodas stand amidst vacant land
No carved wooden statues afloat on the canal
War to me is the old mothers, every night, listening intently by the wall...
The wind rustling... waking up, thinking their child has returned...!

Văn Village, summer 2018.
Grandpa Định.

LONGING AND WAITING...

Poem by: Lâm Bình

You remain in a place far away...
Never returning, as promised in years past
For countless years, Mother waits with deep longing...
The sun sulks, and raindrops fall relentlessly.

Mother's eyes blur, near the fiery stove
Flowers stand bewildered, a golden path of leaves
Waiting for someone... are you still in that place?
The long road in the small village remains lonely.

Sowing memories on two distant ends...

Every July, Mother gazes
Waiting for news of her child! Month, year, day....
Some Vietnamese mothers of Heroes are like that!

They endure the pain of childbirth to offer to life.
Even though Mother's womb suffered, Mother remembers...
Never once has she touched her child's face
Now, the child is far away in the distance...

Mother silently waits with deep longing

Child and comrades peacefully by the Vàm Cỏ River
The morning sun is golden, birds nestling, singing folk songs
A bit of the Spring sky in Mother's eyes
The burning fire.... Mother still waits for you!

AN UNFINISHED EMBRACE

Author: Trịnh Thanh Hằng

Farewell, my tiny beloved
A kiss, a bit awkward, I bestow upon you
And the clumsy embrace, as of old
Stay here as I march into the battleground.

Gradually, eyes linger with yearning gaze
Trường Sơn Forest roams with the march of troops
Amidst the vast expanse of green mountains and forests
Mist hangs, enveloping the sky and caressing the earth.

Footsteps have known the burst of blood many times
A student, tasting the bitterness of hardship
Sleepless nights in the prolonged marching
Urgent march to the battlefield of Quảng Trị.

Though trained and prepared
The suddenness of war proves too challenging
Bullets flying, blood overflowing
No retreat despite shattered bones and torn flesh.

At the ancient Thành Cổ vast and boundless
Determined, stepping forward, trampling on bombs and advancing
In an instant, weightless as an arrow
Blood spills, bones pile up, falling down.

Content, he lies beside the fields
Suddenly, meeting the eyes of a loved one
A village girl bids farewell to the departing
Receiving him with open arms back to Motherland.

The scent of hometown pomelo gently in someone's hair
Taking him back to the thousand-autumn sleep
Where the homeland carves a lullaby
A lingering kiss remains unfinished.

The girl still in contemplation and longing
This war has severed us apart
For now, the Motherland rejoices in triumphal songs
You remain there with arms still open.

He's gone, leaving someone with an unfinished embrace
Troubled thoughts burn away the youthful spring
For now, the homeland is already near
Still waiting for an unfinished embrace.
Trịnh Thanh Hằng

REMEMBERING THE SISTERS
Author: Vũ Đức Lưu

Our country now rests in peace
War has passed - thousands chose to stay
At the Đồng Lộc intersection, ten brave sisters
Courageous, sacrificed - So proud.

Amidst falling bombs, U.S. planes attacking
In the 'death coordinates' - resilient, holding firm
No fear - these outstanding individuals
Filling bomb craters - the passing convoys.

Their lives transformed into an epic song
In the heroic saga - Vietnam against the U.S.
On the day of departure - a part of two centuries
The nation is proud, the homeland honors.

Youthful age - long green hair
Boiling blood - a stream of red
Forever in their twenties, forever virgins
With deep respect - lighting the ceremonial incense!
Hanoi, 18/7/2018

EMOTIONS OF ĐỒNG LỘC

Author: Lan Thanh

Low pressure again
White rain in the sky
Dearly missed, Hà Tĩnh

He has come here
Searching for you -
You, the girls
Oh, Đồng Lộc

Sim eyes... deep purple sim eyes
Playful
The scent of jackfruit flowers
Warm and intense
Tangled in love and longing

Oh, you in a bygone time
Forever in your twenties
The fierce battlefield
You, in this place
Do you know?
The whole nation in pain turns to...

Fifty years have passed
Time has sculpted changes
Thoughts of transforming the landscape
Your heart - like stars
Beautiful and tight
The girls of Đồng Lộc
Through the night shining...
Lan Thanh

THE UNKNOWN GRAVE

Author: Đoàn Thị Hồng Sương

A grave in the cemetery,
One rainy afternoon, I came to visit.
Row of trees silent, leaves falling without a sound,
Fearing to disturb the sleep of a thousand autumns.

When you left, the luggage you took with you
was the lullaby of your mother,
was the stuttering speech of a sibling learning to talk.
When you left, the homeland was filled with smoke,
Looking at our homeland, the loss pierced your heart.

When you left, all mother wished for was your swift return.

Time passed, the longing for your return turned into pain,
You sacrificed, yet your body is still not found.
Mother, devastated, kneeling, the realm of her heart shattered!
Peace has come, why haven't you been found?

Place a wreath on the unknown grave.

Your name left blank, only the place of your birth, where you fell.
Comrades from the same battlefront,
Those who remain, age has taken its toll,
Still choked up, tears held back, bidding you farewell.

I bid you farewell, farewell, the warrior
in the unknown grave.

Though unnamed, your name is still Warrior,
A name the country bestows upon its precious child,
Like a drop of red blood, in millions of loving hearts.

Long An, 19-7-2018

FOREVER ABSENT
By: Hồ Viết Bình

Over four decades have passed, my dear
Where does your spirit wander in the sky?
Countless years of mother's tears that flow
Waiting endlessly, mother became an ancient soul.

I search for you throughout the Ancient Quarter
Beneath my feet, the grass intertwines
A summer of fiery pain and sorrow
This place has buried many fallen heroes.

Where are you? Speak up, I implore
Or send a dream for me to trace
Before losing mother, she had one wish
To bring you back, for a mother and a son.

Now I am over sixty, the wish unfulfilled
Memories linger vivid in my mind
Where are you? Why haven't you returned?
My heart remains in perennial weeping.

VISITING YOU
Poem by: Trương Túy Anh

July arrives, I come to visit you
Martyrs' cemetery, the promised place
Tears have flowed countless times, choked throat
The long rows of tombstones, just to count.

Do you remember the love poem back then?
Quickly gripping my hand, wheelchair's wheels turn
I wave goodbye, tears welling in my eyes
Promise to return, my love, wait for me.

One day in the midst of a bitter cold winter
Dark clouds angrily summon the rain
Your tears flowed, overwhelming
Clutching the painful death notice in my hands!

July arrives, martyrs' cemetery
Incense mingles with the scent of flowers
Visitors, choked with emotion and sadness
Remembering those in a place far away...

The names of all of you, a timeless song
Resonate endlessly, an immortal melody
I place flowers on your grave, dear
As if giving a kiss once again...

Poetry at the Martyrs' Cemetery

Author: Doãn Kim Oanh

By the rows of unnamed tombstones
I've met many smiles so young
The beloved ones of many mothers
My homeland, love extends infinitely.

War has passed, yet the heart is still heavy
July comes, rain drenches the rustling thatch
Old mothers tire, waiting for you for too long
Mother turns into clouds and smoke, gone.

Come back to me once, oh you
Daisies bloom, birds are still singing
Return to me with the scent of incense lingering
Sing forever about you, the young hero.

Where are you among a thousand epitaphs?
White tombstones, a thousand years of remembrance
Oh you, souls that never age
Throughout this life, I'll never forget.

A TIME YET UNFINISHED
By: Phan Huy Hùng

Midnight embarks on the forefront
Amidst the lines of fire
Onward to the forefront
Flesh and bones soaring in the misty air
Onward to the forefront
Raising the crimson flag high
Joyful forward march...

It's been forty years
Amidst streets as beautiful as life
Pointing forward
Onward to the forefront!

Just like that!
A lifetime tainted with blood
Onward to the forefront...

And!
In the realm of dreams
Where wife and child sleep peacefully
Alone, I
Onward to the forefront...

Tomorrow, descending into the thick soil
Soul transforming into a tempest
Onward to the forefront!

——————

Dear Grandma!

By: Phan Thu Hà

I return to you this evening, dear Grandma
Silently watching as your silver hair dances in the breeze
Your sorrows concealed within your heart
A kiss from you sows seeds of love
Over a hundred years, the heron at the end of the road
The rain breeze lingers in the midst of impermanence... dear Grandma!

Phan Thu Hà

THE IMMORTAL SONS...!
By: Phan Trung

We stand silently amidst the tranquil sea of evening
Before the sunset descends, struggling with its rosy glow
Reflecting on a life that has weathered many storms
And the notes of ups and downs in the midst of hardships.

Bearing arms since our youth
Suffering as recruits, turning misery into talent
The scorching battlefield imprints the burns of hardship
Steel determination extends through the years.

Now, we live thanks to the pure blood
Of silent comrades enduring the pain
The sacrifices on the sea, islands, and deep forests
High plateaus of rocks or the homeland's frontiers.

You, fallen heroes, still carry the Nation's soul
In my red heart, I continue your journey
Before the flag, pledging with the azure sky
Our hearts beating together for the peaceful homeland.

You still live... O comrades
The resounding heroic deeds will endure
In my heart and the hearts of these children
Bearing the blood of the Vietnamese people...!

By Dương Quốc Nam

Days of July have arrived,
Gratitude to the Fallen Soldiers, memories and love.
Families and communities of the homeland,
Expressing gratitude to the Fallen Soldiers, setting an example every day.

Visiting the Fallen Soldiers today,
Throughout the country, tears flow in remembrance.
Grateful for the sacrifice of the Fallen Soldiers,
The people of Vietnam are proud of their fathers and brothers.

The heroic Fallen Soldiers leave a legacy,
The nation remembers the eternal green history.
Gratitude to the Fallen Soldiers from everyone,
Becoming anew in the blossoming of life.

Gratitude to the Fallen Soldiers who planted and nurtured,
The homeland is renewed, and the red flag flies high./.

By Nguyễn Ruyến

A mother of a Fallen Soldier carries an indescribable sorrow
Awaiting her child through weary years...
Silver hair, bruised heart, longing for the child
When night falls, the sound of 'oh' echoes...

The wife of a Fallen Soldier bears overwhelming pain
Distressing news strikes like lightning to her ears
He sacrificed, leaving her alone with the long shadow
A small boat navigating in the storm

Fragile body, weak, tending to flooded fields
Raising a young child, caring for aging parents
Day after day, distant as a lifetime of flowers
No titles, only the heavy weight of love and remembrance...

A Fallen Soldier's child suffers lifelong deprivation
As the image of a father vanished from the heart
Only in dreams can his presence be faintly felt
Dreaming vaguely in a couple of occasions
Imagining...

Wishing to share but confined to thoughts
Through the times when the mother narrates stories of the father
Even when he fell, forever departing
Rebelliously unfilial, no white mourning cloth...

How to recount all the silent sacrifices
Of Fallen Soldiers' loved ones in this world
Wanting to pour out thoughts
to every place
Uplift in admiration
life's sentiment
Respect.

Ninh Binh, July 2018

By Dũng Lê

(In memory of Fallen Soldier Nguyễn Văn Lợi *)

My tears fall when you go down
Enemy bullets shatter your back
The sky of Trị Thiên stretches endlessly blue
The Trường Sơn Forest welcomes you to the land

I write verses mourning the departed
Lợi lies here forever young at twenty
Vĩnh Phú** our hometown forever remembers Lợi, oh Lợi!
The heartache in me bleeds

Remembering the times shoulder to shoulder in battle
Passing the cigarette hand to hand, sharing puffs together
Sharing the last drop of water
Exchanging glances, smiles of victory

Today, my poetry weeps silently
The land of Trị Thiên lulls Lợi to sleep for a thousand years
Promise that one day comrades will visit
The country at peace, welcoming Lợi back to mother

The campaign is long, Dũng goes, Farewell Lợi
Lợi, rest here. Eternally twenty!

Written at Huế Trị Thiên Front
April 15, 1974

Poetry by Nguyễn Ruyến

Here comes July, a time to honor
Love and longing, near and far
Who rests in the homeland
Who hears the heroic soul of the homeland...

For thousands of years, my country
The stork carries the burden of mother's lullabies
Saying not to harbor resentment and hatred
Loving others as one loves family

Yet the grace of Ân has not ended
Invaders like Tần, Triệu, Hán, Ngô, Lương
And also Tùy, Tấn, Tống, Đường...
A thousand years of painful Northern domination

Three times against the Mongol horde
After victory, thinking the land is peaceful
But then against Ming, Qing
Then the French, Japanese, and American wars leaped in

Chasing the Yuan and driving away the Chinese
Peace closed the lingering pain gradually
Striving to claim the spring
Blossoming unity flowers with love

The sacred atmosphere colors the evening mountains
There the souls of martyrs on many battlefields
For generations, merging in all directions
Gratitude for July, heavy with love

Ninh Bình, 07.2019

Poetry by Bùi Vĩnh Chuyên

(Dedicated to the martyrs who sacrificed in 1947 at the revolutionary base in Sơn Dương commune, Hoành Bồ district, Quảng Ninh province)

Here you lie
Amidst mountain winds and a thousand rains
Whistling pines cheer
Tombstones have formed rows

Seventy-two years have passed
Your age remains unchanged
Rifles still held in hand
The homeland above your head

Your eyes shine brightly
Illuminating the path for future generations

Lighting incense to remember the day you left
Wandering clouds paint the evening white in the forest

A few letters you were writing unfinished
'This Tet, I'll return to Mom - Mom, I love you'

They came from Đồng Đăng, Đá Trắng
Shelling like a herd of mad beasts

The pot of chưng cakes the battalion was cooking
Also shattered amidst the Sơn Dương battlefield

Blood's boiling red like the barrel's mouth
Bayonets and rifle butts squeezing the enemy

Even the grass becomes a weapon
Forty-nine enemies fall on Sơn Dương soil

In the moment of combat, you become immortal
Tattered uniform returned to the green forest

No names, no birthplaces
You are the nameless soldiers

The sun sparkles on the martyr's monument
Children flutter with scarves

Red roses entwine the moon-shaped laurel
You smile, the country enters a splendid spring.

22/12/2018