Song to railway security officer, the Forgotten Nocturne
Among the few songs written for security forces, this wartime work, Song to railway security officer, holds a singular place.
Composed in the 1960s, when the North Vietnamese railway network was under aerial attack, it rejects all demonstrative heroism. There are no fanfares, no triumphant marches. Only a night, a flickering light, a distant whistle, and this whispered question:
“Soldier, is that truly you walking there?”
That choice is precisely where its strength lies.
Musically, the work resembles a small vocal symphonic poem. The opening Andante establishes a suspended atmosphere. The central Allegro brings collective momentum. Yet instead of a triumphant conclusion, the music returns to silence.
The harmony creates a diffuse light made of suspensions and subtle tensions. The “green signal” becomes the central symbol: the concrete safety of the train, but also an invisible collective trust.
After its initial recording, the work disappeared for more than half a century. In 2020, Đỗ Hồng Quân reorchestrated it in the spirit of the original, once again revealing to the public this forgotten memory of the Vietnamese railway police.
Its resurgence reminds us that beyond historical testimony, certain works survive through their ability to transform a utilitarian function into a poetic experience.
It is precisely this expressive restraint that makes the piece one of the most singular pages in the musical writing of Hoàng Vân.
Albums: Album, Songs during the war and the revolution, Album Songs for professions, Works, Songs, Songs for professions, Works during the war, Listening,
Year of composition: 1968
The night is already late,
The moon has gone down,
A light is flickering,
Who is there, walking through the night?
Oh soldier, is it you?
Under the burning sun, through storms in the night,
Your footsteps move on tirelessly through months and years,
The faint light accompanies a distant song.
Chorus:
Beautiful are our railways with trains coming and going,
Thanks to those who keep watch day and night,
Happy is the one who forgets himself for the people,
Happy are the trains arriving safely at the station.
Oh, how beautiful is the green signal light,
Under the bombs as when the weapons fall silent,
Your merit lives within that green light,
Your merit lives within that green light.
2-
I hear the whistle far away,
Dawn is already breaking,
That night train,
I shall never forget it.
Oh security soldier, fearing no hardship,
Braving dangers without sparing your strength,
You safeguard the people aboard the train,
The train passes, and the song still echoes in the distance.
(Chorus)
Tuyết Thanh