Director: NSƯT Nguyễn Hữu Mười

Cast: Nguyễn Năng Tùng, Lê Văn Thơm, Tô Tuấn Dũng, Nguyễn Thanh Sơn

Producer: NSƯT Vương Đức

Screenwriter: Hoàng Nhuận Cầm

Director of Photography: NSƯT Phạm Thanh Hà

Art Designer: NSƯT Phạm Quốc Trinh

Composer: Đỗ Hồng Quân

Production Company: Hãng phim truyện Việt Nam

Year: 2012

Running time: 97 minutes

Awards: Silver Lotus Award for Best Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography at the 17th Vietnam Film Festival, 2011 Best Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography at the Golden Kite Awards, 2011 Award from the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literary and Arts Associations Certificate of Merit for Best War-Themed Film, awarded by the General Political Department, Ministry of National Defense

Synopsis

Mùi cỏ cháy is a Vietnamese war drama set during the Red Summer of 1972, focusing on the fierce battle for the Quảng Trị Citadel. The story follows four students from Hanoi General University: Hoàng, Thành, Thăng, and Long who are drafted into the army in 1971. After rushed military training, they are deployed to Quảng Trị where Thành, Thăng, and Long are killed in action, while Hoàng survives. The film is told from Hoàng’s perspective, years later, as he revisits the battlefield and reflects on the friendships, losses, and ideals of a generation shaped by war.

Director's biography

 

Nguyễn Hữu Mười (born 1957) is a Vietnamese actor, film director, and cinema instructor. He is widely recognized for his roles as teacher Thứ in Làng Vũ Đại ngày ấy (1982) and teacher Khang in Bao giờ cho đến tháng Mười (1984). As a director, he has received acclaim for films such as Chiếc hộp gia bảo (1999), Mùi cỏ cháy (2012), and Trên đỉnh bình yên (2016). He has also directed several television series, including Trở lại chùa Dâu (1999), Nhịp sống (2000), Xóm bờ sông (2000), and Những kẻ lãng mạn (2006).