“Attention compatriots! Attention compatriots. Enemy aircraft 50km from Hanoi. Please quickly went down to the shelter. Air defense forces are ready to fight, determined to shoot down enemy aircraft.”
During the period when the US military conducted the war to destroy North Vietnam (1968-1972), the alarm sound of American planes about to bomb was emitted from loudspeakers equipped on the roads , residential areas have become familiar to people in cities and villages in Northern Vietnam… “Attention compatriots! Attention compatriots. Enemy aircraft 50km from Hanoi. The compatriots quickly went down to the shelter. Air defense forces are ready to fight, determined to shoot down enemy aircraft…When people heard the signal from the loudspeakers repeated 3 times, they immediately went to shelters on the street or A-shaped tunnels or trenches. When the danger had passed, the same javelin issued a safety message that was repeated twice: "The enemy aircraft was far from our province's airspace (or 50/60 kilometers from our province's territory), agencies, schools and people return to normal activities. But we must be on high alert to prevent enemy planes from taking advantage of the bad weather, using small groups to attack by surprise”… everyone returned to normal activities. When the US military stopped bombing, the loudspeaker broadcast news of the war situation, labor and production activities in other localities across the country.
Loudspeaker with simple design, made of stainless steel, outside with powder coating, easy to install, resistant to harsh weather, suitable for outdoor. Loudspeakers have loud, clear and detailed sound, suitable for announcements in large spaces, delivering timely news to listeners and helping people to respond promptly. During the Vietnamese people's resistance war against America, the loudspeaker has also become a useful tool, an invisible "weapon" associated with the political struggle movement of the people on the north bank of the Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai river, Quang Tri province, contributing to the great victory to completely liberate the South and reunify the country by means of propaganda to encourage and motivate the people. The loudspeaker system with large capacity of the Vietnamese army on the banks of the Ben Hai River on the north bank of the Hien Luong Bridge was built, divided into 5 clusters throughout the length of 1,500 meters on the North coast, each cluster has 24 loudspeakers of 25W type returning to the South coast. Daily broadcast programs of Voice of Vietnam and Vinh Linh radio about the Party's undertakings and policies, the superiority and growth of the Socialist North, cultural programs and art. There are radio programs lasting 14 to 15 hours and sometimes even at night. To deal with our loudspeaker system on the North side, on the South side, the Saigon government also installed large-capacity loudspeaker clusters provided by West Germany and Australia, which resounded... Although the war of loudspeakers on both sides was not the same as the war on the battlefield, it was equally stressful, lasting until 1965, when American planes bombarded the North, the loudspeaker systems on both sides were completely stopped. In 1967, Hien Luong Bridge was destroyed by American bombs. The flagpole, the compound house, the police station at the border line, and the loudspeaker system were also attacked and badly damaged by American aircraft. Nearly 10 years after the liberation, many historical relics, artifacts and witnesses are no more, the Hien Luong Double Bank historical relic cluster exists in the form of ruins
Currently, loudspeakers are still used in many places throughout the country with the aim of announcing information and connecting the community. Especially during the recent Covid epidemic, loudspeakers are the safest and most effective means of communication, helping people to grasp information about the epidemic situation, medical relief activities, food or other emergency services or the newsletter talks about the community's cooperation and support for the medical staff, army, and police on the front lines against the epidemic... Over the years, the loudspeaker still retains its importance and has become "a indispensable part of life” Vietnamese people.
To understand more about what a wartime narrator looks like, let's take a look at some pictures of the loudspeaker on display in the theme "Dien Bien Phu in the air - 50 years in retrospect" at the War Remnants Museum.
People listen to information about the situation of the battle "Dien Bien Phu in the air" from loudspeakers at the beginning of Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, 1972.