A Vietnamese theatre production has been drawing attention in India. Đất Thép (Steel Land), performed by a Vietnamese art troupe at the BRICS Theatre Festival in New Delhi from October 12-14, was one of just 11 productions selected from nine countries, including Russia, South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Thailand and host India.
The play is an unusual piece of historical storytelling. Written and directed by Lê Quý Dương, it's narrated by the soul of an American soldier who died at the Đồng Dù base battle. So struck is he by the resilience of the people of Củ Chi that his spirit lingers to learn about the land and its people. At the heart of the story is Nguyễn Thị Rành, a Vietnamese Heroic Mother who lost eight children and two grandchildren in the wars against French and American forces.
Củ Chi, northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, is famous for its vast underground tunnel network, which served as a strategic base for revolutionary forces. For travellers, the tunnels are already one of Vietnam's most visited historical sites — and this production offers a deeply human window into the stories behind them. Audience members at Delhi's Shriram Centre for Performing Arts found exactly that. One spectator, Khushi Verma, said the show brought back memories of her own visit to the Củ Chi Tunnels and noted that India and Vietnam's shared experience of colonial rule gives many Indians a natural empathy for Vietnamese history.
The festival, themed Shared Stories, Shared Futures, is part of a series of cultural events under India's 2026 BRICS presidency. Beyond the performances, the Vietnamese troupe joined workshops and roundtables on acting methods, lighting and stagecraft — groundwork for possible future cross-border productions.
For holidaymakers, this is a reminder of how Vietnam's wartime history keeps finding new audiences abroad — and a nudge to go beyond the tunnel crawl at Củ Chi and engage with the stories of the people who lived there. The troupe's delegation put it plainly: the goal was cultural dialogue, showing audiences everywhere that love of homeland, family bonds and a desire for peace are shared values.
If the play has inspired a Vietnam trip, HCM City makes a natural base. The Củ Chi Tunnels are an easy half-day trip from the city, and pairing the visit with the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace gives a fuller picture of the history the production depicts. Add a Mekong Delta day trip or a few days in central Vietnam's Huế for more wartime and royal heritage.
