According to director Bui Thac Chuyen, he and the film crew of "Tunnel: Sun in the dark" would not have been able to achieve success without receiving great support from the army and the Ministry of National Defense.
In particular, great support in weapons and equipment has helped geography: Sun in the dark have realistic battle scenes.
Perhaps this is also the first time that a Vietnamese feature film project has mobilized many heavy weapons that the US used in the war in South Vietnam at that time such as M-48 Patton tanks, M113 ACAV attack armored vehicles, UH-1 Iroquois helicopters, the Giang Thuy Swift Boat (PCF) Patrol Craft Fast warship, the LCM-8 small landing ship and many other military equipment weapons.
The M-48 tank was put into use at the Vietnam Army in the battlefield of Vietnam around 1965. By 1971, when implementing the "Vietnamization of the War" plan, the US offers a large number of M-48 tanks to the Republic of Vietnam Army.
According to Army Technology, the M48 tank weighs about 49.6 tons, equipped with a 90 mm main artillery piece with a engine of 62 bullets, a maximum speed of 48 km/h on the road and an operating range of 463 km.
The M113 ACAV armored attack vehicle was first used in 1963 during the battle of Ap Bac as the war escalated.
To date, according to Army Technology, the M113 armored vehicle is the most widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War to hit areas with trees, bushes, and difficult terrain. The M113 armored vehicle is called an "APC" or "ACAV" ( armored Cavalry attack vehicle) by the allies.
The UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, also known as Huey, is a multi-purpose military helicopter built to the requirements of the US military since 1952.
UH-1 is very famous in the Vietnam War. According to the Vietnamese People's Air Force history, this type of helicopter has been used during the Vietnam War since 1962. UH-1 transported soldiers, goods, evacuated medical, and attacked from the air. The Vietnam People's Army has collected 50 intact UH-1s left by the US, then these helicopters were repaired and restored to re-equip the Vietnamese People's Air forces.
Many other weapons and equipment were used in the movie Tunnel: Sun in the dark. The film is set in 1967, after a real historical event, the Cedar Falls affair, which took place fiercely in the "Iron Four Corners" area of Ben Soc - Cu Chi - Ben Cat.
The film is invested in a elaborate setting when recreating the war in many spaces, in the terrain, on the ground, on the river surface and under the river.
geography: Sun in the dark is as realistic as documentary footage of the life and fighting of the Binh An Dong tour team. The film was filmed from February to May 2024 under the hot weather like fire in Ho Chi Minh City.
"If the army did not support weapons and equipment, the film would cost an unknown amount of money" - director Bui Thac Chuyen said.
The war was a completely unbalanced performance between the US military with advanced weapons on one side and the "steel-legged" Cu Chi guards on the other.
Almost not equipped with weapons, having to find ways to repair and reuse the weapons used by the enemy, the 21-man tourist team of Bay Theo survived and fought in their own way.
The war has survival colors but has brought geography: Sun in the dark emotional moments.
