Khanh Ly's three special meetings with Trinh Cong Son

Khanh Ly said that every time she met musician Trinh, she was happy and full of emotions, including three most memorable times for her.

Khanh Ly was in Hanoi on the morning of March 29 at a press conference before the show "Long Distance, Thousands of Miles" to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Trinh Cong Son's death. She shared that every year on the musician's death anniversary, she usually does nothing but remember it in her heart and at most reminds her husband of that day. This year, Khanh Ly, Hong Nhung, Cam Van - Khac Trieu, Quang Dung, and child singer Huyen Tran will represent the generations of Trinh's musicians to stand on stage together to commemorate the late musician.

The famous singer recalled many memories. When asked about the unforgettable meetings she had with Trinh Cong Son, Khanh Ly said the fateful meeting was in 1964 in Da Lat, the second was in France in 1988 and the third was in 2000 - before Trinh Cong Son passed away. "Each of those meetings is always touching and memorable to me. Of course, the meetings are not the same, but they are all important. They mark each stage of my journey, making me remember many things throughout my life. For me, every memory is precious, every time I meet Trinh Cong Son, I am happy."

Khanh Ly at a press conference on the morning of March 29. The famous singer will participate in a concert in memory of Trinh Cong Son on April 2. Photo: Kieu Thuan.

In 1964, fate brought Khanh Ly to meet Trinh Cong Son and then extended the musical relationship that has gone down in history. In the book Behind the Smile, she wrote: "I thought life would be miserable until the end, but if fate is real, it happened to me on a rainy night in Da Lat. A slim figure, round white glasses, tortoiseshell frames, dove eyes, high, wide forehead, straight nose, beautiful smile with crooked teeth. That boy spoke to me with a Hue accent. Most people in Da Lat speak Hue but a bit mixed, but Son is a 'raw' Hue. Son with his skinny hands, long, talented fingers, gave me a pair of wings, put on my feet a pair of seven-mile shoes. Cinderella transformed. Transformed to move from one tragedy to another."

A few years later, Khanh Ly followed Trinh Cong Son to Saigon to sing - from here the "barefoot queen" took off and both became musical icons. In 1975, Khanh Ly moved to the US to settle down. The second special meeting was in 1988 in France. It was special because this was the first time they met again since Khanh Ly moved to the US, not the meeting in Canada in 1997 as many people often mention.

Khanh Ly said she didn't think they would meet, she went to Paris to sing on tour, Trinh Cong Son happened to be there too. For many reasons, they didn't easily meet. However, over the phone, Trinh Cong Son cried and said to Khanh Ly: "I've traveled halfway around the world, but we can't meet each other, and if we don't meet now, when will we meet?" Hearing that, Khanh Ly "ignored, let people say whatever they want" and went to meet the musician. The famous singer said that at that time, there was also Japanese professor Michiko and a few of their friends. "You drank wine, I drank water, we just talked normally."

The third special meeting was in 2000 - the last time Khanh Ly met Trinh Cong Son. The famous singer said she would like to keep that meeting to herself and cannot tell about it yet.On April 1st a year later, Trinh Cong Son passed away. In their last meeting, she predicted that Trinh Cong Son's passing was not far away. The day she was informed of the musician's death, the famous singer was greatly shocked but she soon regained her spirit. As a Catholic, as well as a Buddhist, she believed that everyone in this life must eventually pass away, no one can live forever. If you believe in the teachings, you will feel light-hearted. When you know that each person is born with a destiny of going to and from, then going or staying is the impermanence of life.

"I know my heart is in pain, because from now on I can no longer hold hands or sit next to that person. But I know that many years from now, when I look at Trinh Cong Son, he will still be as young as when he left, only in his sixties, not a decrepit old man," she said.

Trinh Cong Son is forever 62 years old in Khanh Ly's memory.

Khanh Ly expressed her desire to preserve the most beautiful images of her loved one while he was still alive. With the concept of "what our eyes cannot see, our hearts cannot hurt", she tried not to look at the scene of her loved one's death. "I did not see Mr. Trinh Cong Son lying in the coffin. I also refused to look at my family when they were unzipping his body bag". When her husband took his last breath, Khanh Ly immediately turned away, to preserve the most beautiful image of him while he was still alive. She also said that if she saw Trinh Cong Son lying in the coffin, or saw her husband being taken to the crematorium, she probably would not have survived.

The famous singer values ​​life more than death. She regrets that this time she returned, she could not meet musician Thanh Tung. "But is it too fake to cry? Why wait until someone dies to cry? When they are alive, give them a little love. If we can do something for each other, then do it. Don't let life always be filled with regrets. Why, why, should, shouldn't we?"

That's why this time, Khanh Ly wants to find the musicians she was once close to and visit them before it's too late. "Everything will pass through this life, but the songs will remain, I must be grateful to those people. Without musicians, how could singers have songs to sing, how could there be queens and divas", the famous singer affirmed.

According to VNE