The untold story of the father in the clip of the baby crying when hearing Nghe dialect

(Baonghean) - I listened to Tuan Vy sing with famous singer Giao Linh in the album "Chuyen do khong em" (released by Cho Lon Film Studio Co., Ltd. and Hong Loc Music and Entertainment Center in 2010), watched and listened to him sing in VTV's program "Timeless love songs" for quite a while and was impressed with his emotional voice, but it was only recently that I learned that he was an "old acquaintance" of the 6X, 7X generation who sat at the music cafe in Vinh street nearly 20 years ago.

Singer Tuan Vy (Trinh Xuan Cong) in the early days of starting a career in Ho Chi Minh City.

Honestly, if it weren't for the clip of the father and son "Baby crying when listening to Nghe accent" that has been making a lot of noise on social networks in recent days, widely shared with excitement by the Nghe community, I would only know that Tuan Vy is one of hundreds of singers on the music stage that is crowded with "stars" like Ho Chi Minh City.

It turned out that the smart, witty, “very artistic” father was the guy “Cong Xoan”, who once founded the band Cong Minh, which was very popular in Tan Ky mountain district, and was also the “forest man” who had come to Vinh to find job opportunities and to sing in the city’s Youth Club in the years when music cafes in Vinh were still very rare.

Tuan Vy and his nearly 3-year-old eldest son created a fever online when they posted a clip of a baby crying when hearing a Nghe accent.

Contacting Tuan Vy, I received from him all the warmth and sincerity. I felt that the glamorous life on stage, the hustle and bustle of the most prosperous city in the country could not take away from Trinh Xuan Cong from Nghe An the simple, rustic nature that is in his blood. Tuan Vy said that he always has a homeland deep in his heart, always has a Nghe accent in him, never fading even though any Saigonese who hears him speak, thinks he is from this place.

Tuan Vy (Trinh Xuan Cong) was born in 1977, originally from Thanh Tai, Thanh Chuong. In 1983, his family, with a father who was a demobilized soldier, a mother who was a primary school teacher, and 7 children (including the boy Trinh Xuan Cong) decided to leave their hometown to start a new career in the hope of escaping poverty soon. The land they chose to stop at was Giai Xuan, Tan Ky.

Not long after that, the poverty, many children combined with hard work, the father became seriously ill and passed away. The mother worked hard to raise her young children alone. “Back then, hardships continued to grip my family. Before he passed away, the words my father told me that I will always remember were: No matter how hard it is, you children must try to study to be good people. However, when my father passed away, how could my mother raise so many children by herself? My brothers and sisters and I all had to drop out of school, and my mother also asked for early retirement to get some money to buy buffaloes for her children to farm…” Tuan Vy recalled with a choked voice.

Tuan Vy said: All his life he has carried the heavy burden of singing, but he has never regretted that choice for a minute.

From a young age, Cong was passionate about music. To “pay the price” for being so engrossed in listening to music that he forgot his work (even though at that time, he was just listening to someone else’s radio), he had to endure many beatings: “My siblings thought I was making excuses to skip work and go to the fields,” he explained with a smile.

When Trinh Xuan Cong was 20 years old, his family agreed to let him take guitar classes with the idea of ​​forming a wedding band in this remote mountainous district. “My first teacher was Mr. Bui Ly who worked at the Tan Ky District Cultural Center. After studying with him and gaining some musical knowledge, my family and I formed the Cong Minh band. It was a country band, mainly serving weddings, but it was also well-known. I was the band’s guitarist.”

Tuan Vy studied with teacher Ngoc An, the music teacher of famous singer Giao Linh when he was young.

But Trinh Xuan Cong always dreamed of that atmosphere, when the stage curtain opened, and he stepped out to bow to the audience. He dreamed of the songs that he put his whole soul into singing. He dreamed of expressing his love, his longing, his sadness, or his happiness in front of thousands of waiting... And the "forest man" (the nickname that the Vinh City Youth Club members at that time gave Trinh Xuan Cong) came to Vinh city. Starting with singing at the Vinh City Youth Club.

During the day, he went to work, and at night he sang. At that time, a private enterprise called Xuan Hong Camera, out of sympathy for Cong's situation and seeing that he was a gentle guy, created conditions for Cong to learn the profession of filming and editing, and to earn an income. "I will never forget the deep gratitude to those who took care of me back then, especially to teacher Hong." - singer Tuan Vy of today recalls.

Tuan Vy and his teacher Phan Xuan Hong, whom he was very grateful to in his first days in Vinh city.

The hardships and burdens of making a living weighed heavily on Trinh Xuan Cong's shoulders, because at that time he also had to support 3 younger siblings to go to school. However, his ambition did not fade. After 4 years of struggling in Vinh, in 2002, having gathered a little stage experience, Trinh Xuan Cong decided to move to the South, initially by chance meeting the manager of the Hai Dang Music Group (a once famous music group).

When arriving in Saigon, the bewildered guy started taking his first steps from a cheap attic in District 7 and coffee shops, tea rooms... The hustle and bustle, the collisions, the bustle, the unintentional... helped the "jungle man" Trinh Xuan Cong grow up day by day. Not choosing to start with tricks, tricks, not rushing to adapt and change, but with sincerity, with faith and diligence, each day like that, Trinh Xuan Cong has stayed, grown up, and most importantly "is loved more" as he said. The senior stars that Trinh Xuan Cong still thought he would probably never meet, he has learned from them, stood on the same stage with them such as Ngoc Son, Dinh Van, Ung Hoang Phuc, Lam Chi Khanh...

The meeting with famous singer Giao Linh brought a big turning point to Tuan Vy's singing career.

He said he was burdened with the burden of “singing”, and would never be able to escape. But he never felt regret or remorse for a single moment. For him, life had given him so much. Dedicated teachers, good friends, a happy and peaceful family. Most importantly, he had pursued his passion to the end, to have the opportunity to touch the dream of his life.

The greatest opportunity in Trinh Xuan Cong's life was meeting singer Giao Linh in 2005. He was adopted by the famous singer, and thanks to her, he was sent to study music with the teacher who had taught Giao Linh when she was young. She gave him a new stage name: Tuan Vy (because she saw that he had something in common with Tuan Vu's singing voice). This stage name has followed him for more than 10 years now, accompanying him on his singing journey on every stage.

Singer Tuan Vy sings in VTV's program "Timeless love songs".

For Tuan Vy of today, every time the stage curtain opens, he still has the same feeling of excitement and sublimation. His singing voice, the music genre he chose (bolero), is carrying his feelings and messages to everyone. “Anyone working in the entertainment industry does not hope to be famous, but for me, that is not the biggest goal. The biggest goal of an artist is dedication. You can sing, express yourself, receive love, see joy and sadness in the applause or tears of the audience, that is the happiest thing!”

Thuy Vinh