There is a love from Trinh Attic
The house of musician Trinh Cong Son in Hue city has now become a meaningful meeting place for Trinh music lovers across the country. The person who took over Trinh Attic is poet and painter Le Huynh Lam.
The artist once confided that he always had a deep love for Nghe An, where many generations of his family had experienced a journey filled with love.
From Trinh Attic, remembering Nghe An
Attic room 203 in apartment building number 19 on Nguyen Truong To street of Hue city is wheremusician Trinh Cong Sonwhere this talented musician lived and also composed his first songs. Over the years, the attic still retains its rustic, simple features like the soul of this talented musician. Now, it has become a stop for Trinh's music lovers, where they come back to feel the old atmosphere, to listen to the melodies echoing from the past, and to relive quiet, contemplative moments after the hustle and bustle of city life.
That special house was named “The House of the Wanderers” by writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong. Now, it is called “Gac Trinh” as in the poem “The Temple of the Soul named Gac Trinh” by poet and painter Le Huynh Lam.
In that attic, artist Le Huynh Lam shared about a special hometown that every time he mentioned it, he felt a lot of nostalgia and love. That hometown was Nghe An. He said that his grandfather used to work at Vinh Power Plant, where he and his wife welcomed their first and only daughter. Living among the sincere affection of the people of Nghe An, along with the land where he worked, he had a very special affection for Vinh city. That was the reason he named his daughter Huynh Thi Vinh.
Vinh Power Plant began construction in 1957 and was officially inaugurated two years later. However, starting in 1964, the US imperialists massively bombed the North, severely destroying Vinh Power Plant. During that fierce war, many people working at the plant sacrificed their lives while performing their duties. Among them was the maternal grandfather of poet and painter Le Huynh Lam.
After his grandfather passed away, his grandmother brought her daughter Huynh Thi Vinh to live in Hue. However, in her heart and the hearts of her family members, there is always a deep pain for the land where he died. From those fateful relationships, for artist Le Huynh Lam, Nghe An is a place that holds a lot of memories of the family during a difficult period. It is where his grandfather rested, but also where his mother began her life. That sunny and windy land has sheltered and protected the small family from Hue, creating a deep bond of affection that lasts until now.
Connecting Nghe people with the love of Trinh's music
In Hue, people still call poet and painter Le Huynh Lam the custodian of the “heritage house”. Painter Le Huynh Lam’s journey to Trinh Attic stems from his love of music and the respect and admiration he has for the talented musician Trinh Cong Son.
Although painter Le Huynh Lam is not the owner of this house, the owners are the late writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong and his wife, poet Lam Thi My Da. However, in 2013, the late writer and his wife decided to hand over the house to painter Le Huynh Lam to manage and operate with the hope that this place will become a memorial site for musician Trinh Cong Son. They believe in painter Le Huynh Lam's love of music and dedication. From that day on, he not only took on the responsibility, but also saw this as an inspiring journey to convey the value of Trinh's music to many generations.
Under his management, Trinh Attic gradually became a cultural symbol and a space for artistic exchange. His close friends contributed many valuable documents and images to enrich the exhibition space. Trinh Attic is not only a place to preserve the memory of musician Trinh Cong Son but also a place to connect like-minded souls who love music and art.
At the same time, Trinh Attic has increasingly received the attention of many young people, especially since the movie "Em va Trinh" which had many scenes filmed in this house. Art exhibitions and music nights with the theme of musician Trinh Cong Son have also touched the emotions of many people. When the house deteriorated over time, fortunately someone collected a painting of Trinh Cong Son with the theme "Thau thi", artist Le Huynh Lam used all the money to renovate the house with the intention of protecting the meaningful nostalgic space so that it becomes as warm as when musician Trinh Cong Son lived and composed.
Trinh's Attic has welcomed many guests from Nghe An. For artist Le Huynh Lam, each meeting is an opportunity to extend the bond between the love of Trinh's music and the people of Nghe An. Poet Le Huynh Lam always believes that music and art have no borders, and through Trinh's Attic, those values are spread more strongly than ever.
“I have friends from Nghe An who often visit Gac Trinh. Or sometimes, even though they are just on a business trip passing through Hue, they stop to visit Gac Trinh, which makes me very emotional.
Just recently, a family from Nghe An, after meeting and learning about the situation of painter Vinh Dan, decided to collect the paintings of that painter which are currently on display at Gac Trinh. That sincerity shows the heart of the Nghe people sent to the land of the ancient capital.Since then, Trinh Attic has not only been a memorial space but also contributed to connecting Nghe people with Hue land..."
Artist Le Huynh Lam
