The quiet life before passing away of Minh Tri - 'legendary voice' on VTV

Information from relatives of "legendary voice" Minh Tri said that he passed away due to old age at 4:05 a.m. on March 31, 2021 (February 29 of the lunar calendar), at the age of 77.

His funeral will take place at 12:30 on April 4, 2022. The memorial service and funeral will take place at 1:30 p.m. the same day at the Funeral Home of the 108 Central Military Hospital (No. 5 Tran Thanh Tong, Hanoi). He will be cremated at the Universe Crematorium - Van Dien Cemetery - Hanoi.

His passing made many people regret because his generation of broadcasters was a part of the memories of youth. At that time, everything was still lacking and Vietnamese television was still in its infancy, but Meritorious Artist Minh Tri brought many impressions to television viewers.

The "legendary" voice of announcer Minh Tri is part of the memories of youth.

Meritorious Artist Minh Tri's full name is Nguyen Minh Tri, born in 1945, former announcer of Vietnam Television. For many generations of Vietnamese audiences, the voices of announcers Minh Tri, Kim Tien, Manh Tuong... have created "legends" in people's hearts.

Familiar image of Meritorious Artist Minh Tri on television in the 90s. Photo archive.

In the 80s and 90s of the last century, Meritorious Artist Kim Tien and Meritorious Artist Minh Tri were considered a "heaven-born" pair of announcers. They not only harmonized each other in "voice" but also matched each other in "color" in each frame. It was these two voices that made VTV's News bulletin closer to the television audience. In particular, both of them participated in dubbing for the Chinese TV series "Journey to the West" (1986). And their voices became a beautiful part of the memories of those who watched this film.

Meritorious Artist Minh Tri once said that before auditioning to become a radio announcer for Vietnam Television in 1971, he had auditioned to become an actor. When he auditioned to become a radio announcer, everything was checked very strictly and carefully. From his walking, standing, sitting posture to his reading, pausing, and expressing emotions in front of the camera were all closely scrutinized.

Recalling the time he auditioned to become a radio announcer, he learned from his previous experience that he wanted to switch to acting but the school where he was working did not allow him to do so, so he asked the organizing committee: "If I pass, will you let me change careers?", and one of the organizing committee members asked back: "Why do you think you will pass?".

At that time, Meritorious Artist Minh Tri reflexively replied: "Oh, this guy is funny, who goes to the exam and doesn't hope to pass? That's my wish, if not, then forget it". After listening to him, announcer Kieu Oanh gave Minh Tri two editorials and gave him 15 minutes to prepare. Artist Minh Tri was very worried at that time, two long editorials in only 15 minutes, he immediately said: "Okay, let me take the exam, it's the same anyway. If I fail, I'll have to accept it, anyway, I'll still have a teaching job if I fail".

Announcers and editors who worked on the 7pm News bulletin from 1970 to 1995. Photo: VTV.

Having been involved in the broadcasting profession since the early days of Vietnam Television, his generation of broadcasters such as: Kieu Oanh, Lan Huong, Hong Trang, Manh Tuong, Minh Tri, Bich Ngoc, Kim Tien... had to "share the hardships" to create the most "complete" news bulletins. Because at that time, there was a lack of equipment, all news bulletins had to be presented live, so he always had to practice presenting before going into filming.

Meritorious Artist Minh Tri said that he will never forget the first day on television. He compared himself to a "student" who had not prepared his lesson well but still had to stand in front of the podium to answer the teacher. He practiced standing, walking, sitting... in front of the mirror, considering the mirror as his coach.

Blessed with a handsome face, a warm voice, fluent writing style, and having experience in teaching, Meritorious Artist Minh Tri's presentation style is very attractive. Until now, television audiences still remember the image of a male announcer with parted hair, a kind face, and a standard Hanoi accent appearing next to announcer Kim Tien with clear eyes, short hair, and a charming smile in every 7 p.m. News bulletin. At that time, Meritorious Artist Minh Tri was mainly responsible for presenting the News bulletin but was also assigned to read commentary for many documentaries and feature films.

In 1993, Minh Tri and Kim Tien were the first two announcers to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in the field of Radio and Television.

The sickly old age of Meritorious Artist Minh Tri

Director Ta Huy Cuong shared withVietnamese Peoplethat, "legendary voice" Minh Tri has both a son and a daughter. In his old age, he lives with his family in a house on Le Ngoc Han Street (Hanoi) - a place he said "the house is on the street but not too noisy and bustling!". About 7-8 years ago, he suffered a stroke and stomach disease, so his health has somewhat declined. However, his intelligence is still very sharp. He chooses a simple, quiet lifestyle and still watches VTV news every day.

"In my eyes, Uncle Minh Tri is a simple, approachable and disciplined person. He has a stomach disease so he never drinks alcohol. In particular, when he was still healthy, many rich people offered him high-paying invitations to host weddings, but he absolutely refused. That's why in his life, he has never appeared at a wedding as a MC," said director Ta Huy Cuong.

Before becoming a famous announcer, "legendary voice" Minh Tri was a teacher. Photo archive.

Although he is known as a VTV announcer with a "legendary" voice, Meritorious Artist Minh Tri started out as a primary and secondary school teacher. He shared that he failed the university entrance exam many times. After that, for some reason, he was called to study Pedagogy.

During his time studying pedagogy, he was the most rebellious in the class. When he went to practice, he only got 5 points, and then the teacher commented that he only played and did not study... so he was given an average conduct rating, and after graduating, he was not allowed to teach. At this time, he had to work as a construction worker, washing sand and gravel to earn a living. A year later, due to a lack of teachers, he was called to teach grade 1 at a school 20 kilometers from home.

Meritorious Artist Minh Tri recalls that when he was teaching, although he was very strict, his students loved him very much. They loved him so much that when he left teaching to move on to another field, the whole group of students cried as if there was a funeral at home. Or they expressed their feelings for him in two verses: "The whole village loves no one/ Loves teacher Tri with two berets".

In fact, after 15 years of retirement, for his own reasons, Meritorious Artist Minh Tri has never once returned to Vietnam Television, where he worked for more than 34 years. Because of his introverted lifestyle, when the writer wanted to ask him to take a photo, he firmly refused. He said he didn't want anyone to see him like this, didn't want people's pitying eyes looking at him.

Every day, he practices walking alone on the stairs, sometimes going out on the street by himself. All the noise outside the door seems to have closed for him since 15 years ago. He lives a peaceful life, content with what he has and truly believes that people have destiny.