Meet musician Van The - who has written many songs about President Ho Chi Minh.

The first song about Uncle Ho

Composer Vo Van The (often referred to as composer Van The by the composers) recounted that during the peak period of traditional music from 1957 to 1969, he was immersed in an atmosphere of...composing songs about the great President Ho Chi Minhi.

During these years, Nghe An had three performing arts troupes that were extremely active, contributing many valuable plays and artistic programs to serve major political events of the province and the people, creating a great impact. Musician Van The was in the Performing Arts and Opera Troupe and was responsible for composing songs for the troupe.

In 1968, upon encountering President Ho Chi Minh's New Year's greeting poem, deeply impressed by the great leader and imbued with the spirit of his poem broadcast on the radio, composer Van The immediately thought of composing a song based on the poem. However, after much thought and deliberation, he still couldn't find the right musical inspiration. "Partly because I was overwhelmed, and partly because I was so excited, it took me a year before I could release the song I had longed for," composer Van The recalled.

The song, titled "Celebrating President Ho Chi Minh's Spring Poetry," was composed by him using the melodies of the ancient folk songs (mị, là, đô), but it is full of heroic spirit. In particular, the line: "Drive the Americans out, overthrow the puppet regime" is emphasized by the author with fast, strong, and decisive notes, highlighting the song's great idea and making it immediately resonate with people like a rallying cry.

After the song was released, the then Head of the Department of Culture of Nghe An Province took the sheet music and said that the singers of the troupe would practice it to perform for high-ranking officials.

Indeed, after the music was arranged and the actors and actresses of the opera troupe performed, the song received praise from provincial leaders and experts. Soon after, Van The was informed by his superiors that this song would be performed for high-ranking leaders when they came to work in Nghe An.

Composer Văn Thế recalled that after listening to the song, General Secretary Lê Duẩn, a high-ranking leader present in the audience at the time, nodded in approval, praising both the melody and the ideas in the song. Following that event, composer Đỗ Nhuận brought the song to Hanoi, broadcast it at a gathering at the Voice of Vietnam radio station, and published it in issue number 1 of the Culture magazine of the Ministry of Culture and Information at the time.

“From then on, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union (now the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union) launched a campaign to practice and sing the song "Celebrating President Ho Chi Minh's Spring Poetry" throughout the province, creating a vibrant atmosphere everywhere,” recalled musician Van The.

Many songs about Uncle Ho have been continuously composed.

Besides the song "Celebrating President Ho Chi Minh's Spring Poetry," there is also the song "The Lam River, the Love of President Ho Chi Minh," which won first prize in the songwriting competition on studying and following the thoughts, ethics, and style of Ho Chi Minh. Songs by composer Van The such as "Pilgrimage to President Ho Chi Minh's Homeland," "Visiting President Ho Chi Minh's Monument," and "The Sacred New Year's Eve Moment" also received many major awards at the provincial and national levels. All these songs are published in the anthology "The Lam River, the Love of President Ho Chi Minh" by composer Van The.

These include the piece "Pilgrimage to Uncle Ho's Homeland" (C Prize - Ho Xuan Huong Award of the Nghe An Union of Literature and Arts); "The Sacred New Year's Eve Moment" (B Prize - Campaign for creating and promoting literary, artistic, and journalistic works on the theme of studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh in 2010); and the choral work "The Epic of the Lam River" (C Prize - Ho Xuan Huong Award).

Composer Van The recounted: “The song 'Pilgrimage to Uncle Ho's Homeland' became a sensation among young people at that time. It could be heard at any performance because of its lively, cheerful, and very emotional melody.” In fact, for the past several decades, during the Lang Sen Festival, in the procession of Uncle Ho's portrait, the song “Pilgrimage to Uncle Ho's Homeland” has been played...

Composer Van The has many compositions about President Ho Chi Minh, which, as he explains, stem from his affection and admiration for the beloved Uncle Ho. However, composing music about Uncle Ho is also a way for composers to challenge themselves. Van The shared: “When I listen to songs about Uncle Ho by composers An Thuyen, Thuan Yen, or Do Nhuan, I admire them immensely, because they have found a way to approach the ‘portrait’ of the leader through music that is extremely intimate, endearing, and has a powerful impact not only today but also in the future. From that, I pondered and always felt I needed to overcome the ‘great mountains’ within myself, and that great mountain is finding the simplest way to approach the image of Uncle Ho.”

To create the most vivid and relatable works about President Ho Chi Minh, composer Van The meticulously researched the President's life, career, and musical material to build a beautiful and endearing image. His 15 musical compositions about Ho Chi Minh demonstrate the serious artistic spirit, determination, and boundless love for the beloved President that this composer possessed.

Every year, during the Lotus Village Singing Festival, songs about President Ho Chi Minh written by composer Van The resonate on large stages. Despite his advanced age and declining health, when the topic of songs about President Ho Chi Minh comes up, composer Van The still embraces his guitar and sings with all his passion...