Listen to Trinh Cong Son's music to feel a soul deeply attached to life.

It has been 16 years since musician Trịnh Công Sơn passed away. His music still resonates, still captivates listeners both old and new. The melancholy remains, but it is undeniable.

Almost everyone agrees that Trịnh Công Sơn's music is very sad, philosophical, profound, and also very difficult to understand. Few people can fully grasp the layers of meaning that the late musician embedded in each of his compositions.

All we know is that his music always evokes deep empathy and admiration in listeners, whether he writes about the human condition, about mothers, about women, about love, or other conflicts in life.

There are also many times when listeners of Trinh Cong Son's music awaken from their sadness, finding solace and understanding in their hearts, becoming stronger, and thus loving life even more. Trinh Cong Son's music also often blazes with passion, inspiring generations and bringing joy.

Joining Hands in a Great Circle - A Song of Fiery Passion

"The mountains and forests stretch out their arms to reconnect with the ancient sea / We extend our arms ever wider to unite the land / This vast land, we brothers and sisters return, meeting each other with joy like a whirlwind in the wide sky / Hands clasped together, forming a circle of Vietnam..."

The heartfelt, patriotic lyrics of this talented musician truly resonated and spread. From the mid-1960s, "Joining Hands in a Great Circle" became the opening song for all collective activities of students throughout South Vietnam. The song was created to encourage the fighting spirit and the aspiration for national reunification.

This song also went down in history on the afternoon of April 30, 1975. As people enthusiastically took to the streets, joyfully celebrating the reunification of the country, Trinh Cong Son had the opportunity to sing it on Saigon Radio. The song, sung in that momentous context, moved all listeners, who joined in singing along.

Let the wind carry it away - "In life, one needs a kind heart."

Singer Khánh Ly, who had a long-standing relationship with the late musician Trịnh Công Sơn, recounted: "Back then, I was very poor. I had no money, living in a house cluttered with books and newspapers, surrounded by a group of male friends, but I didn't pay attention to any of them. At that time, all I needed was money because I couldn't even afford a dress or a pair of shoes. Yet, when I asked Sơn, 'What is most important in life?', he said that all you need in life is a kind heart. At the time, I didn't understand. I thought, 'Is a kind heart meant to be eaten?'"

This is perhaps the inspiration behind the song "Let the Wind Carry It Away" by musician Trinh Cong Son. For the late musician Trinh Cong Son, people live not just to exist, but to live "with a heart," with love above all else, even though that heart will ultimately be "carried away by the wind." The musician also earnestly urged people to "love the day to come," regardless of how yesterday or today passes...

Don't despair, my dear - "If you remain innocent, you will see the dawn."

"Don't Despair, My Dear" is a song composed by musician Trinh Cong Son based on his love story with a beautiful beauty queen – a woman who brought him intense feelings of love.

That love seemed destined to last forever for the musician, but one day she left, leaving Trịnh Công Sơn with a profound sense of loss and boundless sadness. This unfinished love affair became the inspiration for Trịnh Công Sơn's song "My Dear, Don't Despair."

"Don't despair, my dear, don't despair"

Autumn leaves fall in the middle of winter.

Don't despair, my dear, don't despair.

You are me, and I am you.

The kite flies, but the soul is cold.

The kite falls, adding to the sadness of the abyss.

Who am I that I still bear the mark of tears?

Who am I that I still exist in this mortal world?

Who am I, who am I, who am I?

"I love this life so much..."

In the simplest way possible, generation after generation, regardless of distance, hearts broken by love turn to "Don't Despair, My Dear" as a "medicine" to soothe their pain and rekindle their faith in life. The rhythm of "Don't Despair, My Dear" and "Who am I, who am I, who am I that I love this life so much?" resonates like a personal awakening bell for each individual.

Let's Fall in Love - A song that makes listeners yearn for love.

This song was composed by Trịnh Công Sơn in 1970, amidst fierce bombing and shelling, when life and death were always intertwined.

The musician Trịnh Công Sơn wrote this song as an encouragement for everyone to love each other because life is short, and to cherish every moment spent together.

If love could make people forget all pain, forget all darkness, and leave only overflowing happiness, as the lyrics say: "Let's give each other countless days of love / Let's give each other happiness and sorrow / The heart gives us a place to take refuge / To forget so many desolate days," then surely everyone would want to love and be loved.

Pink Rain - "Life is too short to be indifferent"

"Pink Rain" is one of Trinh Cong Son's love songs that has been loved by many generations of listeners. "Pink Rain" expresses longing, regret, and yearning for a love, but the listener doesn't hear any sense of self-pity. On the contrary, overshadowing all the sadness is an appreciation and cherishing of every moment of life and love.

And in the end, after all, it all comes down to one heartfelt philosophy: "Life is too short to be indifferent."

Lullaby - "Lullaby, may you love me forever"

"Ru Tình" is a song that composer Trịnh Công Sơn wrote specifically for a Japanese female singer. Because she wanted to come to Vietnam to meet Trịnh Công Sơn, the singer was involved in an accident and passed away.

Deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic fate of the talented but ill-fated girl, Trịnh Công Sơn composed the song "Ru Tình" (Lullaby of Love). "Ru Tình" is a lullaby about a love that didn't exist but was incredibly beautiful, giving listeners renewed faith and motivation in love.

I am a little rose - A joyful children's song

When people think of Trịnh Công Sơn, they often immediately think of his timeless love songs, but few remember that he was also a composer of many famous children's songs.

One of them is the song "You Are a Little Rose," and the first person to perform this song was Hong Nhung, who was only 14 years old at the time. The song is about the dreams of children, about the wish for children to grow up beautiful, like the spring of their mother, like the sunshine of their father.

A vast life - The beautiful days of youth

The song "Tuổi đời mênh mông" (Vastness of Life) was written by musician Trịnh Công Sơn in 1982. He once remarked, "Today's young generation is much more beautiful than the past," perhaps that's why the late musician wrote this song specifically for young people. It's also to tell everyone that life is vast and beautiful, and they should embrace it wholeheartedly.

According to VTV