Artist Thanh Hai: Approaching art with a sincere heart.

Memorable milestones

If anyone has ever seen Thanh Hai on stageTelevision Singing Contest 1998It's impossible to forget the incredibly simple yet passionate image of the girl born in 1980, from Minh Chau commune (Dien Chau district), as she sang the poignant and captivating melody of Phu Quang's "It's Not Because of Autumn." Listening to Thanh Hai's performance, many audience members exclaimed that this young woman has such a soulful voice. However, few know that this girl has never received formal vocal training. She sings with genuine feeling and tells the love story in her own way, with a rare, deep, husky alto voice.

With that impressive performance, Thanh Hai won the Special Prize at the Nghe An Television Singing Contest in 1998. She recalled: "That time I went to the competition with nothing but my God-given voice. No rehearsals, no coach, no hired musician to arrange the music or a band to practice with to get used to the stage… The representative of the judging panel said: 'The reason we awarded the Special Prize is because this girl is so special, she has both exceptional talent and a very confident performance attitude despite not having any training.'" After this competition, Thanh Hai was selected to compete in the regional Television Singing Contest, but it coincided with her high school graduation exams, so she had to put her passion on hold.

Seven years later, Thanh Hai participated in the 2005 Television Singing Contest again. By then, her voice had matured, and she was already an actress in the Provincial Folk Song and Dance Troupe. All the songs she performed in this prestigious competition were folk songs from Northern Vietnam, such as "Da Trong Chong" (Waiting for My Husband), "Dan Co" (Crane's Lute) composed by musician Le Minh Son, and "Dan Ty Ba" (Pipa) composed by An Thuyen. When she sang with her powerful voice, the entire audience fell silent. In those years, people compared her to diva Thanh Lam because of their very similar vocal tones, both being alto contraltos with a husky, expressive quality.

Previously, after winning first prize in the provincial round, she was selected to compete at the regional level. Once again, she was highly praised and advanced to the top 3 selected to compete at the national level. However, before entering the final round, a judge advised her to choose the song "Dan Ty Ba" instead of "Da Trong Chong," which she loved so much. Usually, if a contestant receives advice from the judging panel, they will change their mind, thinking that the judges have given them the best choice. But Thanh Hai was different; she confidently stuck with her initial choice. And once again, due to her incredibly convincing performance, Thanh Hai with "Da Trong Chong" was again one of the 3 light music contestants selected to compete in the final ranking round of the National Television Singing Contest.

Although she didn't achieve high results in the national competition, Thanh Hai believes she had many interesting experiences during her youth. Competing in a singing contest felt like performing in a concert; she went without much preparation or resources, yet she remained carefree and gave her all in her performances. In particular, when she sang Le Minh Son's "Dan Co" (The Crane), many listeners predicted she would make a name for herself in the contemporary music market, with her mature emotions and skillful use of high notes.

When asked why, despite her great success in singing talent competitions, Thanh Hai didn't seek out a wider world to unleash her creativity and contribute, she simply replied that she wanted to be with her family, to be close to her parents, and to repay the Nghe An Ethnic Dance and Music Troupe (now the Provincial Traditional Arts Center), the first unit to discover and train her, leading her to where she is today.

The girl who sings love songs

From a young age, the girl from Hoan Chau sang adult love songs beautifully. These were works by composers such as Thuan Yen, Thanh Tung, Nguyen Cuong, and Phu Quang…

Everyone thought Thanh Hai would be the highlight of the school's arts and culture programs. However, she wasn't. Thanh Hai recounts that she often stayed behind the scenes to choreograph performances for her classmates. She knew how to teach dance, mix music, and so on, but she didn't express herself. This is difficult to explain, but Thanh Hai says she doesn't understand why she dislikes the cheers and applause; she prefers to stay in the background so she can "show off" when needed.

Perhaps family was the driving force behind Thanh Hai's journey to the spotlight. From a young age, she received encouragement from her parents when participating in local stage performances. Her mother recognized that her daughter sang sad love songs with rich narratives beautifully. Thanh Hai recounts that it was her mother who chose the song "It's Not Because of Autumn" for her, and she won the Special Prize in the Nghe An Television Singing Contest when she was just 17 years old.

As the third of four siblings, Thanh Hai's family was struggling financially, making it impossible for them to provide for all their children's education. Therefore, when the provincial folk dance troupe held auditions, Thanh Hai immediately applied, hoping to test her abilities and receive free education to ease the burden on her parents. Unexpectedly, from the very first notes, the troupe accepted her and promised to cover all her expenses and provide her with an income upon joining.

Thanh Hai said that her time working with the troupe, from the time she was sent to study until now, has been filled with joy and sorrow, ups and downs, like the melody of life. However, what remains in her heart is gratitude – gratitude for working in a united environment, gratitude for the troupe's leadership always choosing her as the lead singer in the National Music and Dance Festivals. And it is thanks to the support of the unit's leadership that Thanh Hai has always won prestigious medals. Notable examples include the Silver Medal for the trio "My Country Boy," the Silver Medal for the duet "Walking Without Stopping" at the National Music and Dance Festivals in 2018 and 2021, and especially the Gold Medal at the 2024 National Music and Dance Festival with the work "Flying Amidst the Lam River" by Pham Phuong Thao.

This work speaks of the yearning for self-improvement and the spirit of a person from Nghe An province, with climactic passages written by the author against a backdrop of ballad music and melodies reminiscent of traditional Vietnamese folk singing. According to Thanh Hai, this work best reflects her personality: upright, sincere, yet deeply passionate. Thanh Hai believes that to fulfill the mission of an artist, one must first cultivate a beautiful soul and a heart that loves life; only then will success come knocking.