Meritorious Artist Song Thao: Unforgettable memories of meeting Uncle Ho 3 times
(Baonghean.vn) - Although the artist is nearly 80 years old, her voice is still clear and resonant, her eyes still sparkle when she talks about the meetings that she will never forget in her life. She said that because of the 3 times she met the beloved leader, she always feels motivated and confident to constantly strive to improve herself.
Memories of "meeting Uncle Ho by chance"
Joining the professional troupe at the age of 17, the girl from the rice fields of Yen Thanh only brought with her a high-pitched voice, full of emotions, and a heart that loves art and folk songs from her hometown of Nghe An. Even now, when recalling that initial journey, she still feels overwhelmed with emotion when recalling the memories of her early days as a professional, and the unforgettable milestones.
 |
| Meritorious Artist Song Thao shares the emotional moment when he first met Uncle Ho in 1961. Photo: Duc Anh |
In 1961, when she had only been in the troupe for 2 years, she and the actors of the Nghe An Art Troupe were informed that there would be a special performance to serve a special guest, beloved Uncle Ho, during his second visit to his hometown.
“It is impossible to express all the excitement and anticipation. We, the brothers and sisters who got to go on stage to sing for Uncle Ho that time, all of us were fumbling around, occasionally sneaking a glance down at the stage where Uncle Ho would be,” Meritorious Artist Song Thao recounted.
 |
| Image of Uncle Ho visiting his hometown for the second time. Documentary photo |
 |
| The memories of the three times she met beloved Uncle Ho always give her more motivation in life. Photo: Duc Anh |
Recalling the difficult journey of artistic activities when the country was still at war, Meritorious Artist Song Thao said that she and her colleagues at that time only knew how to sing, practice, serve the masses and were truly devoted to art, always concerned about how to perform well without worrying about anything else. To the point that when she was 8 months pregnant for the second time, because there was no actress to replace her, she had to use a long scarf to tie her small belly to play the role of a girl sending her lover off. "After performing, I sweated, knowing that it affected my health, but in our time, when the people needed us, the Troupe needed us, we just performed, no matter where we went, no matter what we did" - Meritorious Artist Song Thao shared.
 |
| Meritorious Artist Song Thao shares about his career story. Photo: Duc Anh |
Perhaps because of that devotion, she was rewarded by God. In 1965, when attending a music and dance festival in the North, the Ministry of Culture and Information sent some brothers and sisters who were actors of the Nghe An Province Song and Dance Troupe to see the exhibition in Trang Tien.
“At first, I just felt happy and honored to be chosen as one of the outstanding faces to see the exhibition. But who would have thought that while standing in the exhibition hall that day, Uncle Ho suddenly appeared, he walked through the back door, we burst into cheers, Uncle Ho, oh Uncle Ho...”.
Then all the actors present that day ran to hug Uncle Ho, some stroked his beard, some held his arm tightly, afraid of losing him. In that unexpected moment, Uncle Ho kindly asked each person's name, then asked where they were from.
“When Uncle Ho asked about me, I said loudly, I am from Nghe An, I thought Uncle would be more “favorable”, but unexpectedly Uncle Ho replied: Oh, you are all my children and grandchildren. That shows the greatness and simplicity of Ho Chi Minh, Uncle did not want those present that day to feel hurt when he showed more favor to anyone”.
 |
| Uncle Ho with Nghe An Art Troupe in 1962. Photo archive |
 |
| Meritorious Artist Song Thao sang the song "Looking at the tree and remembering you" again with the same emotion as the first time she sang this song. Photo: Document |
“Looking at the tree, I remember him” and the last time I saw Uncle Ho
Recalling the last time she met Uncle Ho in her life, Meritorious Artist Song Thao still sobs unceasingly. That was the time she met Uncle Ho and received many teachings from him, receiving valuable lessons that have followed her throughout her artistic journey.
“Also in 1965, after attending a music and dance festival in the North, I and two other singers were assigned to stay behind to sing for Uncle Ho. The three of us, without saying anything, just looked at each other and smiled, our hearts filled with pride and happiness,” Meritorious Artist Song Thao said.
 |
| Uncle Ho is always in the heart of every Vietnamese child. Photo: document |
Then she seemed to guess that Uncle Ho, far from home, would miss his hometown's folk song very much, so she recited the folk song as smoothly and emotionally as possible:“Oh...oh, who knows if the Lam River water is clear or turbid/ Who knows if life is shameful or glorious/ Your boat goes up and down rapids/ The country is meaning and love, oh everyone...”.
“When my performance ended, Uncle nodded and said: In our region, the word “water” is pronounced “nác”, my child. Oh my, I never expected Uncle to be so busy with a thousand things. He had been away from home for a long time but still remembered such small details.” A small detail that Uncle taught her will forever be remembered. For her, it is the motivation and responsibility of an artist. “Artists must always be meticulous, always improve, and constantly strive to be worthy of being artists in the hearts of the people,” she said.
| Meritorious Artist Song Thao performed again the song "Looking at the tree and remembering him" which she recorded in 1969 just after Uncle Ho passed away, and was played during the days when people and international visitors visited Uncle Ho's mausoleum. |
When recalling the milestone of 1969, she said: “That year, the Ministry of Culture established a non-professional group of Military Region IV, including brothers and sisters who were “good at farming and good at shooting” to go to Hanoi to attend a commendation ceremony. We were chosen to sing for the soldiers. Everyone hoped to meet Uncle Ho.
“Because at that time we were ordered to practice seriously to perform for a very important event. While practicing, we were excited because we thought we would meet Uncle Ho again. However, during a practice session, we heard on the loudspeaker the news that Uncle Ho had passed away. Everyone was shocked into silence, no one said a word to each other, tears fell down,... it felt like the ground beneath our feet was collapsing.”
“At the same time, upon receiving news that the Nghe An artists were in Hanoi, Mr. Do Nhuan stopped by the group and gave me the song he had just written: “Looking at the tree, I remember Him”, a song developed from the folk tune of Nghe Tinh. “I learned the song after only 15 minutes and I was able to sing it right away, the two of us practiced and sang in tears. Immediately after that, we rushed to the Voice of Vietnam Radio to record it. The song was broadcast the day after Uncle Ho passed away, when international delegations and people came to pay their respects to him.”
Every time Uncle Ho's birthday comes, Meritorious Artist Song Thao sees Uncle Ho's image somewhere, memories of meeting Uncle Ho come flooding back, and she misses Uncle Ho endlessly!
* Meritorious Artist Song Thao was born in 1942, from Yen Thanh, and joined the Nghe An Art Troupe in 1959. While in the troupe, she sang songs, sang cheo, and acted in plays.
* She played the role of Ms. Nghe in the famous play "Miss Song Lam" directed by Nguyen Trung Phong.
* In addition to opera, she is also a successful singer who performed the songs Xa khoi (Nguyen Tai Tue), Buong ao em ra (Hoang Thanh). She was especially the first person to sing the song "Looking at the tree and remembering the person" by Do Nhuan.
* She won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal at national singing competitions and was awarded the Uncle Ho badge.
* She was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in 1984.
