Professor Tran Van Khe has passed away.

In the early hours of June 24th, the artist, musician, and researcher of Vietnamese folk music passed away at the age of 94 after nearly a month of treatment at the hospital.

Professor and Doctor Tran Van Khe passed away at approximately 2:00 AM on June 24th at Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Prior to his death, he had become seriously ill on May 27th due to heart failure, severe pneumonia, and kidney failure. He suffered respiratory failure, rendering him unable to breathe on his own, and his heart rhythm was irregular and slow. Doctors had intubated him and placed him on a ventilator, and he had been fitted with a pacemaker for about a month.

In accordance with the wishes made by the Professor on June 5th, his remains are laid to rest at his residence on Huynh Dinh Hai Street, Binh Thanh District. His funeral will also take place at this house.

According to Professor's wishes, upon his death, his eldest son, Professor Tran Quang Hai, would be the chief mourner. However, since Professor Hai was in France and had not yet returned, a funeral subcommittee was formed consisting of his close friends and family, such as writer and journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan, Mr. Tran Ba ​​Thuy (husband of poet Ton Nu Hy Khuong)... In addition, family members, students, and friends also joined in to help with the funeral arrangements for the professor.

Professor and Doctor Tran Van Khe held a Buddhist ceremony at his home during the Lunar New Year of the Goat (2015).

From April, sensing his impending death, Professor Khe contacted close friends, including writer and journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan in Hue, to ask for their help in arranging his funeral. Upon hearing that Tran Van Khe had been hospitalized in critical condition, Mr. Nguyen Dac Xuan flew from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City and stayed by the professor's family's side until his passing.

From June 9th, upon hearing the news that his father was dying, Professor Tran Quang Hai flew back to Vietnam from France. During this period, Professor Khe's health was at times critical, causing great concern for his family and relatives. A funeral committee was planned to be established at this time so that Professor Hai could meet to discuss arrangements for his father's funeral.

During his month in the hospital, there were times when Professor Khe seemed to show signs of regaining consciousness after many days in a coma. On June 18th, he opened his eyes, looked at his son, and reacted as if he understood when he heard him speak. On June 21st, due to work commitments, Professor Hai flew back to France. However, just three days later, Professor Tran Van Khe fell into a coma again and could not overcome this health challenge. He passed away just one month before his 94th birthday. Professor Khe was born on July 24, 1921.

Professor Tran Van Khe wished for his funeral to be conducted according to Buddhist rites. Venerable Thich Le Trang presided over the ceremonies. After a period of lying in state at his home for friends, students, and audience members to pay their last respects, Professor Tran Van Khe will be cremated. His last wish is that his ashes be placed under the ancestral altar at his home on Huynh Dinh Hai Street. "If for any reason it is not possible to keep the urn at my home, my children and the funeral committee will decide on the most convenient place to store it," the Professor expressed his final wish.

At the funeral, a traditional Vietnamese music band, comprised of his close friends and students, will perform a special concert. Regarding the funeral donations, the professor expressed his wish to use the money to establish a scholarship or award fund named after him, to be given annually to recipients for their research on traditional Vietnamese music.

The professor with the vinyl records he has made, including a record of him playing music with music master Nguyen Vinh Bao (left). Photo: Nguyen A.

Professor and Doctor of Music Tran Van Khe was the first Vietnamese person to earn a doctorate in musicology in France. He later became a professor at the Sorbonne University (France), an honorary member of the International Music Council, UNESCO, and other organizations. He had a long and distinguished career in research and teaching, and played a significant role in promoting Vietnamese music in particular, and Vietnamese culture in general, to the world.

For over half a century living, researching, and teaching Vietnamese folk music in France, Professor Khe always took advantage of short trips back to Vietnam to learn about and interact with local artisans regarding traditional music.

In 2004, he brought back to Vietnam thousands of books, research papers, video tapes, and other materials. All the materials he had accumulated over decades of music research were packed into more than 460 packages and shipped by sea from France to Vietnam. This vast collection is stored at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum. In October 2005, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City handed over a small villa on Huynh Dinh Hai Street, Binh Thanh District, to Professor Khe as his residence. This house also houses all the artifacts related to his personal life and career.

In an interview with VnExpress in 2006 – the time he celebrated his first Tet (Lunar New Year) in his new home – Professor Khe confided: "I have always wished to return to Vietnam, to have a house that is not only a place to live but also a place to work. It is a place to gather and preserve the materials I have collected throughout my life, so that later generations of Vietnamese people can come and see them, and so that they can engage in dialogue with musical cultures around the world."

Professor Khe returned to Vietnam to settle in 2003 at the age of 82. Since then, he has been hospitalized many times due to poor health. He had many health problems since his youth. But each time, he bravely fought his illnesses and recovered quickly to return to his work promoting and teaching music. His last hospitalization was also his longest stay. He battled his illness until the very end.

According to VNE