The son of the late artist Thanh Nga surprisingly revealed the assets his mother left him.
For artist Ha Linh, the most valuable asset that the late cai luong artist Thanh Nga left him was his mother's reputation.
Mother died, grandmother's hair turned white overnight
* Hello artist Ha Linh, nearly half a century has passed since Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga passed away, do you still remember the moments you lived with your parents?
-Artist Ha Linh:At that time, I was only 4-5 years old so my memories are now blurred. I only remember that my mother let me learn to play the piano. On Christmas, my mother also gave me a battery-operated toy canoe to play in the bathtub. At that time, my family was quite wealthy because my father was a lawyer and my mother was a famous actress. I still remember the details of my mother's burial, she was still very beautiful, her hair was braided, although that was not allowed at that time.
* After artist Thanh Nga passed away,lifeWhat is the situation of Mrs. Tho (owner of Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga troupe) like?
- My grandmother was very sad, her hair turned white overnight. Because my mother was the "trump card" in her troupe, all the best things she had were given to my mother. In the family, my grandmother loved my mother the most, at the same time, as the manager of Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga troupe, she had to worry about the lives of many brothers and sisters in the troupe. After my mother passed away, the audience still loved the troupe so they supported it in large numbers for a few years. After that, the Cai Luong troupes were no longer popular, my grandmother handed the troupe over to the state and began to go on a pilgrimage to practice until she passed away (in 1988).
* Does your grandmother often tell you about your mother?
- Because my grandmother traveled a lot, I didn't have much time with her and rarely heard stories about my mother. In the family, I always looked forward to eating with my grandmother. She had to take care of many things for the troupe and I was still young at that time so my grandmother didn't confide in me much. However, my grandmother still worried about me more because my mother had passed away and my uncles and aunts only helped because they all had their own families. My paternal family was also abroad so we didn't contact each other. However, I also heard that my paternal family also wanted to send me abroad but my maternal grandmother didn't agree because she had already lost her daughter, she couldn't lose her grandchild.
* When you were in school, did people recognize you as the son of artist Thanh Nga?
- Yes, I also received a government discount on tuition fees because I was orphaned. In class, the teachers often mentioned my mother and invited me to sing vọng cổ, but I didn't know how to sing (laughs).
Feel lucky not to enjoy any material possessions
* Since the death of Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga, have you ever thought about the assets your parents left you?
- I don't know if saying this will affect anyone, but I was really only 5 years old at that time, too young. Because the law in the past was not like today, where children had guardians, who kept their property until they grew up and then gave it back. But now I haven't received anything from my mother. Since my parents passed away, I've been living with my grandmother (Mrs. Tho - owner of Thanh Minh Thanh Nga singing troupe). When my parents passed away, my grandmother took care of all the funerals, so it can be said that my parents used all their assets for the funeral and built tombs for both of them in the artist temple. I think the biggest asset my mother left me was her reputation, and there was nothing material.
* During her lifetime, artist Thanh Nga lived a comfortable life, living in a townhouse, driving a car and certainly earning a high salary at that time. Have you ever heard about your family's assets?
- Of course I should know this because my mother was a leading actress and an artist loved by the audience, so her salary must have been high. I also remember that when my mother passed away, the family still had a Volkswagen. I also remember that our family had a safe. When they needed to open the safe, people asked me for the password, but I was too young at that time to know. How could a 4-5 year old child be aware of their parents' assets? When I grew up, I didn't know who to ask, and no one told me about this issue. That's why I can confidently say that my parents did not leave me any assets.
If I count, I still have a scarf, the one my mother wore when she was shot, it still has blood stains on it. As for my mother's wig, I donated it to the Women's Museum. If my parents were still alive, my life would probably be like Snow White's or Kim Cuong's children because my starting point and theirs were similar. Looking back now, I feel lucky that I did not inherit any material assets, because around me there have been many stories of inheritance that have made families no longer happy.
Artist Ha Linh never questioned her parents' assets.
* Inheriting your family's reputation but having a difficult artistic path, have you ever felt sad about this?
- I am an ordinary artist in the profession so I am not too sad. Because there are people who are very good at their profession, talented but they are not lucky enough to sell tickets so their fate is still miserable. People also often say that to do this job, you must have God's blessing.
* Have you ever learned about the royalties of Thanh Nga's songs?
- I was also surprised that many of my mother's songs were used as ringtones, but I didn't know where they came from and who had the copyright. I was also wondering if the song belonged to the author, so if my mother sang it, would it be copyrighted?
* Over the years, have you ever tried to contact your paternal family?
- Before that, I didn’t know anyone on my father’s side until recently when some relatives from abroad came to look for me and I found out about them. I think in Vietnam, it’s easy for people to find me. I also understand that everyone has their own family and has to work to make a living.
* Do you intend to settle in the US?
- My second daughter is very good at English but she doesn't want to go to America. If I want to go to America but she doesn't like it, I won't go. I can still act in movies and live happily in Vietnam, but if I choose to go to America, I will have to quit my job to do something else. Besides, when I live in Vietnam, it's easy to meet anyone, but in America it's very difficult because people are always busy and far away from each other. However, I like to go to America to travel or visit relatives or overseas artists. The good news is that after many times of being denied a US visa, I was finally granted permission to travel.
- Thank you for sharing artist Ha Linh!