Thanh Quy and her deep connection with folk music.
From folk songs she memorized as a child in the coastal area of Thach Van (Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province), Thanh Quy gradually made her way to the professional stage and chose folk music as her artistic path. After many years of dedication, the female singer still believes that she has not yet repaid her "debt" to the songs of her homeland - a debt that the more she sings and explores, the more she wants to continue.
Content:Thanh NgaButPresent: Hong Toai • 31/8/2026
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From folk songs she memorized as a child in the coastal area of Thach Van (Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province), now Dong Tien commune, Thanh Quy gradually made her way to the professional stage and chose folk music as her artistic path. After many years of dedication, the female singer still believes that she has not yet repaid her "debt" to the songs of her homeland - a debt that the more she sings and explores, the more she wants to continue.
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During the holidays, Thanh Quy is busy with new music projects and performing on stages all over the country. Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern music life, she still returns to the melodies that have been with her since childhood.
Thanh Quý said that she has come a long way with folk music, but the further she goes, the more she feels she still "owes" the songs of her homeland. It's not a debt to be repaid all at once, but the more she sings and explores, the more she realizes there's still so much she wants to do. Because for her, folk music is her homeland, her memories, her very being, and the foundation of her singing career today. Perhaps that's why the question, "Did I choose folk music, or did folk music choose me?", is not easy for Thanh Quý to answer definitively.
Born and raised in Thach Van, Thach Ha, Ha Tinh (now Dong Tien commune, Ha Tinh province) – a region year-round affected by the Lao wind and storms – Thanh Quy has lived since childhood in a cultural space rich in folk songs. These hometown melodies naturally permeated his life, from family activities to school and village cultural events.
She knew ancient folk songs by heart, such asTen acts of kindness to parents,The mother laments to her child.,Nghe An folk singingWhat was remarkable was that Thanh Quy could memorize the lyrics of songs after hearing them only a few times, even new songs with lyrics set to ancient melodies. No one at the time knew that little Thanh Quy would later become a professional singer. But the dream of standing on stage and singing folk songs had quietly taken shape from those early days.
After graduating from high school, Thanh Quy passed the entrance exam to the Vocal Music Department at Nguyen Du College of Culture and Arts in Ha Tinh province. Her years of study in her hometown provided her with a strong foundation in vocal music and opportunities to perform on amateur stages.
In 2013, Thanh Quy's first success came when she won the A prize at the Vietnam Musicians Association Festival in the North Central region. This also marked a milestone that helped her name become more widely known in the music scene of Ha Tinh, especially in the folk music genre. But Thanh Quy didn't stop at these initial achievements; for her, competitions are a place to challenge herself and help her discover her limits. "You have to know where you can go to know where you belong," Thanh Quy said.
After graduating, she decided to go to Hanoi alone to prepare for the entrance exam and passed, gaining admission to the Vocal Department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. For a young woman, that decision meant starting almost from scratch in a completely new environment. In her early days in Hanoi, Thanh Quy had no money and few connections. To earn money to cover her living expenses, studies, and pursue her musical dream, she studied while also singing and recording new songs for songwriters.
The small incomes from singing and recording became the resources she needed to continue her studies and gradually create her own musical products. Thanh Quy recalls that journey with a simple belief: "If you have a burning passion for your profession and an unwavering effort, you will surely succeed." That belief was proven by her subsequent progress.
Under the guidance of her teachers at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, especially Dr. Tan Nhan, a singer and Deputy Head of the Vocal Department, Thanh Quy continued to refine her technique and performance skills. In 2016, she began to test herself in major music competitions and won a Silver Medal at the National "Young Music Talent" competition organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information. From then on, new milestones continuously followed. In 2018, Thanh Quy participated in the "Ultimate Duet" competition. Not confining herself to a single style, she tried her hand at folk songs, traditional Vietnamese opera, and even bolero. Together with her duet partner, Thanh Quy won first runner-up. Speaking about this competition, Thanh Quy said: "Every time I get to perform a new song on stage, it's a challenge for me."
At the Sao Mai 2019 competition, the female singer continued to demonstrate her versatility in approaching folk music. She performed a series of songs.Don't compare me to the sea.,Thuy Kieu's Melody- This song helped her win second prize at the Sao Mai Hai Phong 2018 competition.
Although known for her sweet voice when singing Nghe An folk songs, at the final round of the National Television Singing Contest - Sao Mai 2019, she decided to try her hand at many different folk song genres, including those requiring technical skill and performance prowess such as <i>hat van</i>, <i>xam cho</i>, and <i>chau van</i>.
These were "unusual" choices in a competition where contestants usually tend to choose safe performances that suit their strengths. Thanh Quy was different. She wanted to broaden her horizons and prove that a folk singer can absolutely step outside of familiar boundaries.
With her performance skills, singing voice, and stage presence, Thanh Quy was considered one of the outstanding contestants. As a result, she won two awards: the Most Impressive Performance Style Award and Third Prize in the Folk Song category of the Sao Mai 2019 competition.
These awards are not only recognition for a voice but also mark a journey: from a girl from the coastal city of Ha Tinh who knew folk songs to a young singer capable of innovating the approach to traditional music.
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After numerous competitions, awards, and years on stage, Thanh Quy chose not to stop and enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Two music videosWaiting areaandBoth banks of the Lam RiverThese are milestones in her journey to bring her singing closer to the public. But for the singer, these are just the first steps.
In the future, Thanh Quy plans to continue making new music videos with songs about her homeland and country. Further down the line, she aims to release her first solo album.
It's no simple plan, especially in a music market where public taste is constantly changing. Modern music genres, heavily invested visuals, and aggressive marketing strategies are putting considerable pressure on artists pursuing folk music. Thanh Quy wants to find a way for traditional values to be told in a language suitable for today's audience.
This also explains why, throughout her artistic journey, Thanh Quy has always sought to expand the scope of folk music. She sings folk songs from Nghe An province, tries her hand at ceremonial singing, Xam singing, bolero, and many other genres. This diversity does not diminish the folk essence in her voice but helps her better understand the broader values of traditional music. For Thanh Quy, preserving folk music does not mean standing still with what already exists.
It could involve embracing old values with the mindset of a young person, finding new ways to express them without losing the essence of the melodies that have been passed down through generations.
I have always aspired to be part of a new generation of Vietnamese folk music, inheriting and developing the traditional values of this genre, especially with Nghe An folk music, which has always held a firm place in my career development."
Thanh Quy shared
Perhaps that's also how she answers the question she asked herself from the beginning: Did she choose folk music, or did folk music choose her?
For a girl who grew up surrounded by folk songs from her hometown, who carried folk music with her from small stages in Ha Tinh to the lecture halls of the Vietnam National Academy of Music, and then onto the big stages of music competitions, the line between choice and destiny seemed to have blurred.
Folk music has chosen Thanh Quy since her childhood. And Thanh Quy, through years of study, work, and continuous creativity, is choosing to continue writing her story within the flow of folk music. New music videos, albums with the colors of Nghe An folk music, and future plans are still waiting. But one thing seems certain: on this journey, the songs of her homeland will always be her destination.
According to Thanh Quy: "What makes you famous and loved by many people is when you 'personalize' yourself in your musical life. Whether you sing well or are famous for your musical stories, you still need to have your own unique style on stage."
That's when, even with your eyes closed, you can still know Thanh Quy is singing, with the sound of a sweet voice, and a deep love for folk songs... Because for Thanh Quy, the debt to folk music is not a debt that needs to be fully repaid - it's a beautiful debt, the further she goes, the more she wants to return, the more she sings, the closer she feels to her homeland in every word and melody.
