Trịnh Công Sơn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Trịnh Công Sơn
Background information
Birth name	Trịnh Công Sơn
Also known as	Trịnh
Born	(1939-02-28)February 28, 1939
Origin	Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province, Vietnam
Died	April 1, 2001(2001-04-01) (aged 62) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1958–2001

Trịnh Công Sơn (born February 28, 1939 – died April 1, 2001) was a famous Vietnamese musician, songwriter, and poet. Many people believe he was Vietnam's best songwriter ever. His songs often talked about love, sadness, and wanting peace during the Vietnam War. Because of his anti-war messages, his music was sometimes not allowed by both the government in South Vietnam and later by the united Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Many singers became very popular by performing Trịnh's songs. The most famous ones include Khánh Ly and Trinh Vinh Trinh, who was his younger sister. Other singers like Tuan Ngoc, Le Quyen, Le Thu, and Ngoc Lan also gained fame singing his music.

Trịnh Công Sơn's Life Story

Trịnh Công Sơn was born in Buôn Ma Thuột, a city in Đắk Lắk Province, Vietnam. When he was a child, he lived in a village called Minh Huong in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. He grew up in Huế, where he went to French schools. In 1949, when he was ten, he lived with his father in prison for a year.

Later, he moved to Saigon to study philosophy. In 1961, he studied psychology and teaching to avoid joining the army. After he finished school, he taught at an elementary school in Bao Loc.

His Music and Messages

Trịnh Công Sơn wrote more than 500 songs during the 1960s and 1970s. He was inspired by people protesting the war, including young American soldiers in Vietnam. He became one of South Vietnam's most important singer-songwriters. His first popular song was Ướt mi (Tearing Lashes) in 1958.

The government often put pressure on him because they did not like the peaceful messages in his songs. For example, his song Ngủ đi con (Lullaby) was about a mother who was sad about her soldier son.

After the War

Before April 30, 1975, Trịnh Công Sơn sang his song "Nối vòng tay lớn" ("Joining Hands/Circle of Unity") on the radio in Saigon. He wrote this song in 1968, hoping for peace and unity between North and South Vietnam. On April 30, after the South Vietnamese government surrendered, Trịnh went on the radio again. He said that the dream of national unity had come true.

After Vietnam became one country in 1975, the new government sent Trịnh Công Sơn to a "retraining" camp. This was a type of labour camp. His family had already moved to Canada. However, later on, the government honored him, and many officials showed their respect. His sad songs about love and peace after the war became popular again. Many of his songs are now licensed to Vietnamese music companies like Thúy Nga and Lang Van. Other artists continue to sing them.

Famous Singers of His Songs

Two singers are very well known for singing Trịnh Công Sơn's music. One is Khánh Ly. She helped make his music famous in the early years. They often performed together at universities in South Vietnam. Later in his life, singer Hồng Nhung (born in 1970) helped make his music popular again.

Trịnh Công Sơn passed away on April 1, 2001, when he was 62 years old. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered for his funeral in Ho Chi Minh City. It was a huge, unplanned concert, one of the biggest funerals in Vietnamese history, similar to the funeral of Ho Chi Minh.

On February 28, 2019, Google celebrated what would have been Trịnh Công Sơn's 80th birthday with a special Google doodle on their homepage.

Trịnh Công Sơn's Songs

As of 2017, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism has allowed 70 of Trịnh Công Sơn's songs to be performed in public. The song Nối vòng tay lớn was one of the latest to be allowed, on April 12, 2017.

List of Popular Songs

Songs About the Vietnam War

Trịnh Công Sơn wrote many songs about the Vietnam War. In his song "Mother's Legacy" (Gia tài của mẹ), he sings about Vietnam's long history of being ruled by other countries. He mentions 1,000 years under Chinese rule and 100 years under French rule. He also talks about the sadness of the civil war, which left many graves, dry fields, and burned homes. He asked the young people of Vietnam to remember their identity. He wanted them to stop fighting each other and rebuild their country.

Another song, "Song about the Corpses of People" ("Hát trên những xác người"), was written after the Huế Massacre. In this song, Trịnh sings about the many bodies found around the city. He sees each body as a brother or sister. He sings that these bodies will help the farmland grow.

A rock music concert called Nối Vòng Tay Lớn ("The Great Circle of Vietnam") was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 22, 2022. This concert was a tribute to Trịnh Công Sơn and featured many Vietnamese rock bands and artists. The name of the concert came from his famous patriotic anti-war song.

Trịnh Công Sơn's Love Songs

Love is the most common topic in Trịnh Công Sơn's music. Most of his songs are about love, and many of them are sad. They often express feelings of loneliness or despair, like in "Sương đêm" and "Ướt mi." Some songs are about losing love, such as "Diễm xưa" and "Biển nhớ." Others are about remembering past love, like "Tình xa," "Tình sầu," "Tình nhớ," "Em còn nhớ hay em đã quên," and "Hoa vàng mấy độ."

Some of his love songs also share deeper thoughts from a man to his loved one. Examples include "Cỏ xót xa đưa," "Gọi tên bốn mùa," and "Mưa hồng." His songs have a clever and simple style. They are often sung slowly, like in Blues or Boston music. The words are very poetic, honest, and touching. They sometimes use symbols and dream-like images.

See also

In Spanish: Trịnh Công Sơn para niños