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Trịnh Công Sơn (February 28, 1939 – April 1, 2001) was a Vietnamese musician, songwriter,
painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
and poet. He is widely considered to be Vietnam's best songwriter. His music explores themes of love, loss, and anti-war sentiments during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, for which he was censored by both the southern
Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...
and the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. Many performing artists, most notably Khánh Ly, Trinh Vinh Trinh (his younger sister), and some overseas singers such as Tuan Ngoc, Le Quyen, Le Thu, and Ngoc Lan, have gained popularity in their own right from covering Trịnh's songs.


Biography

Trịnh Công Sơn was born in
Buôn Ma Thuột Buôn Ma Thuột or sometimes Buôn Mê Thuột or Ban Mê Thuột (, ), is the capital city of Đắk Lắk Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Its population was 434,256 in 2023. The city is the largest in the Central Highlands and k ...
, Đắk Lắk Province,
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
, but as a child he lived in the village of Minh Huong in
Hương Trà Hương Trà is a district-level town (''thị xã'') of Huế in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. As of 2020 the town had a population of 72,677. The town covers an area of 392.32 km². The district capital lies at Tứ Hạ. H ...
in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. He grew up in
Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
, where he attended the Lycée Français and the Providence school. When he was ten he lived with his father in Huế's Thừa Phủ Prison for a year in 1949. Later he went to
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
and studied western philosophy at the Lycée Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from which he graduated with the baccalaureate degree. In 1961, he studied psychology and pedagogy in a school for teachers in
Qui Nhơn Quy Nhon ( ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon was the capital of the former Bình Định province. As of 2022 its population was 481.110. H ...
in an attempt to avoid being drafted into the
Republic of Vietnam Military Forces The Republic of Vietnam Military Forces (RVNMF; – QLVNCH), were the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam and were responsible for the defence of the country from 8 December 1950
. After graduation, he taught at an elementary school in Bao Loc, Lâm Đồng. Trịnh Công Sơn wrote over 500 songs during the 1960s and 1970s. Sơn was influenced by the shrill demands of American anti-war protesters, which had been brought to Vietnam by none other than young American soldiers." He became one of
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
's notable singer-songwriters, after his first hit, ''Ướt mi'' (''Tearing Lashes'') in 1958. He was frequently under pressure from the government, which was displeased with the
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
's lyrics of such songs as ''Ngủ đi con'' (''Lullaby'', about a mother grieving for her soldier son). Before April 30, 1975, Trịnh Công Sơn went on the radio in Saigon to sing the song "Joining Hands/Circle of Unity" ("Nối vòng tay lớn") about the dream of national reconciliation between the North and the South, which he had written in 1968. On the afternoon of April 30, following
Dương Văn Minh Dương Văn Minh (; 16 February 19166 August 2001), popularly known as Big Minh, was a South Vietnamese politician and a senior general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and a politician during the presidency of Ngô Đình Diệm. ...
's proclamation of surrender, Trinh went on the radio to say that the national dream had been realized and that liberation had been achieved. After the reunification in 1975, the government sent Trịnh to "retraining" in a
labour camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
after his family had fled to Canada. However, government and many officials sent their respects with floral tributes. His often melancholic songs about love and postwar reconciliation earned new acceptance and popularity in later years. Many of his songs have been re-licensed to Vietnamese music companies such as Thúy Nga and
Lang Van Lang Van (Vietnamese: Làng Văn) is a Vietnamese production company based in Westminster, CA and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. History Làng Văn (translated as ‘Village of Poetry’ in English) was founded in 1982. It was one of the first Vietn ...
and sung by other artists. Two singers who are often associated with Trịnh Công Sơn are Khánh Ly and Hồng Nhung. Khánh Ly helped popularize Trịnh Công Sơn's music in the early years, and they often performed together at South Vietnam University campuses. Later in Trịnh's life, singer Hồng Nhung (born 1970) re-popularized his music. Trịnh died on 1 April 2001, 62 years old. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at his funeral in
Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, for an
ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...
funeral concert, making it the largest spectacle in Vietnamese history, after the funeral procession of
Ho Chi Minh (born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first President of Vietnam, president of the ...
. On 28 February 2019,
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
celebrated what would have been Trịnh Công Sơn's 80th birthday with a
Google doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...
.


Songs

Till now (2017) according to Nguyễn Đăng Chương, director of the Performing Art department of the ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, 70 songs of Trịnh Công Sơn are allowed to perform in public. The latest song which has just been permitted, is ''Nối vòng tay lớn'', on April 12, 2017.


List of songs


Bài ca dành cho những xác người
(Ballad to the people's corpses), written in the aftermath of the Huế Massacre
Bên đời hiu quạnh (Alone by life's side)
*Biển nghìn thu ở lại
Biển nhớ
(The sea remembers)
Biển sáng
(Bright sea) (co-writing with Phạm Trọng Cầu)
Biết đâu nguồn cội
(Unbeknownst to me, the root) *Bống bồng ơi *Bống không là Bống
Bốn mùa thay lá
(Four seasons of change)
Ca dao mẹ
(A folk song for mothers)
Cánh đồng hoà bình
(The Field of peace) *Cát bụi (Sand and dust) *Chiếc lá thu phai (The withering fall leaf) *Chiều một mình qua phố (An afternoon promenade of solitude) *Chiều trên quê hương tôi (An afternoon in my homeland) *Chỉ có ta trong cuộc đời (Only me in life) *Chìm dưới cơn mưa (Sunk under the rain) *Chính Chúng Ta Phải Nói (We ourselves have to say) *Cho đời chút ơn (Grace onto life) *Cho một người nằm xuống (Song for the fallen) *Chờ nhìn quê hương sáng chói (Wait to see homeland brighten up) *Chưa mất niềm tin (Still believing) *Chưa mòn giấc mơ (A dream that hasn't been eroded) *Con mắt còn lại (The remaining eye) *Có một dòng sông đã qua đời (A river that has passed away) *Có nghe đời nghiêng (Tilting life) *Còn ai với ai / Còn tôi với ai *Còn mãi tìm nhau (Forever seeking each other) *Còn có bao ngày (Not many days are left) *Còn thấy mặt người (Still seeing your face) *Còn tuổi nào cho em (what time and age for you ?) *Cỏ xót xa đưa (Sway sorrow weeds) *Cúi xuống thật gần (Stoop down really close) *Cũng sẽ chìm trôi (Eventual withering) *Cuối cùng cho một tình yêu (The end of a romance) *Dân ta phải sống (Our people must live) *Dấu chân địa đàng / Tiếng hát dạ lan (Footprints in Eden / The singing of the Hyacinth) *Diễm xưa (Diễm of the Past) *Du mục (Nomad) *Dựng lại người, dựng lại nhà (Rebuild people, rebuild homes) *Đại bác ru đêm (A Lullaby of Cannons) *Để gió cuốn đi (Let go with the wind) *Đêm / Đêm Hồng (Night / Pink Night) *Đêm bây giờ, đêm mai (This night, tomorrow night) *Đêm thấy ta là thác đổ (One night I saw me as a waterfall) *Đi mãi trên đường (Never-ending walk on the road) *Đóa hoa vô thường (Evanescent bloom) *Đoản khúc thu Hà Nội (Ditty for Hanoi's autumn) *Đời cho ta thế (That's what life gives me) *Đợi có một ngày (Waiting for a day) *Đôi mắt nào mở ra (which eyes will open) *Đồng dao hoà bình (The rhythm of Peace) *Đừng mong ai, đừng nghi ngại (Don't expect or suspect anyone) *Em còn nhớ hay em đã quên (Do you still remember or have you forgotten?)
Em đã cho tôi bầu trời
(The heaven you have brought to me)
Em đến từ nghìn xưa
(You've come from thousand years ago)
Em đi bỏ lại con đường
(You've gone, leaving the street behind)
Em đi trong chiều
(In the evening you walk)
Em hãy ngủ đi
(Sleep, My Dear) *Em là hoa hồng nhỏ (You are a little rose) *Gần như niềm tuyệt vọng (A resemblance of despair) *Gia tài của mẹ (A mother's legacy) *Giọt lệ thiên thu (A tear of eternity) *Giọt nước mắt cho quê hương (A tear for my homeland) *Gọi tên bốn mùa (Conjure up the four seasons) *Góp lá mùa xuân (Contributing leaves to Spring) *Hạ trắng (White summer). *Hai mươi mùa nắng lạ (Twenty seasons of strange sunlight) *Hành ca (Marching song) *Hành hương trên đồi cao / Người đi hành hương trên đỉnh cao (Pilgrimage) *Hát trên những xác người (Singing over the corpses), not to be confused with "Bài ca dành cho những xác người" *Hãy cố chờ (Let's try to wait) *Hãy cứ vui như mọi ngày (Just be happy like any other day) *Hãy đi cùng nhau (Let's go together) *Hãy khóc đi em (Just cry, my dear) *Hãy nhìn lại (Just look back and see) *Hãy sống giùm tôi (Just live my life for me) *Hãy yêu nhau đi (Let's love) *Hoà bình là cơm áo (Peace is life) *Hoa vàng mấy độ (The flowers that were once golden bright) *Hoa xuân ca (Spring flowers song) *Hôm nay tôi nghe (Today I hear) *Huế - Sài Gòn - Hà Nội (Hue - Saigon - Hanoi) *Huyền thoại mẹ (The Legend of a mother) *Khói trời mênh mông *Lại gần với nhau (Come closer together) *Lặng lẽ nơi này (So silent here) *Lời buồn thánh (A holy, sad lyrics) *Lời mẹ ru (A mother's lullaby) *Lời ở phố về *Lời ru đêm (Night's lullaby) *Lời thiên thu gọi (Eternity's calling) *Mẹ bỏ con đi / Đường xa vạn dặm *Môi hồng đào (Rosy Lips) *Mỗi ngày tôi chọn một niềm vui (Each day I choose one joyful thing) *Một buổi sáng mùa xuân (A spring morning) *Một cõi đi về (A place for leaving and returning) *Một lần thoáng có *Một ngày như mọi ngày (A day just like any other day) *Một ngày vinh quang (A day of glory) *Mùa áo quan (The season of coffins) *Mùa hè đến (The summer's arrived) *Mưa hồng (Pink rain) *Mùa phục hồi / Xin chờ những sớm mai (The season of recuperation / Waiting for tomorrow mornings) *Nắng thuỷ tinh (Crystal sunlight) *Này em cớ nhớ (Do you remember?) *Ngẫu nhiên (Perchance) *Ngày dài trên quê hương (A long day in the Motherland) *Ngày mai đây bình yên (Peaceful future) *Ngày về (Returning home) *Ngày xưa khi còn bé (Childhood days) *Nghe những tàn phai (The sound of evanescing) *Nghe tiếng muôn trùng (Hearing the sound of eternity) *Ngủ đi con (Sleep, my child) *Ngụ ngôn mùa đông (A winter fable) *Người con gái Việt Nam da vàng (A yellow-skinned Vietnamese girl) *Người già em bé (An old person, a baby) *Người về bỗng nhớ *Nguyệt ca (The lunar song) *Nhìn những mùa thu đi (Watch the autumns passing by) *Nhớ mùa thu Hà Nội (Missing Hanoi's autumn) *Như cánh vạc bay (As a flying crane) *Như chim ưu phiền (As an anguishing bird) *Như một lời chia tay (As a good-bye) *Như một vết thương (As a wound) *Như tiếng thở dài (As a deep sigh) *Những con mắt trần gian (The earthly eyes) *Những giọt máu trổ bông (The blooming of the blood drops) *Níu tay nghìn trùng (Grabbing hands over a thousand miles) *Nối vòng tay lớn (Grand circle of unity) *Ở trọ / Cõi tạm (Temporary stay) *Phôi pha (Withering) *Phúc âm buồn (Dolorous Gospel) *Quê hương đau nặng (Motherland in severe illness) *Quỳnh hương (Scent of the ephemeral bloom) *Ra đồng giữa ngọ *Rồi như đá ngây ngô (Not gone at all) *Rơi lệ ru người *Ru đời đã mất (Lullaby for a lost life) *Ru đời đi nhé (Lullaby to life) *Ru em (Lullaby for you) *Ru em từng ngón xuân nồng *Ru ta ngậm ngùi (Lullaby for a sorrowful me) *Ru tình (Lullaby for love) *Rừng xưa đã khép (Your old woods are closed) *Sao mắt mẹ chưa vui? *Sẽ còn ai (Who will remain?) *Sóng về đâu (To where the waves depart) *Ta đi dựng cờ *Tạ ơn (Thanks) *Ta phải thấy mặt trời (We must see the Sun) *Ta quyết phải sống (We must live) *Ta đã thấy gì trong đêm nay (What have we seen tonight?) *Thành phố mùa xuân (City in Spring) *Thuở Bống là người (When Bong was a human) *Thiên sứ bâng khuâng (thơ Trịnh Cung) *Thương một người (Loving someone) *Tiến thoái lưỡng nan (The dilemma) *Tình ca của người mất trí ("Ballad of an insane person" or "Love song of a deranged woman") *Tiếng ve gọi hè *Tình khúc Ơ-bai *Tình nhớ (Missing love) *Tình sầu (Sorrowful love) *Tình xa (Distant love) *Tình xót xa vừa *Tình yêu tìm thấy *Tôi đã mất (I have lost) *Tôi đang lắng nghe / Im lặng thở dài (I am listening / Quiet sigh) *Tôi ơi đừng tuyệt vọng (Despair not, dear me) *Tôi ru em ngủ (I sing you to sleep) *Tôi sẽ đi thăm (I shall visit) *Tôi sẽ nhớ (I shall remember) *Tôi tìm tôi / Tôi là ai? (I search for myself / Who am I?) *Trong nỗi đau tình cờ *Tự tình khúc *Từng ngày qua (Everyday through) *Tuổi đá buồn (Stone's age of despair) *Tuổi đời mênh mông *Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam (Vietnamese Youths) *Tưởng rằng đã quên (Thought that I have forgotten) *Ướt mi ("Misty eyes" or "Tearing lashes") *Vẫn có em bên đời (I still have you in my life) *Vẫn nhớ cuộc đời *Vàng phai trước ngõ *Về trong suối nguồn (Back to the fountainhead) *Về thăm mái trường xưa (Revisiting the old school) *Vết lăn trầm *Vì tôi cần thấy em yêu đời *Vườn xưa (Garden of the past) *Xa dấu mặt trời (Far from the sun) *Xanh lòng phai tàn *Xin cho tôi (Please give me) *Xin hãy dừng tay (Please stop) *Xin mặt trời ngủ yên (Please let the sun sleep) *Xin trả nợ người *Yêu dấu tan theo (Fading love)


Songs about the Vietnam War

In the song "Mother's Legacy" (Gia tài của mẹ), Trinh sings about the Vietnamese experience of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: He laments that the 1,000 years of Vietnam's subjugation to Chinese imperial rule, the 100 years of subjugation to French colonial rule, and the ongoing civil war, together have left a sad legacy of graveyards, parched fields and burning houses. He urges the children of Vietnam to remain true to their Vietnamese identity and overcome the dividing hatred, put an end to internecine fighting and the destruction of the country. In the song "Song about the Corpses of People" ("Hát trên những xác người"), written in the aftermath of the Huế Massacre, Trinh sings about the corpses strewn around the city, in the river, on the roads, on the rooftops, even on the porches of the pagodas. The corpses, each one of which he regards as the body of a sibling, will nourish the farmland. A rock music concert event titled ''Nối Vòng Tay Lớn'' ("The Great Circle of Vietnam"); the name of a popular patriotic anti-war song by Trịnh Công Sơn, was officially promoted and held in Hồ Chí Minh City ostensibly as a memorial to Trịnh, and featuring various Vietnamese rock bands and artists, had officially taken place for the first time on 22 April 2022.


Love songs

Love is the single biggest recurring theme in Trinh's work. His love songs constitute the majority of the songs. Most of them are sad, conveying a sense of despondence and solitude as in "Sương đêm", "Ướt mi". Songs are either about loss as in "Diểm xưa", "Biển nhớ", or nostalgia: "Tình xa", "Tình sầu", "Tình nhớ", "Em còn nhớ hay em đã quên", "Hoa vàng mấy độ". Other songs, additionally carry philosophical messages from a man to his lover: "Cỏ xót xa đưa", "Gọi tên bốn mùa", "Mưa hồng". The style is sly, simple, suitable to be rendered in Slow, Blues or Boston. The lyrics are overwhelmingly poetic, candid and yet deeply poignant, oftentimes hinting elements of symbolism and surrealism.


References


External links


BBC News article on Trịnh Công Sơn's funeralA tribute to Trịnh Công SơnAn extensive site on Trịnh Công Sơn, including most of his songs, writings, and articles about him
o
writeopenstory
with links to many Vietnamese songs on him {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinh, Cong Son 1939 births 2001 deaths Vietnamese composers People from Đắk Lắk province People from Huế Vietnamese songwriters Vietnamese musicians