Pre-1975 recording songs from the Republic of Vietnam

From: Chau NGUYEN NGOC <yakiribocou@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam? (tran_n_a@yahoo.com)

Dear all,

All these two songs are the ones s of my time when I was still a young student.

Here-after is a selection of famous songs before 1975 presented on my personal website: https://sites.google.com/view/nguyenngocchau/connaissance-du-vi%E1%BB%87t-nam#h.ft3zj0sfmgsf

4. Les chansons immortelles du Việt Nam/ Immortal Vietnamese songs/ Những bản ca bất hủ Việt Nam

Mille chansons/One thousand songs /Môt ngàn bản nhạc VN (click vào link dưới đây)

http://www.taberd75.com/music/am_nhac.html

Cám ơn rất nhiều Taberd75. Merci beaucoup Taberd75. Thanks a lot Taberd75!

Quelques unes de celles appelées chansons d'or de mon temps/Vài bài nhạc vàng của thời tôi/Some gold songs during my time.   

Phạm Duy - Việt Nam Việt Nam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdCYXomW2dQ

Phạm Duy - Tình Ca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGTZpjrZleI (Hợp Ca PbN)

Lưu Hữu Phước - Hội nghị Diên Hồng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhLSZIYWsEU  

Phạm Trọng Cầu - Sinh Viên Hải ngoại Hành Khúc

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qv6yW0fM0GY6-UWxtbRDzBGez-arAPGB/view?usp=sharing

Vũ Thành An - Bài Không Tên Số 2 và Bài Không Tên cuối cùng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Arbw-qKTA (Hồ Hoàng Yến và Quốc Khanh)

Phạm Trọng Cầu - Mùa Thu Không Trở Lại

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fs7K-ekmzY (Karaoké, Lệ Thu)

Trịnh Công Sơn - Diễm Xưa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJyZuXcYK10 (Lệ Quyên)

Nguyễn Văn Thương &Kim Minh - Đêm đông

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RYhbjyeRWI (Anh Đào)

Lê Trọng Nguyễn - Nắng chiều 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5TqitiUW4Y  (Hoàng Thục Linh)

Nguyễn Văn Đông - Chiều Mưa Biên Giới & Mấy Dặm Sơn Khê

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhOkbWa65A4 (Mai Thiên Vân & Thanh Tuyền)

Phạm Duy - Giọt mưa trên lá

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6YYa2hG1S4 (Karaoké, Khánh Ly và Lệ Thu)

Văn Phụng - Tôi Đi Giữa Hoàng Hôn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bMO_QTwnrc (Khánh Ngọc)

Ngô Thụy Miên - Mùa Thu Cho Em

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7cnSbUqYTY (Ngọc Lan)

Phạm Trọng Cầu - Trường làng tôi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo0F_ihvfrE (Karaoké, Tố Hà và Hiền Thục)

Nguyễn Ngọc Châu (author of two books on Vietnam history)

From: tran_n_a@yahoo.com <tran_n_a@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 4:17 PM
To: Van Nguyen-Marshall <vannguyenmarshall@trentu.ca>; Nguyen-Vo, Thu-Huong <nguyenvo@humnet.ucla.edu>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Yep, I use "Trường Sơn Đông, Trường Sơn Tây" and "Bài Ca May Áo" for nhạc đỏ. Nu-Anh

From: Nguyen-Vo, Thu-Huong <nguyenvo@humnet.ucla.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:51 AM
To: Van Nguyen-Marshall <vannguyenmarshall@trentu.ca>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Oh and kháng chiến trong Nam also sang  “Tiếng gọi thanh niên” and “Bạch đằng giang” by Lưu Hữu Phước, both of which were adopted by RVN as well, the former song of course became the national anthem in South VN...

From: Nguyen-Vo, Thu-Huong <nguyenvo@humnet.ucla.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:31 AM
To: Van Nguyen-Marshall <vannguyenmarshall@trentu.ca>; Thanh Tan <thanh.tan@alumni.usc.edu>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Dear Vân,

 I remember my mom who participated in the anti-French resistance in the south singing/playing on the mandolin songs such as

-“Người chiến sĩ vô danh” with lyrics that starts with “Mờ trong bóng chiều/ một đoàn quân thấp thoáng...”

-“Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa” or “Nam Bộ Kháng Chiến” with lyrics like: “Mùa thu rồi ngày 23 ta đi theo tiếng kêu sơn hà nguy biến/ Rền khắp trời lời hoan hô nhân dân ta nhịp chân tiến lên trận tiền...”

I’d imagine these songs continued among NLF bases.

As for DRV, there’s a whole body of nhạc đỏ, nhạc cách mạng, but “Trường Sơn Đông Trường Sơn Tây” was popular.

best,

huong 

From: tran_n_a@yahoo.com <tran_n_a@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 6:35 AM
To: Thanh Tan <thanh.tan@alumni.usc.edu>; Van Nguyen-Marshall <vannguyenmarshall@trentu.ca>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi everyone,

 Thank you for the enthusiastic response and suggestions! I am aware of many of the other songs that have been suggested. My parents listened to them when I was growing up. But I have to be practical in choosing songs that very explicitly fit the theme of that particular class or that connect to themes in other songs that I am using in the same lesson. Some really beautiful songs are very oblique about the war because it was written for people who were living through the war and didn't need any explanation, but my students were born decades later, and it requires more contextual knowledge than I can give my students in a semester for them to "get it" ("Chiều mưa biên giới" is a good example of this.) If you you teach American college students, you know what I mean. Not to mention, I have to choose ones that I'm confident I can translate quickly as I have only have a few weeks before I have to teach them!

Cheers,

Nu-Anh

From: Van Nguyen-Marshall <vannguyenmarshall@trentu.ca>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 5:45 AM
To: Thanh Tan <thanh.tan@alumni.usc.edu>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi Nu-Anh and all,

Love this conversation as well. Thank you for these great suggestions and links. The café recording Thanh Tan shared is a gem—the audio is so clear.

Nu-Anh: I would love to know what you have for NLF and DRV songs. I also bring music into my VN War class, but not very extensive, mostly Trinh Cong Son’s work.

Best Wishes,

Van

Van Nguyen-Marshall, PhD (she/her)

Associate Professor

Department of History

Trent University

From: Thanh Tan <thanh.tan@alumni.usc.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 12:47 AM
To: Tan Pham <nxb315kio@gmail.com>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>; Dieu-Hien T Hoang <dieuhien@uw.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Tracking this conversation because a.) I love pre-75 Vietnamese music and b.) I collect vinyl records from the pre-75 era and am particularly drawn to the kich dong music of Hung Cuong and Mai Le Huyen. 

My interest in learning and sharing is because I'd like to organize an intergenerational record party to bridge generations and have discussions about the role of music in our Vietnamese lives. Wouldn't that be fun?! If anyone is in the Seattle area and interested in developing this idea, let me know. 

In response to the original email, my Vietnamese isn't good enough to understand the lyrics to the Trinh Cong Son song posted, but I find it fascinating that he was both beloved and ridiculed by the Vietnamese overseas community. I recall some elders in our community refusing to let people sing Trinh Cong Son at community events because he was viewed as anti-war and because the communist forces played his song on April 30 on the radio. (Here's an old PBS bio with some insights.) Of course, they ended up treating him like crap after the war. This video is quite extraordinary - it's Khanh Ly singing a Trinh Cong Son song in a Saigon cafe. 

Love that Tan Pham pointed out the Le Uyen Phuong songs, as I've heard they are also known for singing about peace and love. My fave is Uon Nuoc Ben Bo Suoi by Tuan Ngoc and Thai Thao (sung in the 90s). 

+ 1 'Ai' by Mai Le Huyen is definitely recorded before '75. 

Additional pre-75 recommendations: (If you search 'nhac vang' +  'truoc 75' or 'pre75' that'll get you a ton of results)

The songwriters Nguyen Van Dong and Tran Thien Thanh were especially revered for their pre-75 music about soldiers and the war. 

• Chieu Mua Bien Gioi (Songwriter: Nguyen Van Dong; Singer: Ha Thanh) - https://youtu.be/KuNv70XoA9g

• Tinh Thu Cua Linh (Songwriter: Tran Thien Thanh; Singer: Nhat Truong - same guy) - https://youtu.be/iTfg-2UsHGM

Hung Cuong was the ultimate genre-bending Elvis of his time. He sang opera, ballads, rock and roll, and acted in movies about soldier life. 

• Mot Tram Phan Tram - https://youtu.be/ku8naAdbYcs

Here's a great compilation of Hung Cuong's duets with Mai Le Huyen. They entertained the ARVN soldiers. 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8BMal1iHes

Thanh Vu singing Dem Nguyen Cau about a soldier standing watch in a church during battle. I've always been moved by this one, which my dad used to like in Vietnam: https://youtu.be/sONSv82Huso

Hope this helps! Happy to talk pre-75 Vietnamese music anytime! 

Sincerely,

Thanh

Seattle

Independent Journalist & Filmmaker 

From: Tan Pham <nxb315kio@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2023 10:50 PM
To: Diane Fox <dnfox70@gmail.com>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>; Dieu-Hien T Hoang <dieuhien@uw.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi Nu-Anh,

Your selections are definitely pre-1975, the golden age of Vietnamese music. Many songs are still sung and listened to in Vietnam, but not all, some, like Trịnh Công Sơn's "Tôi sẽ đi thăm" are still forbidden. 

You are spoilt for choice, I would suggest a few other well-known singers and songs in the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiB9BHlNNgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiB9BHlNNgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiB9BHlNNgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqM6bqq_SfY

Kind regards,

Tan Pham (NZ)

Author of a book series on Vietnamese history: A Traveller’s Story of Vietnam’s Past.

Volume One: The Bronze Drums and The Earrings. ISBN:  978-0-473-59804-4. 

Volume Two: One Thousand Years - The Stories of Giao Châu, the Kingdoms of Linyi, Funan and Zhenla. ISBN 978-0-473-63527-5 

From: Diane Fox <dnfox70@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2023 7:11 PM
To: Dieu-Hien T Hoang <dieuhien@uw.edu>
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi Hien and Nu-Anh—

My guess is that you both know this…but if not, listen to what TCS will go visiting to see why it was considered phan chien.  

And yes…I’d love to take your class too!

Diane

Diane Fox, anthro phd, retired

“Living with Agent Orange—conversations in post-war Viet Nam” (in publication; due out fall/winter this year)

From: Dieu-Hien T Hoang <dieuhien@uw.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2023 1:54 PM
To: tran_n_a@yahoo.com
Cc: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi Nu-Anh,

These are definitely pre-75 recordings.

Trịnh Công Sơn's "Tôi sẽ đi thăm," was considered "nhạc phản chiến" (anti-war music) back in those days although the lyrics only said "When my country is at peace, I'll go visit..."

Trường Hải's "Ai," was not very well-known. Mai Lệ Huyền was famous for performing "nhạc lính" (music about the soldiers' experience), especially with Hùng Cường. This was a lesser-known song of that genre.

You have a nice mix of genres there. 

I would have liked to attend your class :-) Sounds very interesting.

Have a fun one,

Diệu-Hiền

Affiliate

University of Washington, Seattle

From: tran_n_a@yahoo.com <tran_n_a@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2023 1:04 PM
To: vsg vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Vsg] are these songs pre-1975 recordings from the Republic of Vietnam?

Hi everyone,

I'm working a lesson plan for my Vietnam War class. I usually spend a day on the Vietnamese music of the Vietnam War and would like to do a new translation or two. I try to use songs that fit the theme of the class and for which I can find a period (pre-1975) recording rather than rely on postwar recordings. I was wondering if someone on the list who knows more about music than me could tell me whether these two recordings are indeed pre-1975 recordings or not. I think they are and the people who posted them to YouTube seem to imply that they are, but I'm no expert on music.

1) Trịnh Công Sơn's "Tôi sẽ đi thăm," performed by Khánh Ly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yph_-3zi658

2) Trường Hải's "Ai," performed by Mai Lệ Huyền: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o31J70z0mowAi ? - Trường Hải - Mai Lệ Huyền

In case you're wondering, I already have DRV and NLF period recordings, and those are included in my lesson plans as well.

Cheers,

Nu-Anh Tran

Associate Professor

UConn