Music is the 'medicine' that heals

1. Musician Trong Luu's real name is Nguyen Trong Luu. I have visited his hometown many times, Cu Khoi ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi, where the old village nestles at the foot of the dike, day and night listening to the sound of the waves of the Red River lapping at the shore, so moving. In 1978, after finishing high school, the young man Nguyen Trong Luu, then 17 years old, passed the entrance exam to the Military Medical University (now the Military Medical Academy). He said that out of the more than one hundred students in that class, the vast majority were soldiers who passed the entrance exam to the school, not many were high school students.

Nguyen Trong Luu became a soldier by “having” to take the university entrance exam because he was not yet 18 years old. After 6 years of studying at school, like other newly graduated doctors, young military doctor Nguyen Trong Luu was sent to the border. He worked at the 39th Medical Team of the 30th Military Station, stationed in Dien Bien Phu town (now Dien Bien Phu city) of Lai Chau province.

When the two brothers became close, I once asked: "Knowing that Trong Luu is a musical family, why didn't you choose to follow in your father's footsteps?" Musician Trong Luu smiled and said nothing, he picked up the guitar and played a piece of music. Looking at the image of the military doctor leisurely playing the guitar, I suddenly realized that music really does help dispel stress and busyness. Perhaps it is when playing the guitar that the soul is most peaceful.

Son of musician Trong Loan, author of the song “Nguoi Chau Yen em shoots planes”, a song that when we were in high school, naughty students like us sang with great enthusiasm: “Listen to the babbling brook joyfully celebrating this victory/ My village recently achieved the feat of shooting down an American plane... A ha...”.

At that time, whenever I sang, I felt eager to grow up quickly to join the army and make achievements like the militia women in the Northwest, so from a young age, the boy Nguyen Trong Luu lived with music. The musician said: "When I was a child, my father sent me to study piano under the guidance of teacher Hoang My. Honestly, at that time, I went to school just to learn, but I had no concept of learning to play the piano to become a career and follow the path of music."

It is known that when he first entered the school, the student of the Military Medical University brought with him a small amount of musical knowledge from his family and from his music class to the school, but it was this musical knowledge that encouraged him to participate in the school's cultural activities. Musician Trong Luu said that the first song he composed was "Proud to be a Student of the Military Medical University" in 1980, and that is where his stage name Trong Luu was born. That first song also opened the path to writing songs continuously until now.

Doctor Nguyen Trong Luu lectures to graduate students. Photo: NVCC.

2. Recalling old memories, musician Trong Luu said that in 1987, the unit completed its mission of protecting the northern border and was disbanded. He left the western border region with the Third Class Military Exploit Medal and was assigned to work at the Rehabilitation Department, Military Hospital 108.

It was at this hospital that the young doctor, full of enthusiasm and dedication, threw himself into his work and studied enthusiastically to improve his professional qualifications. He received his PhD in 2001, the title of Associate Professor in 2009 and the title of Excellent Physician in 2010. I congratulated him: "In terms of medical expertise, you are extremely successful. So what about your musical career?"

Actively studying his major and also enthusiastically participating in the arts movement, musician Trong Luu said that when he was a student, he won awards every year for composing songs to participate in the Mass Arts Festival. In 1981, the Military Medical University Arts Team participated in the General Department of Logistics Festival and won first prize with the opening song called "Springs Following the Party" by author and student Nguyen Trong Luu.

The musician confided: “No matter what, music is in my blood. I was born in an environment filled with sounds, filled with emotions. So after professional hours, I pick up the guitar to compose, to maintain my emotional flow and to love my work and life more.”

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Musician Trong Luu is a member of the Vietnam Musicians Association and the Hanoi Music Association. In 2019, he received the "Annual Award" of the Vietnam Musicians Association with the song "Wading through the thirsty area". Up to now, he has composed more than a hundred songs, notably: "Mother's Lullaby", "Dai Duong Rung Dao", "La Co To Quoc Giua Bien Dong", "Mother Calls Your Name", "Qua Do Nho Me", "Co Nhung Tam Long" and his song "Glory of Heroic Hospital 108" has become a traditional song of this leading military hospital.

3. The songs that musician Trong Luu composed often focused on the themes of soldiers, homeland and mother. He often read poems published in the Army Literature Magazine.

This is also the magazine where his works were published. Finding good poems in the Army Literature Magazine helped him “sing out the lyrics”. It is known that this magazine has also awarded the Outstanding Work of the Year Award many times to songs by musician Nguyen Trong Luu, such as: “Khuc me ru” and “Cay ngan hat khuc ru anh”.

Listening to musician Trong Luu tell the story, I suddenly remembered the song “The National Flag in the East Sea” he wrote in 2014. He said: “That day, as usual, I picked up the newly printed issue of the Army Literature Magazine to read. I came across the poem “There is a National Flag in the East Sea” by poet Nguyen Trong Van.

The author's last name and middle name not only match my last name and middle name, but the main thing is that the poem has planted in me heroic sounds with the verse: "There is a national flag reaching far away/ In the middle of the East Sea, like the heart of a soldier/ Blood may be spilled but the red color remains intact/ The country proudly flutters in the ocean wind/ There is a national flag in the heart/ Blood mixed with the blue sea, blood in harmony with life/ The country is once again proud/ There is a national flag forever flying". And so the heroic melody rang in my head, I quickly picked up the guitar and the song was formed".

The song "The National Flag in the East Sea" composed by musician Trong Luu was quickly arranged and recorded by the Arts Department of Vietnam Television, performed by People's Artist Quoc Hung and resounded on Vietnam Television and several other television stations.

I asked him more about his views on music, musician Trong Luu was silent for a few seconds then reached for his guitar. He played a piece of music before answering: “When I was still in school and especially when I was working at the border, I found music, of course songs, very useful. Many times when studying or working was stressful, I would pick up my guitar, compose and sing songs to help me relax.”

“That makes sense!” I thought to myself. A doctor’s job is to treat and save people, and between that fragile boundary, songs bring confidence and inspiration to complete the job. When a doctor takes advantage of his few spare moments to come to music, it is truly a very beneficial spiritual medicine.

I changed the subject: "You compose songs so regularly, can you tell us a little about your professional achievements?" The musician, who was also Dr. Nguyen Trong Luu at that time, said "briefly" that he had been the head of many scientific research projects, sometimes at the Institute level, sometimes at the Ministry level, and sometimes at the State level.

At any level, those scientific topics are highly appreciated. Not to mention that more than one hundred of his scientific articles have been published. He also lectures at the Military Medical Academy, at Hanoi Medical University and at Hospital 108. He is currently the Vice President of the Vietnam Rehabilitation Association.

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