Kim Tu Long's son plays Ly Thuong Kiet, continuing the role of his grandfather and father.

Three generations of artists Kim Tu Long - Trinh Trinh portray the character Ly Thuong Kiet. From left, the late artist Huu Canh, Gia Khanh's nephew and artist Kim Tu Long

Hoang Gia Khanh, affectionately known as Andy, is the eldest son of artist Kim Tu Long and Trinh Trinh.

3 generations of Kim Tu Long family - Trinh Trinh plays Ly Thuong Kiet

The clip Trinh Trinh posted online was a performance in the amateur music festival of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, celebrating the 50th anniversary of national reunification.

Nam Quoc Son Ha - contest performance by Gia Khanh

In the show, little Hoang Gia Khanh plays the role of Ly Thuong Kiet in what is considered the most valuable part of the cai luong plays.

That is the scene of Ly Thuong Kiet inspecting the Nhu Nguyet River to find a way to defeat the invading Song army and proposed the poem "The Mountains and Rivers of the Southern Country" .

Gia Khanh played the main character with the children, creating a very "grand" performance in a mass competition. After the performance, the audience applauded and praised "little Ly Thuong Kiet".

Coincidentally, also during the April 30th celebration, in the special Ancient Music Moon program on the evening of April 27th at HTV Television Theater called Ho Chi Minh City 50 Spring Seasons , Gia Khanh's father, artist Kim Tu Long, also performed the character Ly Thuong Kiet in the Ly Thuong Kiet scene with Binh Tinh and Trong Nhan.

He recreated the exact scene where Ly Thuong Kiet inspected the Nhu Nguyet River and read the divine poem.

Artist Kim Tu Long in Ly Thuong Kiet's opera, Ancient Moon Music program on the evening of April 27 - Screenshot

More than 40 years ago, Gia Khanh's maternal grandfather, the late artist Huu Canh, also left his mark with the character Ly Thuong Kiet.

In the recording of Ho Chi Minh City Television, he played this character with veteran artists of the Minh To family such as Thanh Tong, Bach Le, Thanh Loan, Dien Thanh, Bach Long, Cong Minh, Thanh Son...

His calm, authoritative, courageous acting style, harmonious singing and acting with beautiful choreography make Ly Thuong Kiet played by artist Huu Canh an unforgettable role for audiences who love reformed opera.

Artist Huu Canh plays Ly Thuong Kiet in the play Cau Tho Yen Ngua, recorded by Ho Chi Minh City Television in the early 1980s - Screenshot

Continuing the tradition of the profession

Gia Khanh is the 6th generation of the traditional opera family with 100 years of singing experience. His maternal grandparents are two famous traditional opera artists, Huu Canh and Xuan Yen.

Born into such a family and with both parents being talented and famous artists, at 9 months old, Gia Khanh was carried onto the stage by his father Kim Tu Long to play the role of Prince Siddhartha's son in a program about Buddhism.

Since then, he has regularly participated in family performances and is also considered one of the young talents.

Artist Trinh Trinh told Tuoi Tre Online that she often accompanies her children in school art programs.

This year Gia Khanh is in grade 6 at Minh Duc School. At first, Trinh Trinh only planned to create a performance for her son to compete in an inter-school competition, but then the teachers suggested that this performance represent Cau Ong Lanh Ward in the District 1 festival. That is the reason why the boy appeared in the competition with many older uncles and aunts.

Family of artist Kim Tu Long - Trinh Trinh - Photo: NVCC

The performance won second prize and Gia Khanh also received the young contestant award. Trinh Trinh happily said that the performance received support from her grandparents, aunts and uncles in the family.

Mr. Bach Long allowed the use of the script, Mr. Minh Tam provided the music, Mr. Thanh Son created the choreography, musician Cao Minh Thu also agreed to let me sing the song in the excerpt...

Mr. Kim Tu Long, who was performing in Hanoi, also flew back on the day of the exam to attach a beard so that "little" Mr. Ly Thuong Kiet would look more dignified.

Hoang Gia Khanh plays the character Ly Thuong Kiet at the festival - Photo: Artist Trinh Trinh provided

Trinh Trinh emotionally said that when preparing the performance for her child, she let him watch his grandfather perform on a tape recording, especially the part where he recited the poem Nam Quoc Son Ha .

"When my child was little, every time I took him to school, my nephew and I often recited this poem together, so Gia Khanh has absorbed it for a long time.

On the day of the exam, of course I was not as good as my grandfather because I was still young, but the way I recited the poem was influenced by my grandfather Huu Canh" - artist Trinh Trinh remembers her beloved father.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/con-trai-kim-tu-long-dong-ly-thuong-kiet-noi-tiep-vai-dien-cua-ong-ngoai-va-cha-20250517105324292.htm