Tears of happiness of People's Artist Kim Cuong

At nearly 90 years old, the 'diva' of the Vietnamese stage, People's Artist Kim Cuong, once again shed tears. But this time, they were tears of overwhelming happiness when the play 'Durian Leaf', the brainchild of her and her late mother - People's Artist Bay Nam - was honored.

Pride named Durian Leaf

The good news came to People's Artist Kim Cuong unexpectedly. She said that her health had not been good recently, so she had not paid much attention to world affairs. When congratulatory phone calls came in, she learned that The Durian Leaf had been officially named one of the representative literary and artistic works of Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the city celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification. For her, this was a priceless gift in her artistic career.

The play was released more than 60 years ago but still retains its affection in the hearts of the audience. Many people said they watched The Durian Leaf up to 20 times and each time their eyes were swollen with tears. Because after being performed live on stage, The Durian Leaf was recorded and broadcast hundreds of times by Ho Chi Minh City Television over the decades, bringing tears to countless audiences from urban to rural areas.

People's Artist Bay Nam and People's Artist Kim Cuong in the play Durian Leaves

PHOTO: CUT FROM CLIP

For People's Artist Kim Cuong, The Durian Leaf is not only a work, but also a "family heirloom" preserving sacred memories between her and her mother, the late People's Artist Bay Nam. The play's strong vitality, according to her, comes from a simple story that touches the hearts of all generations: maternal love. That strength is multiplied when on stage is the true feelings of a mother and her biological son. Their harmonious juggling has brought tears to the audience's eyes in thousands of performances, and there were also times when the mother and son cried together on stage. In joy, she could not help but feel moved when thinking about her beloved mother: "If Mom were still alive, knowing that The Durian Leaf was honored, she would be very happy". The audience still holds beautiful memories of People's Artist Bay Nam, she always plays the role of a mother that makes the audience feel both sweet and heartbroken.

The heart of a "diva" - taking care of her colleague's funeral

Despite her happiness with the glory of art, People's Artist Kim Cuong has never stopped worrying about the lives of poor artists. After the program "Artists with a Heart" had to be suspended due to health reasons after 10 years of operation, she continued to find other ways to help her colleagues. She successfully campaigned and connected with hospitals to organize completely free medical examinations and treatments for artists and backstage workers in many fields such as reformed opera, opera, circus, etc.

People's Artist Kim Cuong visits Meritorious Artist Dieu Hien

PHOTO: HK

Not only caring for the living, her heart also goes out to the deceased. On the evening of June 11, she shared a long-standing concern about the fact that when many poor artists pass away, their families cannot afford to arrange a proper funeral. Recently, she has found companionship from several funeral facilities that are willing to support the funeral of artists in difficult circumstances. Accordingly, when a poor artist passes away, the family can contact People's Artist Kim Cuong or the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association, she will directly support the cost of about 15 million VND, in conjunction with the funeral facility to arrange a complete funeral.

More than 6 decades have passed, but The Durian Leaf is still there, fragrant with maternal love and recognized by later generations. And the artist who created it, People's Artist Kim Cuong, still quietly spreads its fragrance to life, not only with her stage talent but also with her kind heart, caring for her colleagues from their daily lives to their final journey.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giot-nuoc-mat-hanh-phuc-cua-nsnd-kim-cuong-185250612105141967.htm