Artist The Hoan (full name Nguyen The Hoan) was born in 1996 into a family with no artistic background in Thai Binh City (now part of Hung Yen province). From a young age, Hoan was captivated by the melodies of traditional Vietnamese folk songs played on his family's old cassette tapes. At 16, Hoan decided to find a teacher to learn folk singing, but it wasn't easy. Without a teacher in his hometown, he chose to learn the bamboo flute as a roundabout way to build a musical foundation. This roundabout path led him to many new places: performing, meeting and interacting with many artists and artisans, and eventually enrolling in the Vietnam National Academy of Music. In Hanoi, Hoan had the opportunity to meet senior artisans and was mentored by People's Artist Luong Trong Quynh.
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Artist Nguyen The Hoan. |
Choosing to perform traditional Vietnamese folk songs (hát văn) is not an easy path. Amidst the vibrant pop music scene and audiences chasing modern melodies, a young person going against the trend sometimes faces skepticism, but Hoàn believes in his choice. He performs traditional folk songs while simultaneously writing new lyrics that reflect contemporary life. From "Hát văn cô vy" to "Hội đã tan rồi chia biệt thôi cậu ơi," audiences can clearly see his efforts to innovate without losing the essence of the genre. Beyond performing on stage, Hoàn also brings folk songs to audiences through his YouTube channel "Thế Hoàn hát văn" (currently with over 50,000 subscribers). There, viewers encounter a Thế Hoàn who is both meticulous in his adherence to traditional styles and skillfully adapts to better suit today's tastes.
One of Hoan's most cherished works is "Vietnam, Majestic and Sacred." He wrote it with all his national pride, with the desire to praise the homeland using the very essence of traditional folk singing. The song is both solemn and ancient, yet intimate, resonating with gratitude to the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the ancestors who sacrificed for independence and freedom. Hoan calls it a "spiritual incense" offered by today's generation to their forefathers, and also a message to the younger generation: loving national culture is not about clinging to the old, but about preserving it and keeping it alive.
The public adores Hoàn not only for his sweet, soulful voice, but also for his perseverance and dedication to learning and creativity. He understands that the line between the traditional and the modern is very thin; too much novelty can easily lead to cultural dilution, while too much tradition can easily become detached from life. He chose a path of compromise—respecting the roots while opening up new avenues for traditional Vietnamese folk singing to thrive in modern life.
Elderly composers and artists highly appreciate Hoan's open-mindedness, willingness to learn, and especially his dedication to making folk singing more accessible to young people. Mai Van Lang, Head of the Folk Song and Traditional Music Department at the Voice of Vietnam Radio , who has always followed and supported The Hoan, commented: “Although young, artist The Hoan is extremely dedicated to his profession. He always seeks to innovate by adapting melodies, incorporating poetry, and promoting folk singing on social media. What is valuable is that The Hoan is willing to invest time and money to record and film new folk songs with lyrics that he considers good and suitable for folk singing, to introduce them widely to the public.”
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/nghe-si-tre-thoi-net-moi-vao-chau-van-1018382
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