Vu Manh Linh is one of 18 gold medal winners at the 2025 National Traditional Opera and Folk Drama Festival. Recalling the moment his name was called for his role as Khuc Thua My in the play "Fire Burning in Phien Ngung," he emotionally stated: "All my dedication and effort poured into the role were recognized by the judging panel and my colleagues. That is a great happiness for every artist."

According to the actor, from the moment he received the script to the completion of the role, he practiced continuously for more than a month. The character is Hoan Hao, a young but ambitious envoy who must bear many important diplomatic responsibilities for the country. “To portray the intelligence, courage, and charisma of an envoy, I and the crew continuously analyzed the script, explored the psychology, and refined every detail. I was fortunate to have the director and fellow actors by my side, offering suggestions to make the role complete,” shared actor Manh Linh.

Artist Vu Manh Linh plays the role of King Dinh in the play "Stories Beyond Official History - Becoming King".

Behind every stage success of this male artist are years of dedicated training and an enduring love for traditional Vietnamese opera (tuong). Born in 1986 into a family with art-loving parents, Mạnh Linh was exposed to music and theater from a young age. Tuong is a difficult art form; from its language to its expressive techniques, everything is highly stylized. For those new to it, everything is challenging, and the student Mạnh Linh was no exception. “When I first entered the Hanoi University of Theatre and Film, I was very shy. Hearing my classmates talk about having performed in tuong since childhood, I was both admiring and afraid, not daring to say a single line of tuong,” he recalled. However, thanks to the strictness and dedication of his teachers, especially People's Artist Nguyễn Gia Khoản and Meritorious Artist Đoàn Thị Yến, Mạnh Linh gradually overcame the barriers. “My teacher said that if I didn’t open my mouth, he wouldn’t teach me anymore. From then on, I started pronouncing each word and line of the play. When my teacher praised me, saying, ‘You will be a leading actor in the future,’ I became much more confident and dared to express myself,” Mạnh Linh recounted.

Those early classes helped the once-shy student gradually establish himself. Perfect grades in consecutive semesters, the trust of teachers and friends, and his first roles such as Dong Kim Lan in "Kim Lan Crossing the Pass" and Le in "Mother's Love" nurtured his passion and dedication to traditional Vietnamese opera. On the professional stage, Vu Manh Linh gradually made his mark with a series of awards. From a silver medal at the Hanoi Theatre Festival in 2014, the title of Best Actor of the Year 2017 awarded by the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association, to a gold medal at the National Traditional Opera and Folk Drama Festival in 2019, along with many other awards.

Having dedicated over 20 years to traditional Vietnamese opera, Vu Manh Linh is particularly impressed with his portrayal of King Dinh in the play "Stories Beyond Official History - Becoming King" - a role that earned him a gold medal at the 2022 National Traditional Opera and Folk Drama Festival. The artist shared that this role allowed him to fully express his personal abilities and comprehensively embody the character. "When I embodied King Dinh, I felt a sense of transcendence, as if I was no longer myself but completely immersed in the character. Through many transformations, I feel that my acting style and demeanor are especially suited to historical roles of great stature, such as General Tran Hung Dao and King Quang Trung," the artist confided.

Commenting on artist Vu Manh Linh, director and People's Artist Hoang Quynh Mai said: “Despite his young age, Manh Linh has shown outstanding talent. He has inner strength, passion, and dedication to his profession. The role of Khuc Thua My in the play “Fire Burning in Phien Ngung” is a demanding one, but Linh performed it excellently, even with some effort. This clearly demonstrates Vu Manh Linh's ability and strong theatrical style.”

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/ngon-lua-tre-cua-tuong-viet-1015231