People who relied on music to fight the resistance.

"I heard his voice but never saw his face," I heard stories about Vu Trung Uyen from a few acquaintances during his time in the war zone.

Vu Trung Uyen, whose real name was Vo Van Duat, was born in 1937 in An Dinh commune, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province (formerly). In 1949, he attended Luong Van Chanh Resistance High School. During the years 1953-1954, Vu Trung Uyen studied traditional Chinese medicine to treat illnesses; he also participated in the local guerrilla forces fighting against the French colonialists' Atlantic offensive in Phu Yen, and was involved in the local arts and culture movement. At this time, Uyen was taught singing by his maternal cousin, musician Nhat Lai (the older brother of poet Nguyen My).

When the Geneva Accords were signed, before the regrouping to the North, musician Nhật Lai gifted him a wooden guitar. This gift seemed like a transmission of musical inspiration from an older brother. Immersing himself in the exhilarating stream of revolutionary music during his youth was the invisible, magical pull that drew Vũ Trung Uyên away from glamorous Saigon in early spring 1962, returning to Tuy An to secretly join the resistance in the war zone.

Previously, while in Saigon, Uyen studied both academics and music theory on his own, learning and honing his skills. In 1961, he composed his first song, "Nostalgia," and later, "A Moonlit Afternoon," which was praised by family and friends. All the self-taught musical knowledge honed his skills, making him the only local composer of revolutionary modern songs in the Phu Yen war zone during the war against the Americans.

Despite the hardships and fierce battles of the resistance, composing music was as necessary and natural to Vu Trung Uyen as eating, drinking, and breathing. While in charge of the Tuy An District Youth Union during the resistance, he composed two songs: "The Story of the Clumsy Child" and "Footsteps" (1963). When in Zone 5, he composed the song "We Walk on the Road to Glory" (1964). During his time as Political Commissar and Head of the Phu Yen Provincial Party Committee's Performing Arts Troupe, he composed a series of songs that promptly served the resistance and the revolution, such as: "Song of the Road," "Attack and Uprising," "Song of the Female Artillery Team," "Beautiful Mountains and Rivers in the Season of Heroic Flowers," "Singing to Celebrate Unit 202," "The Liberation Army is Incredibly Beautiful"... Serving the Tet Offensive in early 1968, he wrote the stirring song "The Road to Nhan Thap," in which the concluding lines are like an optimistic and confident rallying cry: "Go forward, strength to move mountains, young and old, men and women, united in heart/ Go forward, this is the opportunity we have longed for/ The sky brightens with dawn, the revolution will surely succeed."

Vu Trung Uyen also wrote in many other genres to serve the military, civilians, and campaigns, such as folk plays, spoken dramas, comedic sketches, and traditional Vietnamese folk theater (bai choi).

After the complete liberation of South Vietnam, Uyên also wrote lyrics for many songs by composer Bằng Linh at Phú Khánh Provincial Radio Station. Notably, Vũ Trung Uyên composed all the lyrics and wrote the opening melody for the song "The Sound of Chanting in the Tuy Hòa Rice Fields," inspiring composer Hoàng Thơ Huy to complete this acclaimed work.

After the Spring of 1975, Uyen wrote more poetry. His poems often focused on love for his homeland, camaraderie, and family and community, using carefully chosen and concise language.

Born in An Dinh village, Tuy An Bac commune ( Dak Lak province), Vu Trung Uyen left home to join the fight in early 1962. By 1967, he became the leader and political commissar of the Phu Yen Provincial Liberation Performing Arts Troupe. In 1977, he was a founding member and Party Secretary of the Phu Khanh Provincial Association of Literature and Arts. From 1981 until his retirement, he was the Head of the Arts Department of Phu Khanh Provincial Radio Station.

Nguyen Tuong Van

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/van-hoa/202604/nguoi-tua-vao-am-nhac-di-khang-chien-a5d6b2a/