The Hien, author of the famous songs "Her Hair Like a Rooster's Tail" and "A Branch of Wild Orchid," is in critical condition due to a serious illness.
According to his colleagues, the veteran musician has many aspirations. Recently, he planned to celebrate receiving the title of People's Artist – bestowed by the State – at the end of March. He also intends to hold a concert titled... The Hien, along with other contemporary poets , has published several more works.
The 69-year-old musician, originally from Nam Dinh province , was born and raised in Saigon. From a young age, he showed musical talent and participated in local arts and culture movements, studying at a vocational school for vocal music. Since 1980, he has worked as a singer with the Bong Sen Dance and Music Troupe, touring extensively to perform for audiences nationwide. He once sang for soldiers on the northern border, which inspired him to compose many songs about soldiers.
With 40 years in the profession, he has many famous musical works, such as Her ponytail, Love Story, Nostalgia for Love, Waiting in the Rain, Stories of the Past - Stories of the Present, March of the Youth Volunteers, Singing on the Green Farm, Question Mark. He was also known as "the soldier's musician," because many of his songs were associated with military life, such as Singing about him, Wild orchid branch, Sound, Seashell, Nostalgia from a distant island, Soldier of Truong Sa Island .
One of the songs that helped make The Hien's name popular is "Her Hair Like a Rooster's Tail " was composed in 1995. The musician once recounted an incident where he was driving along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street (Ho Chi Minh City), near Marie Curie School, when a young girl riding a bicycle in the opposite direction collided with him. Both fell, but luckily no one was injured. He asked, "Why were you going the wrong way?", and she profusely apologized. Seeing that her bicycle wheel was bent into a figure-eight shape, the musician helped her across the road and asked someone to repair it.
During a conversation with the female student, he observed her youthful, energetic appearance with her ponytail and white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress). The musician recalled his high school days, and the melody of the song suddenly came to mind: "Hey girl with the ponytail / Cycling on the street, the street is crowded with people...". Nearly 30 years after its release, the song has been performed by many generations of singers, but the version sung by Quang Linh remains the most popular among audiences.
In recent years, the musician has continued to maintain his songwriting prowess, serving as a judge in music competitions and inspiring the younger generation. In 2023, he released a collection of 32 songs about the armed forces and eight songs about love for his homeland, which he gifted to units, officer training schools, and border guards.
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