Beautiful melodies about the Southeast

The song "Spring returns to the homeland" won first prize in the second Southeast songwriting contest in 2025 and was performed at the award ceremony on April 28.

The song “Con Dao” by musician Khanh Van won the Special Prize for writing about the most favorite topic of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and musician Duy Long with the song “Spring returns in the homeland” won the First Prize, both from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Literature and Arts Association. Each song has its own color, some are works with strong folk music, some have modern and youthful sounds, but all are full of the breath of the homeland, praising the spirit of labor, love between couples, and national pride.

Musician Tran Khanh Van chose Con Dao as the inspiration for composing the theme song about the Southeast region for this year's contest. Because Con Dao is always a concern and torment for every artist when setting foot on this sacred land. Musician Khanh Van said that every year, she has a business trip to Con Dao with her unit. Every time she returns to Con Dao, in front of her is the vast blue sea, behind her are the towering mountains, each step of the musician seems to touch the past, quietly listening to the echoes of heroic history. The lyrics "Sacred I return here, Con Dao, oh, I remember forever and never forget..." opening the song "Con Dao" are gentle, natural, and emotional.

The song “Con Dao” is like a stick of incense, a deep memorial that musician Khanh Van wants to send to the heroes who have incarnated into the motherland, so that the homeland will forever shine in the halo of history. The song also shows the changes and developments of the island district, expressing the affection between the army and the people for the island district.

The work “Spring in the homeland” by musician Duy Long has a youthful melody, lively rhythm, and the breath of spring; praising the potential of the Southeast region. “The Southeast region has people from all over the country converging here to live, together building a rich and poetic homeland. In the face of the country’s strong transformation, the song aims to spread the love of nature, homeland, and people with youthful vitality and bright hopes,” musician Duy Long shared.

Associate Professor, Musician Thế Bảo, former member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Musicians Association and Head of the Jury, said that the Jury had received rich and high-quality musical ideas from the authors. The songs demonstrated the musicians' relentless creativity, passion and dedication. They were all expressions of emotion, soul and intelligence, creating especially meaningful songs about the heroic and arduous Eastern land.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh , Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, awarded the Special Prize to musician Tran Khanh Van for the song "Con Dao".

According to Mr. Huynh Van Hong, Chairman of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, the meaningful songs contributed to the success of this year's contest hosted by the association. The songs that won high prizes were not only simple musical works but also stories in melody, deeply reflecting the beauty of nature, people, culture and development of the Southeast region.

This year’s contest received 142 songs from 47 authors from 6 provinces and cities in the Southeast region (including 11 works that responded and did not compete). The jury selected 13 winning works, including 1 Special Prize, 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes, 2 Third Prizes and 5 Encouragement Prizes at the award ceremony on April 28.

The songs are rich in themes and diverse in musical styles, vividly depicting the breath of the homeland, praising the spirit of labor, love between couples, and national pride. The award-winning songs not only meet professional requirements but also have a strong influence, promising to live forever in the hearts of music lovers.

Article and photos: HOANG BACH

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/nhung-giai-dieu-dep-ve-dong-nam-bo-1042045/