People's Artist Le Thuy tearfully bids farewell to "Tu Ech Van Huong"

NSND Lệ Thủy nghẹn ngào tiễn biệt — People's Artist Le Thuy bids farewell to the renowned "comedic Vong Co" singer Van Huong.

On the evening of December 10th, People's Artist Le Thuy visited and offered incense to bid farewell to the renowned "comedic Vong Co" singer Van Huong. She expressed her deepest condolences to the family.

"Don't call me uncle."

In her memory, from the age of 14 when she was just starting out as an actress, when impresario Long – the director of Kim Chung Company – gave her the role of To Tam, who served Zhu Yingtai in the play "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," the person serving the scholar Liang was Thu Dong, played by artist Van Huong.

"Even though he was young at the time, he had a beard, so I called him Uncle Huong. He immediately said, 'Don't call me Uncle.' We have an unforgettable memory from our early days in the profession: we played a supporting role together, and then we went our separate ways. Occasionally, when we met, I would instinctively call him Uncle Huong, and he would say the familiar phrase, 'Don't call me Uncle.'"

She added that most recently, the Vietnam Wax Museum company invited her and her husband to their workshop to take measurements for the wax statue to be displayed at the Vietnam Wax Museum in the Suoi Tien Tourist Area.

She met him again, sharing the joy of an artist who, despite his advanced age, was still deeply connected to the stage. "Brother Six Van Huong was very happy; he was overjoyed to see me again. Later, when People's Artist Minh Vuong organized a weekend morning coffee gathering for colleagues who had been associated with the Kim Chung theater, Brother Six Van Huong attended a few times. Because I was busy performing frequently, I rarely had the opportunity to meet him. He told me about the time he faced many age-related illnesses, and how he no longer ran his traditional music cafe at home because his health didn't allow it," People's Artist Le Thuy recounted emotionally.

It's hard to find someone who can replace that distinctive "gurgling" sound.

People's Artist Le Thuy affirmed that, even today, although many artists follow the humorous vong co singing style of the renowned singer Van Huong, it is difficult for anyone to replace his very special "ugh ugh" sound when singing.

"We shared the same starting point, both joining the Kim Chung troupe, and both were chosen by teacher Vien Chau to initiate two genres: 'Tan Co Giao Duyen' and 'Vong Co Hai'. When I released my first 'Tan Co Giao Duyen' album with the song 'Who Is He?', music by Nguyen Huu Thiet, traditional lyrics by Vien Chau, then Anh Sau Van Huong released the album 'Tu Ech Goes to Saigon'. Both of us are grateful to teacher Vien Chau; without his breakthroughs, creativity, and innovation, we wouldn't have been loved by the public. Anh Sau recorded over 200 Vong Co Hai songs, while I, at that time, contributed along with many colleagues to bringing 'Tan Co Giao Duyen' into life with hundreds of recorded songs," recalled People's Artist Le Thuy.

She also felt saddened that in a short period of time, the Cai Luong stage had lost many artists of her generation. After artist Thanh Duoc, there were artists Thanh Phu, then Van Huong, and Huong Huyen. Before that, artist Bao Anh, despite being younger than her, had also passed away.

"Our generation of artists joined hands in our profession, then became famous, loved by the public and audiences, and then we couldn't resist time, illness, and separation. Now, being able to meet colleagues every day, confide in each other and share how to overcome illness makes me feel warm inside. Farewell, Brother Six Van Huong, colleagues and the public will always remember 'Tu Ech' who was once famous for his humorous and timeless vong co songs," – People's Artist Le Thuy wept.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nsnd-le-thuy-nghen-ngao-tien-biet-tu-ech-van-huong-196231211064548859.htm