Associate Professor, Doctor, Musician Nguyen Lan Cuong: Living with passion ...

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong was born in 1941, the fourth child of the late People's Teacher Nguyen Lan.

Famous paleoanthropologist

From a young age, he showed his artistic talent. At the age of 10, he went to China to study music, where he studied with Mr. Pham Tuyen and Mr. Nguyen Huu Hieu, the first person to conduct a choir in Vietnam, along with Mr. Nhan Nghiem Tuc (a Chinese). Returning to Vietnam, he was in charge of a 100-person choir and a 20-person orchestra at Ly Thuong Kiet School (now Viet Duc School) in Hanoi . In 1960, at the age of 19, he composed his first song "Tieng hat ban Muong" and then the choir "Tieng ca tren ra go", both of which won prizes in competitions for students in Hanoi.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong (Photo: DOCUMENT)

However, his family did not encourage him to pursue this path. His father directed that "since there is already an artist in the family (composer Nguyen Lan Tuat - PV), you should pursue a career in science ". And so, Nguyen Lan Cuong took the entrance exam to the Biology Department of Hanoi University of Science (University of Natural Sciences, VNU Hanoi).

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong is known as a famous paleoanthropologist. He was the first Vietnamese to be trained in the German Democratic Republic in 1980-1981 on the method of restoring human faces from skulls. He is in charge of projects on restoration and preservation of human bodies.

After many years of research, in 2009, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong released the book "The Secret Behind the Zen Masters' Bodies", which won the 2010 Good Book Gold Award. Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong shared that this is a scientific work that he has cherished for decades, a milestone marking his scientific journey. The book gathers research, restoration and preservation of 4 bodies at Dau Pagoda (Hanoi), Phat Tich Pagoda, Tieu Son ( Bac Ninh ) from 1983 to 2008. The stories he tells in the book are mostly diary pages during his research period.

Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong also has important research works on the field of ancient anthropology in Vietnam, such as "Anthropological characteristics of Dong Son culture residents in Vietnam", "Ancient anthropology and ancient environment in Vietnam"... With important contributions to the field of archaeology in Vietnam, he was awarded the Vietnam Record Certificate "The person who researched the most ancient human remains in Vietnam (1093 individuals)" in 2022 by the Vietnam Record Organization.

For him, archaeology is not simply about excavating sites or studying dry remains, but a journey back to life, where each set of remains contains a story, a soul that needs to be understood, respected and restored.

A musician who loves life and people

As a famous archaeologist, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong is also a musician, having founded and conducted the Hanoi Harmony choir for many years.

Graduated from Hanoi University, he worked at the Institute of Archaeology. Having traveled all over the country, each of his songs is like a diary written in music. His works mark the memories of his trips, closely follow current topics and also have an interesting composition for children. His musical legacy has nearly 100 works, including choral works and songs mainly written for children, of which the most prominent are "The General of the People's Heart", "Come Back, My Dear", "The Song of the Island Soldiers"...

Musician Nguyen Lan Cuong has won 18 music awards from the Vietnam Music Association, Hanoi Music Association, UNICEF, National Traffic Safety Committee, Hanoi Department of Justice, and Navy Command. He used to hold the positions of Permanent Vice President of the Hanoi Music Association and Head of the Inspection Committee of the Hanoi Literature and Arts Association.

In addition to archaeological research and music composition, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong is also talented in painting. He has been painting oil paintings since 1962. One of his proudest works is the book "What do skeletons tell you?", which includes 320 illustrations of human skeletons drawn by himself.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong always had an optimistic spirit and positive energy. Despite his old age, he still worked tirelessly until he was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer at the end of 2024.

The multi-talented scientist and artist has passed away, but the positive energy he spread continues to live on in his works, music, paintings, and especially in the memories of many generations of students, colleagues, friends and the public. He is a testament to a life in which science and art are not opposed, but complement each other to create a fulfilled person - living with passion, living to contribute and inspire life.

Dr. Pham Viet Long, Institute for Cultural and Development Studies, assessed that Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong lived a full life as he viewed ancient skeletons: not as symbols of death, but as living memories of existence. He was not only a rare scientist and artist, but also a person who loved life and people, always bringing joy and inspiration to those who met him.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/pgs-ts-nhac-si-nguyen-lan-cuong-song-tron-dam-me-va-cong-hien-196250506210808237.htm