(S) TRONG Trong Hieu & a unique place

Possessing a bright appearance, a distinctive warm voice, excellent choreography, and a modern performance style. 10 years ago, the Vietnamese music market was lacking a male singer who possessed all of the above mentioned factors. Winning the Vietnam Idol 2015 championship, possessing all the qualities to become a star at that time, why did the journey take 10 years (S) TRONG Trong Hieu to find the "key" to open the door to his "treasure"?

Treasure can be said to be the biggest hit of (S) TRONG Trong Hieu up to now, opening an important milestone in his career. What have you done in the past 10 years to find the "treasure"?

After Vietnam Idol 2015 , I made music according to my interests and for myself. I tried many different genres and styles. On that journey, many products were well received by everyone and many products were not. But that journey was really necessary, for me to realize what I like and what I am good at.

After participating in the program Anh trai vu ngan cong gai 2024, I have more brothers and friends, more opportunities to meet and exchange. Thanks to this program and that connection, I have the opportunity to understand more about Vietnamese culture, language, customs, and people. That is the premise for me to be more confident when making music.

In addition, this 10-year journey also helps me understand more about "Vietnam" in myself, so that I can get closer to the audience, create music products that touch the hearts of the audience more. I believe that I always have a place for myself in the Vietnamese music industry, a different place. Looking back on the past 10 years, I have no regrets. I needed those 10 years with enough experiences, enough events, enough ups and downs to have the current (S) TRONG Trong Hieu.

What is "Vietnam" to you?

The first three words that come to my mind are: heart, love and homeland. People often say, only when you understand can you love. Now I understand my homeland better, so Vietnam in my heart is love.

There are little things in everyday life that I now understand and enjoy more. For example, I really like riding motorbikes, and now I understand why motorbikes are so closely associated with Vietnamese people, and why riding motorbikes is such a romantic thing for us Vietnamese people.

There was a time when I was a bit down, I would often get on my motorbike and literally go towards the sun, without looking at the map, without choosing a destination, just going. When I saw a nice coffee shop, I would stop in and sit, watch people passing by, listen to people talking. Sometimes I would stop at a roadside restaurant, eat and chat with the owner. Once I rode my motorbike, took the Binh Khanh ferry across the river to Can Gio, just to watch the fishermen.

Those moments made "Vietnam" in me.

Growing up in Germany - a place that values ​​individualism, freedom, and openness; returning to Vietnam, facing certain frameworks of V-pop. Over the past 10 years, you must have had to fight for your personal ego many times and find ways to reconcile it in the Vietnamese music market. To become a star, is "difference" an advantage or a barrier?

For me, everything has two sides. For a long time, I wondered where I fit in between the two cultures. But now I realize that I am the best version of both. The "difference" I used to worry about is actually a strength that I am lucky to have.

In the song Dare to be Different , which I performed at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Germany and won 3rd place, I gave the message: Be confident to be different, be confident to be yourself. I always understand that being different can sometimes make us feel lonely. But even if you feel that way, it's okay. Use it as motivation to become stronger and more courageous. And remember, love is always around us. Just believe in your own difference.

Treasure is also the song that marks the extremely strong transformation of (S) TRONG. If the artist defines music as himself, then how does the Treasure EP define (S) TRONG in 2025?

The (S)TRONG of 2025 is a (S)TRONG that is calmer, more attentive, and more self-aware. My music is simply me, with many aspects of my personality, and each aspect of my personality truly reflects who I am. Before, I showed more excitement, dynamism, and strength on the outside. But now, after a long journey, I am confident enough to express even the deepest parts of myself.

Remembering the moment he met and danced for Britney Spears, did the shy 10-year-old boy Trong Hieu always know he had to become a star?

Ever since I was a child, I always believed that one day I would sing on a big stage in front of thousands of people. I often organized "concerts" in my family's living room, I imagined the round carpet under my feet as the stage, and the family and friends around watching as thousands of spectators.

My dream since I was little was not to become a "star", but just to sing, to dance, to connect with many people.

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After participating in Anh trai vu ngan cong gai and Gia dinh Haha , (S) TRONG gained a large fan base. With Anh trai vu ngan cong gai , you had more performances to prove your professional skills. With Gia dinh Haha , viewers saw a different side of you off stage that they rarely get to see. What did you find in these two reality shows?

In Haha Family , I found and felt the warmth, the simple love, the connection between people and I just enjoyed it. I love the atmosphere that the show, the crew and the artists created, I love the love everyone has for each other. I see everyone as family - and I am a member of it - to naturally express myself without caring about the camera.

In Anh trai vu ngan cong gai (The Brother Who Overcame Thousands of Difficulties ), the audience can see the journey of me gradually opening up to the people around me. It is my true emotional journey - from being shy to being comfortable expressing myself and bonding like a family with the other 32 artists.

(S) TRONG Trong Hieu in the concert " Brother overcomes thousands of obstacles" in September 2025

After the live show Between the Stars on October 18, many posts and comments on social networks shared that they were surprised by (S) TRONG's ability to sing live consistently throughout while having to spend a lot of energy dancing and singing continuously, even jumping rope, and moving vigorously in some performances. How did you practice?

I don't wait until there's a live show to practice. I practice my physical strength and vocals every day. Since I was a little boy, my father always encouraged and guided me to exercise and combine daily activities with singing and physical training. My father often said: Walk or run while practicing singing. Even on rainy and snowy days, my father still encouraged me to walk to school and practice my voice as I walked.

This has been my habit and lifestyle for nearly 30 years now. Now, no matter how busy I am, I practice my voice every day and take time to exercise my body like jogging, swimming, playing sports.

Liveshow "Among the Stars" received positive reviews from experts and audiences.

In addition, I also pay a lot of attention to my food and daily diet. I always try to eat enough portions and enough nutrients. For example, I always eat a lot of green vegetables, ensure enough vegetable protein, animal protein, eat fruit, especially drink enough water. I usually drink 3 - 4 liters of water every day. If I am active, play sports, dance a lot, I can provide more water for my body.

Right before the show, I was quite sick, but I still maintained my exercise routine, diet, and paid more attention to sleep. Luckily, I recovered in time to give my all for the show.

Live singing and rope jumping performance of (S) TRONG Trong Hieu and Cuong Seven in the performance " 12:03" at the live show " Between the stars"

With such an intense workout, what do you do to take care of your mental health?

I travel to learn and experience new things. Sometimes I travel alone so I can do what I like in my own way.

In addition, I choose to be close to nature, take time to reflect on myself, my problems, and meditate every day. I also have a habit of saying thank you for what I am grateful for during the day before going to bed. It can be a thing, a person, or a moment that happened during the day.

I focus on living and enjoying every moment of the present. I cherish every moment doing the things I love, being with the people I love.

What (S) TRONG just shared reminds me of the book The Little Prince that I love very much. Is there any book that you also love very much and would like to introduce to Thanh Nien Newspaper readers ?

It was the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by author Stephen Covey (published in Vietnam as 7 habits of highly effective people ), which accompanied me throughout my time studying music in Germany.

There is a story that I will always remember: On the subway, there was a family consisting of a father and 3 children. The 3 children were very noisy, disturbing the people around. Meanwhile, the father was just focusing on reading a book without any intention of stopping the children. The first impression and thought of the people around was that the father was indifferent, not caring about the children and the common space. But in fact, when asked, the father said that they had just returned from the hospital where the children's mother had just passed away about 1 hour ago, and he himself did not know what to think or say.

I realize that sometimes we often give ourselves the right to judge or judge others, but remember that each person has a story behind them. The book is written in a friendly style, very easy to understand, and at the same time opened up many new things for me about thinking.

Participating in the Dak Lak stage of " Haha Family" , (S)TRONG Trong Hieu received more love from the audience.

The songs in the EP Treasure talk a lot about love and things greater than love. For you, what is greater than love?

The Treasure EP is truly an EP about love and things that are greater than love. The love in the Treasure EP is not only love between couples but also love for family, friends, and people in general. And to me, what is greater than love is the connection between hearts and souls, to understand, love, and connect with each other sincerely.

In the recently released EP, you said thank you more than twice: "Thank you for being by my side/So that peace can still gently rise" (Paper Plane) and "Thank you for meeting me/This life feels like I've picked up a treasure" (Treasure) . So in this very moment, who and what do you want to thank?

I want to thank everything that has come to me in the past 10 years. I want to thank all the people I have met in my life. Each person has given me lessons, experiences, and their own marks - to make me who I am today.

Performed by: Phuong An

Graphics: Duy Quang

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/strong-trong-hieu-mot-cho-dung-rieng-185251101202129834.htm