Without feeling inferior, just silently moving forward.
Thuyen Ha was born and raised in Thai Nguyen. For her, Hanoi at that time was a distant, bustling city, full of sounds far removed from her poor countryside and the small dreams of everyday life. The Hanoi Conservatory of Music, with its pianos and concerts, was a luxurious world that the young girl had never dared to dream of.
Her connection with music began during a talent recruitment drive, when Associate Professor and People's Artist Vu Huong discovered her aptitude. In 1994, Thuyen Ha left her hometown and moved to Hanoi, officially becoming a student at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, majoring in Organ. In the early days, she stayed with acquaintances. Out of love for her daughter, Ha's mother quit her stable job and moved the whole family to Hanoi, simultaneously working multiple jobs: selling goods, teaching, doing housework, cleaning, and managing the keys to the Hanoi Conservatory of Music's lecture halls, both to earn income and to conveniently care for her daughter. In her early years pursuing piano, she was directly mentored by Associate Professor and Meritorious Artist Nguyen Huu Tuan - former Head of the Piano Department. Later, Ha continued her studies with pianist Nguyen Thu Hien and completed her academic journey under the guidance of Professor and People's Artist Tran Thu Ha.
Recalling that period, Thuyen Ha frankly stated: "Among the students I've taught, I haven't seen anyone with a situation like mine: from a rural province, from a poor family, studying professionally but without an instrument, no one in my family involved in the arts, and having to practice everywhere."
Ha studied at the conservatory from the 5th grade, graduating from the 12th grade through a supplementary education program. She admits to being mischievous, having even gotten into fights with other children around the conservatory, but she's always proud of one thing: her academic excellence and her serious commitment to her chosen path. From the age of 13, Ha began tutoring. Her first students came through the help of relatives and teachers in her department. Working while studying, she passed the university entrance exam with the highest score, becoming the top-scoring student and receiving a full scholarship from the Ministry of Education and Training to study abroad. On the day she left, she only had $500 USD in her pocket – money her teacher gave her for emergencies.
Coming from a disadvantaged economic background, with no one in her family involved in the arts, and lacking family support, Thuyen Ha never felt inferior. In the conservatory, where most students came from well-off families and artistic backgrounds, she quietly progressed through discipline and perseverance. This steadfastness earned her the respect of her teachers and friends.
Thuyen Ha's academic journey continued when she topped the entrance exam for the Vietnam National Academy of Music, receiving a full scholarship to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China). In the past 20 years, she is the only Vietnamese person to have graduated with a full degree in Piano Performance from the Piano Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Thuyen Ha confessed that she wasn't born to play the piano professionally. Her hands were small, and she only reached a full octave in middle school. The only thing she had was her natural physical strength and stamina honed over the years. Before studying piano, Ha spent three years studying organ. Electronic pianos need annual upgrades, but she could only practice on an old instrument. The feedback about her learning conditions made the 10-year-old girl aware of the divide between rich and poor and her disadvantages.
Later, when she transferred to the Piano department, Ha was the only student from out of town studying professionally without a piano. Her teacher's wife helped her practice during off-peak hours. A child over 12 years old would skip her afternoon naps and practice in the old, dilapidated room. "Perhaps because of the extreme hardship, every hour I got to touch the piano was as eagerly as a hungry person being given food," Ha recounted.
The first piano Ha owned was a low, old, brown Russian piano, bought on clearance for 700,000 dong—a large sum of money for her family at the time. That very piano nurtured her big dreams of becoming a performing artist and a music educator.
Affection for each piano key
Thuyen Ha's career is intertwined with her benefactors and the most ordinary guitars, gradually progressing to internationally standard instruments. For her, each guitar holds a story of destiny and connection.
She loves brown pianos – the color of her first piano. Even though she later played on Steinway & Sons, Fazioli, or Shigeru Kawai, the feeling of practicing on that 700,000-year-old piano always remains vivid in her memory.
As a child, Ha dreamed of becoming a performing artist, touring the world. But the realities of life forced her to start teaching at the age of 13 to help support her mother. Every time she visited a student's home, she reminded herself to study hard, because only academic excellence could open up opportunities for those without money.
Thuyen Ha went abroad to study at the age of 22, after having 9 years of teaching experience. To date, she has pursued a professional artistic career for 32 years. The years spent living on meager scholarships in an environment full of talented people instilled in her an iron discipline. Gentle in her personal life, Ha is very strict in her work. She doesn't easily tolerate laziness, having personally experienced extremely harsh times.
After many years of studying and working abroad, Thuyen Ha returned to Vietnam and chose to stay and teach, undertaking many meaningful music education projects. For her, teaching is not simply about imparting techniques, but about continuing what she has learned throughout her long and challenging journey.
She understands very well the feelings of children who love playing the piano but lack the means, of families who cannot afford to invest in an art form considered "aristocratic." Therefore, in Thuyen Ha's approach to education, there is always a moment of quiet reflection for understanding, but without being lenient.
For her, music is not a place for self-pity, but a place that demands seriousness, discipline, and perseverance. The strict standards she sets for her students are the same standards she has applied to herself throughout her more than thirty years in the profession.
In her roles as both manager and teacher, Thuyen Ha maintains her habit of working without weekends off. Amidst countless tasks, consecutive classes, trips, and international projects, she remains a mother of two children who eagerly await her return every night. Her life is divided between her teaching staff, her students, and her family. "There are nights when I lie down in bed and before I can fall asleep, the sun is already rising. But if I could choose again, I would still choose this path," Ha affirms.
Therefore, Thuyen Ha's piano playing is not ostentatious. It is a sound formed from hardship, discipline, patience, and gratitude. For her, each key is not just a technique, but a memory, an affection, a reminder of a little girl who eagerly practiced piano in an old room, with a dream that has become a reality.
Nguyen Le Thuyen Ha (born in 1983) is currently the Artistic Director of Polaris Vietnam Education System – a project she founded. She began her professional music career in 1994. During her studies, Thuyen Ha was mentored by Associate Professor Vu Huong, Associate Professor Nguyen Huu Tuan (former Head of the Piano Department), pianist Nguyen Thu Hien, and Professor Tran Thu Ha. She was the top scorer in the university entrance exam, received a full scholarship from the Ministry of Education and Training, and studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China). Over the past 20 years, Thuyen Ha is the only Vietnamese person to have graduated with a formal major in Performance Piano from the Piano Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. There, she studied and worked with many leading international pianists such as Fou Ts'ong, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Hung-Kuan Chen, and others.
Currently, she teaches at the Vietnam National Academy of Music and is the exclusive representative in Vietnam for four international music competitions: Hong Kong International Music Festival; Mendelssohn Piano Competition in Asia Pacific; Zhongsin International Music Competition; and Qingyin Award - Youth Music Festival. At the same time, Thuyen Ha is the representative in Vietnam for two prestigious art schools: Walnut Hill School for the Arts (USA); and The Yehudi Mendelssohn School Qingdao - the only campus of the British art school in Asia (China).
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/tieng-dan-cua-thuyen-ha.html
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