The music transcends life and death, and the 'interest' at the age of 85.

Stepping through the doors of Mơ Phố café, the biting cold of early 2026 seemed to be completely left behind. Inside, the atmosphere was silent. Almost all eyes were focused on the wrinkled hands of teacher and artist Bùi Bạch Liên gliding across the piano keys.

Báo Thanh niên•03/06/2026

Standing in the middle of the stage, the 85-year-old woman's hands, mottled with age spots, trembled as she held a piece of metal about the size of a finger, sliding it across the Hawaiian guitar. Beneath her traditional Vietnamese dress, hidden behind her ankles as she gently tapped the strings, were two heavy lead weights, each weighing nearly 1.5 kg, tightly fastened. Those unaware might easily overlook it, but those who knew the story could hardly hide their sorrow. She had to wear the lead weights to maintain her balance, so that her once-broken legs could stand firm and support the sound of her guitar.

To possess the gentle smile and serene demeanor she displays while playing her instrument today, the elderly artist has faced death numerous times. It was the sound of her music that kept her alive during those moments when she felt she had to surrender to fate.

Tiếng cầm ca xuyên qua sinh tử và cái ‘lãi’ ở tuổi 85 - Ảnh 1. — Teacher Bach Lien performs with the blind band of Mo Pho.

The notebook written backwards and the refusal on the hospital bed.

I remember our first meeting in 2012 at my Nghiem Hoa Tra tea shop. She spoke with emotion about Mai Lan, the pseudonym she used to study music more than half a century ago. Back then, the prejudice that "singing and acting were low-class professions" still weighed heavily. She had to hide it from her family, saving every penny to secretly attend music lessons because she was so captivated by the Hawaiian guitar playing of musician Doan Chuan.

She once proudly showed me her notebook of music notes written in reverse, treating it like a treasure. She recounted how her teacher, Mr. Doan Chuan, once whispered to her, "I have a wonderful piece of music, I'm giving it just to you." It was the unique bolero song "Thuở trâm cài " (The Time of Hairpins). Fearing discovery and wanting to keep it as a "treasure," the young student meticulously copied each note in reverse, like a secret code.

Now, that notebook and the Hawaiian guitar have become witnesses to her youth – a Hanoi that was elegant but also full of strict prejudices against women who pursued a career in music.

Tiếng cầm ca xuyên qua sinh tử và cái ‘lãi’ ở tuổi 85 - Ảnh 2. — Artist Bach Lien visits her teacher - musician Doan Chuan.

In 1992, a traffic accident caused her a traumatic brain injury, leaving her paralyzed and in a vegetative state. Her family had even prepared for her funeral. In a delirium, her icy cold hand fumbled around and accidentally touched the strings of her instrument. It was the icy coldness of the metal that jolted the artist awake, bringing her back to life.

Tragedy struck her again in 2004 when her shoulder blade and ribs were fractured, and her knees were crushed. Her husband, writer Cao Son, sadly remarked, "My wife loves the sound of the piano, overcoming her illness, just as Phung Quan loved poetry. She clung to poetry to stand up again." Her daughter, living in Denmark, saved up $4,000 hoping her mother would have surgery. Looking at her broken legs, then at her piano lying neglected, she resolutely declared, "No surgery!"

"I'm fine with this leg position. I'll use the money to buy sound equipment and open a 'Hawaiian Night Club' in Hanoi for everyone to enjoy. Without music , I probably couldn't live!" she said casually. For her, music was more precious than herself.

Tiếng cầm ca xuyên qua sinh tử và cái ‘lãi’ ở tuổi 85 - Ảnh 3. — Artist Bach Lien is demonstrating how to play Hawaiian guitar at the Hawaii Night Club Hanoi.

Rekindling the dying embers

Music schools are now devoid of Hawaiian guitars. Few young people know how to play them either. Seeing this, Mrs. Lien took her guitar and went door-to-door to music venues and tea rooms in Hanoi, asking to play for free. She called her actions "rekindling a dying ember."

Seeing the children always so busy, she wanted to use the sound of her guitar to slow down their lives a little. Every time someone stayed to listen, she felt happy. She went to great lengths to find and buy dozens of sets of strings and several boxes of picks as a backup, thinking, "What if they stop producing them in a few years? Then there won't be any replacements left!"

Whenever she saw an office worker or a student curiously asking about the Hawaiian guitar, she would immediately invite them to her house, offering free lessons and lending them women if needed. In her heart, the old artist still awaited the day when conservatories would bring this instrument back to the lecture halls.

To strike up conversations with her grandchildren and younger generations, she taught herself to type on a computer, create a Facebook account, and painstakingly learn a few broken English phrases. Whenever the Hawaiian guitar was mentioned online, she would diligently type in a comment, patiently keeping the rhythm of the instrument alive amidst the changing times.

Tiếng cầm ca xuyên qua sinh tử và cái ‘lãi’ ở tuổi 85 - Ảnh 4. — Artist Bach Lien at the launch of her Vol 7 album to raise funds for charity.

Bring the sound of music out of the four walls.

Mrs. Lien had never played her guitar in a quiet corner of her house. For many years, the residents of Alley 82 Yen Lang were familiar with the sight of the elderly artist taking a taxi, laboriously carrying her heavy guitar to Mo Pho Cafe - the meeting place of the Volunteer Doctors' Association.

There, dedicated doctors and nurses not only organize charity music nights but also travel to remote areas to provide free medical examinations, distribute free medicine, or perform heart surgeries for poor children. Amidst these kind people, Ms. Lien gradually became a "member of the family" of the association without even realizing it.

Watching her intently playing each note with the blind band – Mr. Tran Thuong on the piano, Mr. Quoc Hoan stroking the guitar, Mr. Vu Linh sobbing on the bamboo flute… one realizes how wonderfully music connects souls. The elegant and refined quality of the Hawaiian guitar, when blended with those simple sounds, resonates with vibrant life.

At the launch of the album Vol. 7 "Ancient Sounds on the Piano Keys" on February 7, 2026, Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh - representing the executive board of the Volunteer Doctors Association - could not hide his emotion: "We do our profession, saving lives with scalpels and medicine. But Dr. Bui Bach Lien saves our souls and the souls of her patients with her piano playing. Seeing her practicing diligently with her disabled friends, her shirt soaked with sweat yet always smiling, we realize we still have so much more to strive for!"

Transcending the boundaries of a typical musical product, Vol. 7 encapsulates 10 years of dedicated work by the Volunteer Doctors Association (2016-2026). This is a gift that Ms. Lien carefully prepared to raise funds for heart surgeries and school construction. At the launch event, writer Nguyen Truong Quy astutely observed that Ms. Lien's piano playing in the album represents the "rebirth" of old Hanoi culture in a new form – the form of compassion.

Tiếng cầm ca xuyên qua sinh tử và cái ‘lãi’ ở tuổi 85 - Ảnh 5. — At the age of 85, artist Bach Lien continues to participate in many charitable programs with the Volunteer Doctors Association. The photo shows her donating warm clothes to children in Ha Giang for Tet 2025.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

"As long as it's still moving, there's still profit."

Despite being 85 years old, Mrs. Lien's legs, weighed down by lead, silently follow the doctors as they travel far and wide. Few would have guessed that her small frame can endure such bumpy journeys, traveling endlessly to Ha Giang, Lang Son , and the most remote villages.

Recently, a photograph taken during Tet (Lunar New Year) in the highlands of Ha Giang has left me utterly captivated. Amidst the cold mist of the rocky plateau, a vibrant red ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) shines brightly. The woman bends down to adjust the warm coat of a Hmong child, her wrinkled hands pressed tightly against the child's cracked cheeks, her smile gentle and strangely peaceful.

She said, "I'm old now, I have nothing but my music and this last bit of strength. As long as I can still walk, it's still worthwhile. If playing music helps doctors earn more money to buy medicine for the poor, then I'll play until I'm out of breath!"

Late at night, the Mơ Phố cafe was deserted. Mrs. Liên busied herself packing up her tools. The lead weights around her ankles must have become heavy after all those hours. Yet, the old artist's figure and gait remained surprisingly graceful.

The sound of the Hawaiian guitar tonight held no trace of sorrow. It was simple and steadfast—like her own life—quietly breathing warmth into a corner of a cold Hanoi night.

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