Writing about "beloved motherland" with all affection

In recent days, the song “The Motherland of Love, Quang Tri - Quang Binh” has been shared by many people. This song is the voice of a child born and raised in Quang Binh but is deeply attached to Quang Tri. Quang Tri Newspaper reporter recently had a conversation with Mr. HO DINH PHUC, author of the song “The Motherland of Love, Quang Tri - Quang Binh” at a time when the two provinces are about to merge.

- First of all, thank you for accepting the interview invitation of Quang Tri Newspaper. Recently, the song “Beloved Motherland Quang Tri - Quang Binh ” has received the attention of many audiences and listeners. Could you briefly introduce this song?

- I am a son of Quang Binh but have been attached to the land, people and mountains of Quang Tri for more than 36 years. To me, Quang Binh is: "Where my parents took care of me growing up every day/The back of rice mixed with vegetables, potatoes and cassava/The lifelong gratitude of mother to father...". During the days away from home, there were times when my heart ached every time I heard the melodies and lyrics of the song by musician An Thuyen: "Going far away makes me want to come back, suffering makes me want to come back even more. To let mother's love cherish...". I love my homeland Quang Binh so deeply, but when I set foot in Quang Tri, my heart still aroused special emotions. Having been attached to this homeland for a long time, when I left Quang Tri, I deeply felt the verses of Che Lan Vien: "When we are here, it is just a place to live/When we leave, the land suddenly becomes the soul...".

It was the great love for the two lands that inspired me to write the song: “The beloved motherland of Quang Tri - Quang Binh” in 2016. I wrote it quite quickly, starting with nostalgia and love: “There are days that can never be forgotten/There are loves that are far away and then remembered/There are rivers that shine forever/Thach Han, Hien Luong, Hieu River on both banks.../Oh Quang Binh, oh Quang Binh, oh Quang Tri, oh Quang Tri, the beloved motherland, attached for life...”. After finishing the song, fate brought me to meet two singers from Quang Tri, Minh Loan and Phan Toan. With their sweet voices, the duet performed this song very successfully. Thanks to that, my song touched the hearts of the audience.

- After listening to the song “Beloved Motherland of Quang Tri - Quang Binh”, many readers of Quang Tri Newspaper really wanted to know about the person who wrote the lyrics and music full of emotions. Could you please share a little about yourself?

- In July 1956, I was born in Phong Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province - a poor mountainous countryside. The land where I was born and grew up was like a starting point, helping me later to have a relationship with the forestry industry. Leaving the lecture hall, in 1980, I worked at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Department of Forestry of Trieu Hai district, Binh Tri Thien province. After the province was divided, I worked at many agencies and units under the agricultural sector, including the Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection Department. In August 2016, I retired and lived in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province until now.

During my time at work, in addition to focusing on doing my job well, I spent a lot of time reading books and writing poems. That passion has helped ease the difficulties of long trips, eating wild rice, and sleeping in tents. From my work and life experiences, I have composed more than 400 poems with many genres and themes. In 2017, 16 of my poems were selected to be published in the poetry collection "The Moon Waiting for Poetry 1" by many authors published by Thuan Hoa Publishing House. In 2018, I had 35 poems selected to be published in the poetry collection "Homeland Moon" published by the Writers' Association Publishing House. Recently, I released my own poetry-music collection with more than 100 poems and 15 songs, titled "Imprints" published by the Writers' Association Publishing House. In addition, I have composed many songs to express my feelings.

- Born and raised in Quang Binh, having spent a long time in Quang Tri, how deeply do these two hometowns leave an impression on you?

- As I have shared, Quang Binh is where I was born, the homeland of my ancestors, where I have a deep affection for the word "homeland". Quang Tri is the homeland where I have many beautiful memories in 36 years of working in the forestry profession. Quang Tri is also the place where I gradually grew up, from a forestry technical officer to one of the leaders of the industry, serving as Deputy Director of the Forestry Sub-Department, Deputy Director of the Quang Tri Forestry Sub-Department until my retirement. During that time, I received a lot of affection, care and support from industry leaders, colleagues, cadres and local people. All of these are deep impressions in my heart.

I am also a son-in-law of Quang Tri. My wife is a daughter of Cam Chinh commune, the heroic homeland of Tan So. I feel lucky to have met and become married to her - the person who is always by my side, sharing, encouraging and supporting me to complete my mission well.

- Being attached to two hometowns, how did you feel when you heard that Quang Tri and Quang Binh were about to merge?

- I am very happy to hear that Quang Tri and Quang Binh will be reunited. For me, for a long time, Quang Tri and Quang Binh are two but one. It is difficult for me to put these two lands with so much nostalgia and love for me on the scale to see which is heavier or lighter. I hope that the cadres and people from my hometown will join hands and work together to write new pages of history in the future.

- People say that when emotions are high, they will rise up into sounds and melodies. Will that flow of emotions once again awaken the artist in you?

- Currently, I am a member of the Music Branch, Quang Binh Literature and Arts Association. As a lover of poetry and music, I understand the importance of emotions. Thanks to my surging emotions, I have composed more than 60 songs. Some of my works have achieved encouraging results. Among them, my song "Upholding the profession of justice and integrity" has just won second prize in the national songwriting contest about the judiciary organized by the Supreme People's Court and the Vietnam Musicians Association. The song "Vang len trong tim minh" won second prize in the songwriting campaign about the union launched by Quang Binh Provincial Youth Union. The song "Quang Binh today" won the Encouragement prize in the literary and artistic composition campaign to celebrate the 420th anniversary of the establishment of Quang Binh province launched by the Provincial People's Committee... Not stopping there, many of my songs have been selected to be printed and introduced in central and local literary and artistic newspapers.

The “pairing” of Quang Tri and Quang Binh ignited strong emotions in me. I believe that in the future, I will have more songs written about my homeland with all my love.

- Besides poems and musical ideas, do you have anything to say to your hometown people?

- First of all, I would like to thank Quang Tri Newspaper for giving me the opportunity to share my stories and feelings. Having been attached to both homelands, I see that the people of Quang Tri and Quang Binh have many things in common, especially their sincerity, simplicity, and deep affection. I hope that after returning under one roof, we will unite, stand side by side, join hands and hearts to build our homeland to be happier, more beautiful and richer.

Thank you!

Tay Long (performed)

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/viet-ve-dat-me-yeu-thuong-bang-tat-ca-an-tinh-193690.htm