A poem celebrating 100 years of singing career of the famous Minh To - Thanh Tong family

Two actresses from the 5th generation of the family, Tu Suong (left, in the role of Empress Thuong Duong) and Que Tran (in the role of Empress Dowager Linh Nhan) excellently inherited the family's singing career in the play Cau Tho Yen Ngua - Photo: LINH DOAN

Rounds of applause rang out endlessly as each artist appeared, each performance, each valuable line of dialogue.

The program to celebrate 100 years of the family of opera, reformed classical opera Vinh Xuan - Mr. Thang - Minh To - Thanh Tong maintaining the singing career, starting from the cradle of Cau Quan communal house (Thai Hung communal house, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) is no longer just a family but also the beautiful and meaningful images of Southern reformed opera, of the city over the past 100 years.

The poem of the horse saddle, the play that goes with the years

The Vinh Xuan family - Mr. Thang - Minh To - Thanh Tong is ranked among the most famous singing families in the South.

It is difficult for any family to maintain the singing profession for a hundred years. It has lasted until now for the 6th generation and promises to continue for a few more generations.

The poem "The Horse Saddle" (author: Hoang Yen, adapted by Ngoc Van - Thanh Tong) is considered a proud Vietnamese historical play of the family when pioneers such as musician Duc Phu, People's Artist Thanh Tong... had many breakthrough creations, Vietnamizing from choreography, music, composition to costumes, staging...

This is a typical classical opera that needs to be mentioned in the history of reformed opera and bears the strong mark of the Southern land.

That's why when hearing the news that the Saddle Poem was being remade, the first show immediately sold out, and the organizers had to add a lot of soup chairs to meet the audience's demand.

From left to right, artists Que Tran (as Y Lan), Chi Linh (as Ly Dao Thanh) and Tu Suong (as Queen Thuong Duong) in the Thuong Duong Trial class - Photo: LINH DOAN

With the staging of director Hoa Ha, the new version of Cau Tho Yen Ngua truly has a different vitality. The quintessence of the choreography, music, and the key pieces in the play created by the family's excellent children are all cherished and preserved.

The director focused on delving into the psychology of each character, accelerating the play's rhythm, and strongly exploiting the relationship between Ly Thuong Kiet - Ly Dao Thanh and Linh Nhan Queen Mother (Y Lan) - Thuong Duong Queen from a new perspective and explanation, with more emotion and reason.

Above all, Hoa Ha made the poem "The Horse Saddle" on the evening of April 19 truly moved the audience about the spirit of solidarity, resolving grudges to protect the country together of our ancestors.

An epic song of patriotism and anti-invasion spirit rose up during the days when the whole country joyfully celebrated the 50th anniversary of national reunification.

Artist Tu Suong (5th generation of the family) performs with her two daughters Tu Quyen and Hong Quyen (6th generation) in the 2025 version of the play Saddle Poetry - Photo: LINH DOAN

Proud of the profession

In the 2025 version of the poem "The Horse Saddle" , the elders of the family step back to support their children and grandchildren in showing off their talents. Mr. Minh To's children take on important roles.

Minh Tam's son plays a key role in music. Artist Cong Minh, the ninth son, is in charge of costumes. The youngest son, Thanh Son, teaches the artists the dance routines in the play.

The stage of Cau Tho Saddle 2025 is where the fifth generation shines with children and sons-in-law such as Tu Suong, Que Tran, Le Thanh Thao, and Dien Trung.

The most prominent are Que Tran (Y Lan) and Tu Suong (Thuong Duong Queen). The two actresses have proven to be excellent inheritors of their family's singing profession by showing maturity in singing and acting.

Director Hoa Ha has painstakingly created dramatic confrontations between the two women. With their talent, Que Tran and Tu Suong have portrayed their characters deeply and delicately down to every moment.

Performing two characters that were successfully performed by their mothers and aunts, Que Tran and Tu Suong showed that they are not the shadows of their predecessors but have the courage to create their own unique style.

The performance of Ly Thuong Kiet surveying the situation on the river and writing a divine poem was a great performance that made the audience burst with emotion. Vo Minh Lam (playing Ly Thuong Kiet) added another good role to his career journey - Photo: LINH DOAN

Director Hoa Ha confided to Tuoi Tre Online : "When I started remaking The Poem of the Horse Saddle, I clearly felt Thanh Tong's dedication to the play. I love him so much.

To make the 2025 version of the play, the children in the family gathered together, each person contributing to make the play the best, it was truly precious and touching.

What I'm also glad about is that the actors of the 5th and 6th generation of the family in the play are all very worthy in terms of ethics and profession.

In particular, Que Tran and Tu Suong acted so well. I sat watching them perform and felt like crying. I cried not only because of the characters but also because I could feel their passion and diligence in practicing and maintaining their profession despite the difficulties of the cai luong stage."

After the role of Huynh Cong Ly in The Man with 9 Death Penalties, artist Bao Tri (right) continues to have an extremely unique role, the role of Ve Uong in The Poetry of the Horse Saddle, 2025 version - Photo: LINH DOAN

In addition to the descendants of the family, The Poetry of the Horse Saddle also has the contribution of other artists who have left a beautiful impression on the audience such as Chi Linh, Bao Tri, Vo Minh Lam, Minh Truong, Nha Thi...

Before the play opened, the organizers showed a documentary about the formation and survival of the poem "The Saddle of Horses" over the past 50 years.

From the first production around 1979, 1980 to the television recordings on HTV, VTV, Can Tho TV, the programs Preserving Gold and Jade, One Hundred Years of Origin , and then being chosen as a typical play to tour in France...

The family's veteran artists such as Thanh Tong, Huu Canh, Truong Son, Bach Le, Xuan Yen, Thanh Loan, Thanh Loc... all show seriousness with each role.

Those images made many audiences shed tears because they remembered the beautiful memories of old Cai Luong, and respected a family that always strived to preserve the singing profession, cherishing the quintessence of Cai Luong and ancient plays for future generations.

Artist Cong Minh shared that he was very happy because the family's precious play was staged in a new version by director Hoa Ha, very elaborately, revealing many interesting and thorny issues.

As the people in charge of the play's costumes, he, his wife and daughter took the trouble to research and find materials, so with the 2025 production, many audiences were amazed by the beautiful costumes and hats, close to history.

Mr. Cong Minh said: "I feel the love and respect for our family from director Hoa Ha. When staging the play, she carefully prepared every detail and continuously discussed with me, Minh Tam, Thanh Son... to make the play most effective!"

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cau-tho-yen-ngua-ky-niem-100-nam-theo-nghiep-hat-cua-gia-toc-lung-lay-minh-to-thanh-tong-20250420065945287.htm