The story of 50 years of singing 'Song of Unification' by People's Artist Thu Hien

Song of Unity - Photo 1.

People's Artist Thu Hien remembers her youth when she went to the front line to sing for soldiers and wounded soldiers right next to the trenches - Photo: Organizing Committee

People's Artist Thu Hien confided in Tuoi Tre over the phone right before singing and recording the song "Unification Song" at the Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of April 11.

Unforgettable memories of the first singer to sing the Unification Song

Thu Hien said that in 1976, the whole country was still living in the special joy and happiness of a country that had just achieved peace and unity.

For a beloved singer like her, those were special years, singing victory songs everywhere.

As for the song of unification , she had a special opportunity. At that time, her family lived in the same row of thatched houses in the Van Cong Mai Dich collective area (Cau Giay, Hanoi) with musician Vo Van Di.

In 1976, after a period of time "absorbing" the great happiness of the country's reunification after 21 years of division, musician Vo Van Di began composing the song " Song of Reunification".

Singer Thu Hien lived next door, so whenever he wrote a line of a song, he would call the singer over to sing it, and edit it while singing. Only when he was satisfied with the final version would he record the song.

Song of Reunification - People's Artist Thu Hien

So singer Thu Hien sang this song when it was still in its infancy. And she was also the first singer to record the song and broadcast it on Voice of Vietnam Radio.

Then she brought the song to perform for the first time in front of the audience in the city named after Uncle Ho. Later, many singers sang this song, but Thu Hien's voice is still the most loved.

50 years later, at the age of over 70, People's Artist Thu Hien still had the chance to sing this song again on a special occasion, at the very special location of the Independence Palace. She said that it was a happiness that a singer cannot easily achieve.

The special emotions these days make her moved to tears remembering her brilliant youth, at the age of 15 she followed the soldiers into the battlefield, walked along Truong Son to sing for soldiers and wounded soldiers right on the battlefield, in the trenches, at the field medical station...

Song of Unity - Photo 2.

The legendary quartet in the red music genre Trung Duc, Quang Tho, Thu Hien, Thanh Hoa will sing together in the Truong Son Memory Night - Photo: T.DIEU

Truong Son memories of four legendary voices

The artist said that from now until April 30, she will sing continuously in many programs, throughout the South and the North, with familiar songs, from Unification Song to Truong Son Dong, Truong Son Tay, Ho on the banks of Hien Luong, Song of Nam Tan, Standing in Ben Tre, My dear Quang Binh, A song of the heart of a Ha Tinh person...

Including the program Truong Son Memories organized by the Vietnam Contemporary Arts Theater on the night of April 27 at the Hanoi Opera House. Singer Thu Hien will sing with the golden voices of the past such as People's Artist Trung Duc, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tho...

In this program, artist Thu Hien reunites with her most compatible co-star, People's Artist Quang Tho. The two will sing a duet of the songs Truong Son Dong, Truong Son Tay.

Waiting for the upcoming reunion night, People's Artist Quang Tho shared that this is a song that is associated with many memories of the two. "Our voices always blend together, lift each other up, and are full of emotion, so they are loved by many generations of Vietnamese people," he said.

During the program, artist Thu Hien also sang a song that the public remembers with her voice, the song Cau ho ben bo Hien Luong.

People's Artist Thanh Hoa - who traveled along the Truong Son mountain range to sing for the army during the resistance war against the US to save the country, will also tell many stories about the glorious period through immortal songs.

People's Artist Quang Tho will also take the audience back to the memories of the miners who were part of the mining region's shock art troupe performing for the soldiers fighting in the battlefields of the South, Laos and Cambodia.

Besides four legendary singers of revolutionary, lyrical and folk music, the program also has the participation of many generations of excellent singers such as: People's Artist Quoc Hung, People's Artist Pham Phuong Thao, People's Artist Hong Hanh, Meritorious Artist Viet Hoan; singers Viet Danh, Thai Thuy Linh...

This is one of the elaborate music programs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of national reunification in Hanoi.