Thanh Thúy is a very famous Vietnamese singer with a huge collection of very popular classical songs. I listened to her music since I was a young boy living at my uncle Thừa’s home in Saigon, Vietnam, in the late 1970s. Thanh Thúy was in her early 30s at the time.

My uncle was a wealthy and well respected family doctor. His medical office was located on the main floor of his three-story home in the heart of Saigon’s District 5. Uncle Thừa was a big fan of Thanh Thúy’s music. He owned several big reel-to-reel player systems and has a large collection of those giant tapes, most of them were Thanh Thúy’s music.

At first I didn’t like her music because of her very heavy and distinguished accent from central Vietnam region of Huế. Her songs were about love, heartbreaks due to separation from lovers or families because of the war. Many of her songs tell stories of life as South Vietnamese soldiers and military officers.

This was several years following the fall of Saigon in April 1975. During this period the communist banned all music and literatures from the West, including those produced in South Vietnam. Books, magazines, music records and tapes filled trash bins all over the city. I used to bring home beautiful books, magazines, postcards, and music tapes to explore.

One of the reel-to-reel boxes I took home contained a Thanh Thúy tape. I played it on my uncle’s Akai player and soon fell in love with her powerful voice. One song that got stuck in my head was “Tình Đời” – which means “Love Life”.

After escaping on a boat and immigrated to the U.S. in late 1979, I owned several Thanh Thúy cassette tapes which was produced from Los Angeles. While attending junior high, high school, and college during the 10 years living in Nebraska, her timeless songs helped providing me comfort when I feel lonely and homesick from being away from my family and Vietnam.

Nowadays I carried all my music in my phone. I have many playlists but the one I usually chosen for driving contained mostly of Thanh Thúy’s songs.

About two years ago I learned the singer is living in the same city and very close to our home (what a crazy coincidence). She’s been my wife’s special bank customer the past several years. I’ve made several requests to my wife to alert me to come to the bank to meet Thanh Thúy in person, but my wife has been hesitated because she knew I was a crazy fan and she didn’t want to be embarrassed.

Well, today I finally get to meet my childhood idol (who is now at her early 70s) for the first time after 40 years listening to her music. I also get to meet Thanh Thúy’s husband who is in his 80s. He was a former South Vietnamese air forces bomber pilot and flight instructor, who was trained in the U.S. in the 1960s. Thanh Thúy and her husband escaped Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in April 1975 and haven’t returned to visit the country for already 42 years.

Millions of Vietnamese fans, especially older generations, loved Thanh Thúy’s music and wanted to see her return to the country for a visit. I believe she wants to go visit Vietnam, but is afraid of hurting her husband’s feelings. When I asked her if she’d ever go back to Vietnam, she said no, with a sad smile. I believe because her husband was a South Vietnamese high ranking officer and a bomber pilot, he is afraid the communist government would put him in prison if he ever come back to the country.

It was a dream come true for me to meet (and hug) Thanh Thúy. And not only that, she invited my wife and I to a dinner on the spot. We had a wonderful time talking and I even told her the story about my uncle Thừa (a big fan of her) and asked her for a personal video message for my uncle. She was delighted and we recorded a very nice selfie video together. I posted it on Facebook for my uncle’s children in Saigon to show him.

What a wonderful and kind person. Before depart, I asked Thanh Thúy, “Can I take you back to visit Vietnam?” She smiled in delight and answered “OK” right away.

Nam Nguyen

July 1, 2017

Sacramento, California

“Love Life” (“Tình Đời”)

Singer: Thanh Thúy

Composer: Musician Vũ Chương

(NOTE: the English translation version doesn’t seem as beautiful as the original Vietnamese song, just because English is my second language.)

When you learned, I am a singer

Nightly at tea rooms singing to people who spend money to buy fun

Honey may I ask: Do you still love me?

Do not say it again

Please do not say anything anymore

I am thinking

A singer’s life is pitiful and beloved

Love, I’m afraid of love

Because love is like the incense of flowers

If tomorrow, I lost my lover

I’d suffer so much

Tomorrow on this street

Those late nights you taking me to my rural home

Away from the city lights you take me to my dream

I am a singer by destiny

I agree to the reproach of life

Only need you, only need you

Only believing in you

That’s life, my dear

Please do not talk about love life

I remember that life is deceitful

But we both always have each other

nguồn: linkedin.com