Top 10 Renowned Vietnamese Composers of the 20th Century

Composer Văn Cao (1923– 1995) is a legendary composer of Vietnam. He is the author of the song 'Tiến quân ca' (Marching Song), the National Anthem of Vietnam. Besides being a composer, Văn Cao is also a painter and poet with many valuable works. As a pioneering composer, Văn Cao composed romantic songs like 'Bến Xuân' (Wharf of Spring), 'Suối mơ' (Dream Stream), leaving a mark in the history of modern music in Vietnam. After joining Viet Minh, Văn Cao wrote 'Tiến quân ca,' 'Trường ca sông Lô,' 'Tiến về Hà Nội,' becoming a representative composer of the resistance music genre. Additionally, he has some famous literary works such as 'Một đêm Hà Nội' (One Night in Hanoi), 'Lá' (Leaves), 'Đường rừng' (Forest Road), 'Ai về kinh Bắc' (Who Comes to the North).

In 1996, Văn Cao was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in the first award ceremony. He also received the Order of Resistance, First Class, Independence Order, Third and First Class, and Ho Chi Minh Order from the Vietnamese government. With his significant contributions to the country, the late composer Văn Cao deserves the admiration of the people.

Composer Đỗ Nhuận (1922 - 1991), originally from Hải Dương, is one of the pioneering composers in revolutionary music and is regarded as the 'great tree' of Vietnamese music. He served as the first Secretary-General of the Vietnamese Musicians' Association during the first and second terms from 1958 to 1983. Đỗ Nhuận was the first Vietnamese composer to write an opera, 'Cô Sao,' and the author of the famous guerrilla song 'Du kích sông Thao.'

The inspiration for Đỗ Nhuận's compositions originated from his homeland and family, which had a tradition of performing chèo (traditional opera). From the age of 14, he studied music and learned to play several musical instruments. Remembering Đỗ Nhuận means recalling a talented and courageous composer-soldier with successful musical works such as 'Côn đảo,' 'Chiến thắng Điện Biên,' 'Việt Nam quê hương tôi,' as well as theatrical pieces like 'Cô Sao,' 'Người tạc tượng.' He received numerous awards, including the Independence Order Second Class, Warrior Order Second Class, Victory Order Second Class, and was one of the first five to be awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize.

Composer An Thuyên (1949-2015), full name Nguyễn An Thuyên, hails from Quỳnh Lưu, Nghệ An. He was a renowned composer, the former Rector of the Military University of Culture and Arts, and the Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Musicians' Association, 7th term. An Thuyên held the rank of Major General in the Vietnam People's Army. An Thuyên created a diverse range of songs, including well-known pieces like Night listening to the boatman's song remembering Uncle Ho, Marching to the Northwest, When tanks pass through the region of Quan họ, Beloved Huế, Docked at the homeland pier, Mother Vietnam the heroine, and more. Additionally, An Thuyên wrote several plays for the theatrical troupe, such as Trương Chi, Bitter Love Sea,...

His creative philosophy was eloquent; he stated, 'I grew up in the stream of folk music. However, that doesn't mean that material will enter my composition. The core is that the musician must cherish, refine, and combine the pure essence of folk music, the intellectualism of folk music with the intellectualism of modern scholars. Only then can we create modern works that are rich in folk elements.' For his contributions, he received notable awards such as the Second Prize at the Vietnamese Musicians' Association for Nine Degrees of Love (1992) and the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2007...

Lưu Hữu Phước (1921-1989) was a composer hailing from Hậu Giang. He was also known by other pen names such as Huỳnh Minh Siêng, Long Hưng, Anh Lưu, Hồng Chí. Lưu Hữu Phước is considered one of the pioneering composers in the Vietnamese music scene, representing Southern music during the early days of modern music. His expertise lay in epic and liberation songs, and his works were always associated with significant historical events such as Non sông gấm vóc, Bạch Đằng Giang, and Ải Chi Lăng.

Additionally, he composed scenic songs (Tụy lụy, Con thỏ ngọc, Diệt sói lang, Hội nghị Diên hồng), musical dramas (Bông sen, Phá mưu bù nhìn), and ballets (Hái hoa dâng Bác). He was also a Professor, Academician, Music Theory Scholar; former Minister of the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam; former National Assembly Delegate, Chairman of the Culture and Education Committee of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In recognition of his contributions, a high school in Cần Thơ is named Lưu Hữu Phước High School, and a street in Hanoi bears his name...

Composer Phạm Tuyên, born in 1930 in Hải Dương, is renowned for his excellent children's songs such as Như có Bác trong ngày vui đại thắng, Chiếc đèn ông sao, Tiến lên Đoàn viên, Cô và mẹ,... He is also famous for songs composed before the country's independence, such as Bài ca người thợ mỏ, Bám biển quê hương, Yêu biết mấy những con đường, Chiếc gậy Trường Sơn,... and post-1975 songs like Gửi nắng cho em, Con kênh ta đào,...

Additionally, he wrote numerous pieces for magazines, radio, and television. He was the former Chairman of the Hanoi Music Association, a Standing Committee member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Musicians' Association from 1963 to 1983,... His compositions are often cheerful, heroic, youthful, and optimistic, earning him the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2001 and the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts (Fourth Phase) in 2012.

Lê Thương is one of the pioneering composers in Vietnam who wrote modern music with the song Bản đàn xuân. In addition to Bản đàn xuân, during the period in the North, Lê Thương also composed other works such as Tiếng đàn đêm khuya, Một ngày xanh, Trên sông Dương Tử, Thu trên đảo Kinh Châu...

Lê Thương is a pioneering composer in various music genres. During the resistance period, he composed a very famous song Lòng mẹ Việt Nam or Bà Tư bán hàng, depicting a city mother with children participating in the resistance. This song was one of the reasons Lê Thương was arrested by the French in Catinat prison along with Phạm Duy and Trần Văn Trạch in 1951. Lê Thương is among the first to write narrative songs and has left behind some of the best narrative songs like Nàng Hà Tiên, Lịch sử loài người, Hoa thủy tiên... Especially the trio Hòn vọng phu, considered one of the famous works of modern Vietnamese music. Văn Cao also admitted to being influenced by Lê Thương with a musical style rooted in traditional Vietnamese music.

For a period, Lê Thương and composer Lê Cao Phan jointly managed the Măng Non band for children, broadcasting fairy tales, folk tunes, children's songs. Together with Nguyễn Xuân Khoát, Lê Thương is considered one of the pioneering composers of children's music with songs like Tuổi thơ, Cô bán bánh, Con mèo trèo cây cau, Thằng bé tí non, Ông Nhang bà Nhang, Truyền kỳ Việt sử, Học sinh hành khúc... More famous is the song Thằng Cuội, often sung by children on every Mid-Autumn Festival, although many people do not know it is a song by composer Lê Thương.

Nguyễn Văn Tý has composed many songs, and his works are widely admired by the public, such as Resonance, Mother loves her child, The posture of Ben Tre, The song of a thousand tons, The song of Vietnamese women, You go to work for credit, The soldier's shirt that mom sewed in the past, A piece of the feelings of the people of Ha Tinh, People go to build Kẻ Gỗ lake, Foster mother teaches children...

Resonance can be considered his only pre-war song. Although the song was not popular in the North during the war years, it was performed a lot in the South before 1975. Later, the song became widely circulated, becoming one of the favorite love songs of many audiences. Later, he also wrote the song 'Resonance 2' titled One star in the sky (1988).

Nguyễn Văn Tý is one of the successful red music composers with folk materials. His compositions are refined and contemplated through practical journeys over a long period. Many works have cleverly used folk materials from various regions (A piece of feelings of the people of Ha Tinh, The posture of Ben Tre, Mother loves her child...). His music is rich in rustic sentiment expressed through polished lyrics, smooth melodies, and ethnic identity. A familiar theme in many of his works is women, with songs like The song of Vietnamese women, Mother loves her child, The soldier's shirt that mom sewed in the past... Nguyễn Văn Tý is also a composer with many 'sector songs': You go to work for credit, He goes to find shrimp in the open sea, Birds sing in the paddies, She goes to foster and educate children, The song of a thousand tons.

Phạm Duy (05/10/1921 - 27/01/2013), born as Phạm Duy Cẩn, was a Vietnamese composer, singer, and music researcher. He is considered one of the greatest composers of Vietnamese Modern Music with a vast and diverse repertoire, including many iconic and familiar songs to the Vietnamese people. His music often blends elements of traditional Vietnamese music with new trends and styles, creating many groundbreaking and influential works for musicians across multiple generations.

From Spring 1988, in collaboration with his son Duy Cường, Phạm Duy transitioned from simple music to diversified music. After releasing 10 wandering songs titled Người Tình Già Trên Đầu Non (Old Lover on the Mountain Top) or Hát Cho Năm 2000 (Singing for the Year 2000), Phạm Duy completed Tổ Khúc Bầy Chim Bỏ Xứ (Chorus of Birds Leaving the Country), a composition started in 1975 and took 15 years to finish. The poetic songs Con Đường Cái Quan (The Road to Cai Quan) and Mẹ Việt Nam (Mother Vietnam) were also adapted into symphonic music. In 1992, Phạm Duy left the realm of social music to venture into spiritual music with pieces like Đạo Khúc Thiền Ca (Zen Meditation Song), Trường Ca Hàn Mặc Tử (Hymn to Han Mac Tu)...

Composer Phạm Duy returned to his homeland in 2005 and passed away in Saigon on January 27, 2013, leaving an immeasurable sorrow among those who love the music of Phạm Duy.

Đoàn Chuẩn (1924-2001), born in Cát Hải, Hải Phòng, but raised in Hanoi, was the son of the famous fish sauce manufacturer Vạn Vân during that era. Enamored with the sound of the Hawaiian guitar, he self-taught and wrote captivating music that touched the hearts of generations of listeners.

Đoàn Chuẩn is one of the representative composers of the pre-war sentimental music genre in Vietnamese music. Though leaving only a few works, his compositions have deeply penetrated the hearts of many generations. All of his songs are credited to 'Đoàn Chuẩn - Từ Linh.' In reality, Từ Linh (? – 1992) did not directly participate in composition, but Đoàn Chuẩn shared authorship to honor his kindred spirit, paying tribute to the friendship that contributed to artistic inspiration.

A total of twenty-one songs by composer Đoàn Chuẩn have been identified, often themed around autumn. However, he humbly admitted to being a 'dreamer' in music composition and even in love. Many artists have performed Đoàn Chuẩn's compositions, including Ngọc Bảo, Anh Ngọc, Ngọc Long, Mộc Lan, Thái Thanh, Lệ Thanh, Minh Hiếu, Lệ Thu, Khánh Ly, Mai Hương, Ánh Tuyết, Bằng Kiều, Tùng Dương... Artist Lê Dung infused classical elements into Đoàn Chuẩn's compositions.

In early 2000, he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. He later regained consciousness but lost his ability to speak, only able to communicate through writing until his passing at 22:00 on November 15, 2001.

Trịnh Công Sơn (February 28, 1939 – April 1, 2001). He hailed from Minh Hương village, Vĩnh Tri commune, Hương Trà district, Thừa Thiên Huế province. Trịnh Công Sơn is one of the greatest composers of 20th-century Vietnamese music.

In his musical career, he composed over 600 works, mostly love songs. Many of his songs carried anti-war messages during the Vietnam War, leading to censorship and restrictions by both the Republic of Vietnam government and later the Socialist Republic of Vietnam government. His music has been performed by various artists, with Khánh Ly achieving significant success. Besides his musical contributions, he is also recognized as a poet and an artist, despite not specializing in these fields.

Some of Trịnh Công Sơn's songs reached the Japanese audience in 1970, such as Diễm Xưa (performed by Khánh Ly in both Japanese and Vietnamese), Ca dao Mẹ, Ngủ đi con. Before April 30, 1975, he appeared on Saigon radio, singing Nối vòng tay lớn, a song about the dream of national reconciliation between the North and the South, written in 1968.

In the years following 1975, after a period of labor concentration, he worked at the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association and Sóng nhạc magazine. From the 1980s onward, Trịnh Công Sơn resumed his composition, even creating songs that praised the new regime, such as Thành phố Mùa Xuân, Em ở nông trường em ra biên giới, Huyền thoại Mẹ... As Vietnam's cultural management relaxed, he continued to contribute many valuable love songs.