Top 15 Best Songs by the Late Composer Trịnh Công Sơn

“Remembering Autumn in Hanoi” is one of the most iconic songs about the capital of Vietnam, composed by Trịnh Công Sơn. The song was born from the meeting of like-minded souls. Its central theme is longing, portraying the melancholy of a love for both the land and its people, which begins to bloom only to be separated too soon. Trịnh Công Sơn captures the ancient, sacred, and quiet 'gaze' of Hanoi in his memories, evoking a deeply familiar and humble emotion. The song paints vivid images of the nostalgic old city, with golden bitterwood trees, red-leafed banyan trees, and the ancient houses of the old quarter. It also includes moments that are not exactly Hanoi, such as the image of 'a flock of red snipe birds flying by,' a sight the composer witnessed during a business trip to Hanoi.

'Hanoi in autumn
Golden bitterwood trees, red banyan leaves side by side
Old streets, ancient tiled houses
Hanoi in autumn, autumn in Hanoi
The scent of milk flowers in the breeze
The scent of green rice flakes fills the air
Rice flakes on the sidewalk, fragrant with every step
West Lake on an autumn afternoon
Golden ripples beckon from afar
The color of nostalgia
A flock of small snipe birds flapping their wings in the sun
Hanoi in autumn, walking amidst the crowd
My heart wonders who I am missing
One day, Hanoi's autumn skies will answer me
One day, the winding streets will answer me'

Among the unforgettable lyrical works of composer Trịnh Công Sơn, "The Sea of Longing" was composed when he was just 23 years old, and is regarded as a continuation of the success of his masterpieces "Diễm xưa" and "Hạ trắng". This love ballad is thought to have been inspired by a true story from the composer's life, filled with sorrow as he spent many nights on the beach in Quy Nhơn, reflecting on his memories of a woman named Tôn Nữ Bích Khuê.

The most repeated line in the song, 'Tomorrow you leave...', carries the weight of the author's profound sadness. Tomorrow, the woman will depart without promising a return. The dreamy and poetic lines at the beginning of the song make the listener feel the depth of emotion without fully grasping the underlying meaning. The composer himself, when writing these words, might have been in a state of emotional uncertainty, allowing the song to resonate with a subtle, yet heartfelt sadness.

'Tomorrow you leave
The sea calls your name
Whispers to the weeping willows
And calls the white sands in the quiet night

Tomorrow you leave
The hills lean forward, waiting
The stones long for you, hour by hour
Listening to the lonely rhythm of your steps

Tomorrow you leave
The sea remembers you, returning to its source
The winds stir your soul
Your hand shields against the coming storms

Tomorrow you leave
The city’s eyes glow in yellow light
A lonely soul tilts, calling for sorrow
The restless sea feels even sadder

One day you’ll return
Your hands will trace the familiar path
The strings will play, waiting
Sorrow rises here in the wilderness'

"White Summer" is one of the earliest works by composer Trịnh Công Sơn, written when he was still an unknown student at Quy Nhon Pedagogical College. About five years later, as his fame spread, the song grew in popularity. It is often mentioned alongside his well-known piece "Diễm Xưa".

"White Summer" is like a love song about "the futile dreams of life", as the late composer once described his own existence. "I am just a wandering minstrel passing through this land, singing my intuitions about the illusory dreams of life." Interestingly, this famous song is not about a love story. It is simply a reflection of the dreams the composer had after a feverish trance one hot summer afternoon and his feelings about the intimate bond between an elderly couple. Whether the material is personal or otherwise, it is clear that anything he touches in his music transforms into something deeply beautiful and poignant.

"I call the sun on your frail shoulders, along the distant road, your clothes fluttering.
The sun passes through your sad eyes, the heart full of butterflies dancing.
Your path leads to a sky without clouds.
The road stretches through the summer, lit up by the sun.
I call the sun to awaken the afternoon dreams, with white flowers flying.
For your long hands, frail, are kissed by the morning sun.
Do you notice me, as you return?
I call your name, and let the sun die on the endless river.
Thank you, life, in this dream, I call autumn to arrive.
I walk you home, your feet light, the sky heavy with the wind.
In life, we belong to each other, long after, the sun never calls sorrow.
Even if our old clothes are tattered, we will still call each other’s names until the end."

"Repaying a Debt to Someone" is a composition by Trịnh Công Sơn dedicated to his "most unusual lover", Dao Ánh, the younger sister of Bích Diễm. "I miss Ánh, miss Ánh, miss Ánh, but I can't tell anyone. It's like the cry of a small ant. How could Ánh hear... Ánh, oh Ánh, please come back on that afternoon, with your sad eyes and white dress… I eagerly await your letters, every day, every hour, every month, every year…" With its soft and sincere lyrics, the song captures the deep significance of Dao Ánh in the composer's heart.

After hearing that she had broken up with Trịnh Công Sơn, Dao Ánh wrote a letter of comfort to him, which he replied to. Their love began to bloom from that point, yet it was not meant to last. The physical distance and the weakening trust led him to end the relationship, despite his constant longing for her. After many years, when Dao Ánh moved to the U.S. and got married, Trịnh Công Sơn wrote of his nostalgia and regret. Two decades later, when Dao Ánh returned in 1993, their relationship had already ended. He used their own love story as the inspiration for this heartfelt song, with the poignant line "Twenty years to repay the debt of a life you abandoned".

"Twenty years to repay a debt
Repay the time you abandoned someone
Twenty years to repay a debt so long
Repay the life you turned away from me
You left me when I was young
My foolish poems wandered off
Without remembering me
Those foolish poems left
Forgetting all my love for you.

Twenty years, you’ve returned it all
Repaying a life far from your embrace
Twenty years, the emptiness now fills
Repaying the time when lips were silent
For so many years, you owed me sweet love
Repaying a life that hasn't forgotten me
For so many years, you owed me grey hair
Repaying a life where love will never end
You left me when I was young
My foolish poems wandered off without remembering me
Those foolish poems left, forgetting all my love for you
For so many years, it’s all become magical
Repaying the debt once, forgetting all the pain
Twenty years still feels like yesterday
The debt now returns in our shared lives."

Every song by composer Trịnh Công Sơn is more than just music and lyrics. Each piece contains a story about his life and guides the listener toward the deeper meaning of life and existence. "A Journey of Return" is one such song. It encapsulates profound philosophical thoughts and reflects a part of his spiritual world. As a result, this song carries great depth and represents the intellectual consciousness of the composer in a remarkably high musical form.

The composer himself considered it a peculiar song, admitting, "I wrote it as it came, but explaining it clearly is quite difficult." Many have yet to fully grasp the deep meaning of this song, but according to him, "the most important thing is finding the shortest path from one heart to another, without needing to explain further."

"How many years have passed, yet I keep moving on
Wandering endlessly, making life weary
Shining through a hundred years, a journey back to where I belong.
Which words belong to the trees, and which to the strange grass?
One afternoon, sitting in a daze, my life feels light, passing by.
Spring fades, then summer follows,
Then, the first day of autumn, I hear the horse's hooves in the distance.
Clouds above my head, sun on my shoulders,
My feet travel on, while the river stays behind.
My heart, once full of love, now tired,
And I see within me the reflection of a human being.
I hear the rain here, but remember rain far away,
Rain flows through me, drops scattered one by one.
A hundred years without end, never meeting again,
Not knowing where my true home is.
The road twists and turns, a weary journey,
One side with fresh grass, the other with dreams of days long past.
Every word of the sun's heat feels like a grave,
Every word of the river's waves comes from the depths of the stream.
As I return, I remember when I first left,
Climbing the high mountains, heading towards the vast ocean.
Human hands never show enough kindness,
The wild winds blow through the springtime."

Composer Trịnh Công Sơn was often melancholic about his past lovers leaving him, like little rivers fading away. His songs, reflecting his own experiences, could be as fleeting as sunlight or as mysterious as fog, filled with sorrow. He once exclaimed 'so beautiful' upon seeing runner-up Vân Anh at a beauty contest. Afterward, her presence became a part of him, inspiring his song 'Please, don’t despair'.

The years spent with Vân Anh were peaceful, and the composer described his happiness as 'light and serene.' His mother adored her as well. But one day, in a warm room filled with paintbrushes, drawings, wine, and instruments, she was no longer there. His sorrow turned to despair, deepened by the words: 'Don’t despair, please don’t despair.'

'Don’t despair, please don’t despair
Leaves fall between the winter's chill
Don’t despair, my love, don’t despair
You are me, and I am you
A kite flies but its soul is cold
The kite falls, deepening the emptiness
Who am I, that tears still stain my path?
Who am I, living in this world?
Who am I, who am I, who am I?
But I love this life so much.'

The song 'Is There Still Time for You?' was composed when Trịnh Công Sơn was just 25, yet many of his views on love, life, and humanity had already reached a mature depth. This track is the second of many similar to a letter he wrote to his beloved Dao Ánh, his most profound and enduring love.

Every song he created for the women he loved, regardless of the situation or place, no matter how deep each romance was, shone with the same tender beauty, like a soft silk ribbon filled with love for them. Their unexpected encounters sparked quiet but beautiful first stirrings, and as the music arose, he continued to honor, cherish, and protect the beautiful love of his life.

'What age is like the yellowed leaves this evening
What age sits and sings as the clouds drift by
Hands glide through the long hair
How many dreams bloom in this age
What age searches bewildered for the autumn breeze
What age feels a quiet sadness in a thin garment
What age leaves footprints like bird tracks in the sky
Please, let your hands still be youthful
Let loneliness enter this age
What age wanders the city with hair adorned in clouds
What age shall we share together?'

'Like the Wings of a Crane' has a beautiful yet sorrowful quality, coupled with a 'captivating fragrance' of life's vastness and uncertainty. The warm, noble voice of singer Khánh Ly conveys each gentle, passionate song, gradually leading the listener to a cold, pine-filled land, sunshine, and the image of a beautiful girl, much like the memory of the late composer Trịnh Công Sơn.

Khánh Ly shared that the composer created this song during a visit to Đà Lạt, and it was his gift to her. At the time, he was resting by a small river in the forest when he happened to see a barefoot girl walking across the river. The golden sunlight illuminated her hair and body, and the wind blew through her clothes, deeply imprinting in the poet's mind. From there, his writing became 'like the wings of a crane.'

'Is the sun as red as your lips
Is the rain as sorrowful as your eyes
Your hair, each strand
Falls into life like floating waves
The wind will rejoice as your hair flies
Clouds sleep soundly on your shoulder
Your delicate, frail shoulders
Like the wings of a crane flying to distant places
Does the sun still envy your lips
Does the rain still linger in your eyes'

'From the moment I took you home
I knew it would be a thousand miles apart
The river welcomes each of your steps
The leaves sing from your fragrant hands
The dry leaves wait patiently
Like human life, forever shadowed
The place you go, joy exists without you
The place you go, the sky is empty without you
We hear each drop of tears
Fall into a sparkling pond.'

'A River That Has Died' expresses the gentle whisper of a composer about the emotions of lovers who have drifted apart. He once shared that during a visit to Đà Lạt, as he crossed a bridge over Hồ Xuân Hương, he saw his former lover with her new partner. At that moment, he gazed at the rushing river below and felt he had lost everything—the river and the woman he once cherished.

Thus, the river is not 'her.' But since she crossed the river, and he lost her, he feels as though he has lost the river as well. The river no longer holds meaning, and the infinite beauty of that moment has lost its significance.

'Ten years ago, standing by the fence.
The green road, flowers of salt breezes.
Someone with a heart like a freshly sewn scarf.
Ten years later, a dress flying down the road in the evening.
Footsteps in strange streets, many of them.
Someone's heart like the sun crossing the mountain pass.
Her hair, like that river from the past, has faded, drifted out to the open sea.
Once, I saw her walking through the streets, waves crashing against my shore.'

'Ten years, walking on a long road.
Meeting each other, no words, no smile.
A bit of love, as if lost in the breeze.
Ten years, in the streets or in the hills.
We looked at each other, like everyone else.
There is a river that has died.'

“Ca dao mẹ” là một nhạc khúc xúc động, lấy đi nước mắt và lay động trái tim hàng triệu người khi lắng nghe. Đây là một trong những tuyệt tác để đời của ông, có sự lay động mạnh mẽ và mãnh liệt khi chạm tới. Bài hát khắc họa hình ảnh những người mẹ Việt Nam anh hùng kiên cường trong kháng chiến khốc liệt, gợi lên hình ảnh hiền lương thục đức, hy sinh cả cuộc đời vì con trong thời bình.

Đó không chỉ là việc cho đi, sự hy sinh và tình yêu thương của người mẹ dành cho con là vĩnh cửu và không phai mờ theo năm tháng. "Ca dao mẹ" được cố nhạc sĩ Trịnh Công Sơn sáng tác và hoàn thành năm 1965. Một trong những khía cạnh trường tồn của “Ca dao mẹ” là dù thời thế có khác nhau nhưng tình yêu của người mẹ dành cho con vẫn vẹn nguyên dù trải qua hàng nghìn năm.

"Mẹ ngồi ru con đong đưa võng buồn đong đưa võng buồn

Mẹ ngồi ru con mây qua đầu ghềnh lạy trời mưa tuôn

Lạy trời mưa tuôn cho đất sợi mềm hạt mầm vun lên

Mẹ ngồi ru con nước mắt nhọc nhằn xót xa đời mình

Mẹ ngồi ru con đong đưa võng buồn năm qua tuổi mòn

Mẹ nhìn quê hương nghe con mình buồn giọt lệ ăn năn

Giọt lệ ăn năn đưa con về trần tủi nhục chung thân

Một dòng sông trôi cuốn mãi về trời bấp bênh phận người

Mẹ ngồi ru con tiếng hát lênh đênh

Mẹ ngồi ru con ru mây vào hồn

Mẹ dạy cho con tiếng nói quê hương

Mẹ nhìn con đi phút giây bàng hoàng

Mẹ ngồi ru con đong đưa võng buồn đong đưa phận mình

Mẹ ngồi ru con nghe đất gọi thầm trọn nợ lưu vong

Mẹ ngồi trăm năm như thân tượng buồn để lại quê hương

Tuổi còn bơ vơ thế giới hằn thù chiến tranh ngục tù."

"Dust of Life" is known as the timeless song by the late musician Trinh Cong Son, encapsulating the deep philosophical essence of his life’s journey. This song, beautifully performed by the voice of the 'queen of barefoot singing' Khanh Ly, reflects on the cyclical nature of birth, aging, sickness, and death that encapsulates the lives of small beings in the vast universe, offering profound life lessons.

In the past life, a person is like an unnamed speck of dust, reincarnated as a human being with form and purpose, living to love humanity and grow each day. At first, the song seems to be a reflection on the fleeting nature of time and human life. However, if one listens more attentively, the deeper meaning and poignant connection to the lives of the characters in the lyrics will emerge, evoking a deeper emotional response to the meaningful journey of life.

"A speck of dust that transforms into my body

So one day, I shall rise with a greater shape

Oh, wonderful dust

The sun shines on a wandering life

A speck of dust that transforms into my body

So one day, I will return to dust once more

Oh, weary dust

What sound beats a rhythm that never ceases

How many years as a human life

And then, one afternoon, hair turns ashen like lime

Leaves wither and fall from high above

For a century, to die in a day

What sun has lit my heart

For love to turn to pebbles, worn and smooth

Face down in sorrow

Each day, I wait for the joy that never comes

In a grove where leaves have turned to dust

From the deep valley, a voice awakens

Oh, dust, this is my fate

How can ink stains be erased without a trace?"