Ho Huu Thoi- the composer of Vietnam-Laos love-song
For a long time, the melody and lyrics of the song “Tinh Viet-Lao” (The Love of Vietnam-Laos), composed by musician Ho Huu Thoi with simple, but pure, love-filled verses, are often sounded in many Vietnam-Laos exchange activities. This song is also accompanying with the traditional Lam Vong dance of Laos.
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| Composer Ho Huu Thoi. (Photo: WVR/Quoc Khanh) |
Colonel Vi To Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam - Laos Friendship Association in Nghe An province, who had fought on the battlefields in Laos, commented: “The song composed by Ho Huu Thoi has very special and inspirational lyrics, which can't be confused with any other song.
The song's melody is pure and the lyrics are the expression of the fullness of love between man and woman. However, at the same time, the song has also epitomized the love between the two people of Vietnam and Laos. The rhythm of music is richly imbued with Lao folklore. Listening to the song, everyone would like to sing along and dance to the rhythm of Lam Vong, the national dance of Laos, without wanting to stop…”
The song captures the hearts of the people of the two countries.
The song “Tinh Viet-Lao” was composed by musician Ho Huu Thoi in 2001 after a working trip to Laos. As soon as the song was debuted, it won the hearts of the people of Laos and Vietnam. Lao musicians also translated the song's lyrics into the Lao language. Since then, the song has been presented as one key performance of the program in many cultural programs and exchange activities related to the Vietnam-Laos special friendship.
Musician Buangeun Saphouvong, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Laos, Chairman of the National Association of Lao Artists, commented: “This song is the most popular contemporary one praising the Laos-Vietnam relationship in Laos”.
The song has pure lyrics, depicting deep feelings between the people of the two countries, which are easy to remember and go into people's hearts with musical melody in tune with contemporary folk singing and dancing of both Laos and Vietnam.
Listening to the song, people would like to sing along and their feet would like to follow the rhythm of the Lam Vong, the traditional dance of the Lao ethnic group. At the time, people feel closer together, friendly and joyful, getting over all distances”. The lyrics are as the following:
You live there in West Truong Son
I live here in East Truong Son.
We send each other sentimental songs.
Lao folk songs of Lao Soung, Lao Theung
The folk song of my hometown is “Quan ho”.
Go to each other, don’t leave, my dear.
You're on the West side, I'm on the East side.
The two countries heard the rooster’s crowing in the morning.
One is Champa country, another is fairy dragon country.
Let's go together to build a relationship
Vietnam-Laos brotherly love, Vietnam- Laos brotherly love,
Forever, never fade away.
In exchange activities on the occasion of the visits by leaders of Vietnam – Laos, the song "The Love of Vietnam-Laos" has always been performed and made the audience feel extremely warm and full of brotherly love, and cleared away any social distances.
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| The song "The Love of Vietnam-Laos" has always been performed at the Vietnam-Laos exchange activities. (Photo: WVR/Quoc Khanh) |
During the activities of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos or at the Vietnam-Laos exchanges, the song is always the main theme throughout the event, along with the song "As if there were Uncle Ho on the Great Victory Day", making a mutual attachment to everyone and bonding as family members.
The musician with love for the homeland
Ho Huu Thoi is closely attached to his homeland and always thinking of his homeland. The audiences who love their homeland are grateful to him for his famous song Singing verses about Homeland (Cau hat que huong).
In composing, he has thoroughly combined the sound, the soul and the vitality of Vi Giam Folk Songs. Moreover, the songs of Ho Huu Thoi also reflect the resonance of Le Thuy “ho khoan” singing, the jubilant dance of the Northwest “Mua Xoe”, the gong sound of Thai people in the West of Nghe An, which imbued with the immense love for President Ho Chi Minh...
Born and grew up in rural Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province, his homeland closely connected with his life, had been through wars and poverty. Therefore, he himself and his musical soul always go towards his homeland for him to listen more carefully to each musical work and go through the whole length and width of the Vi Giam Folk songs of Nghe An.
He used to work at Nghe An provincial Culture Department, as Vice Principal of Nghe Tinh Arts and Culture Institute, then Director General of Nghe An Department of Culture and Information. After retirement, he moved to Hanoi to work as Chief of Office of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association.
Ho Huu Thoi is acknowledged by the musicians and the music-loving public as a great figure in the contemporary music community, with an amount of work of 500 songs. Each song he composed has a unique character, which doesn’t repeat the familiar trails and is appreciated by the public. Asked why he composed tirelessly over 50 years, he said: "If I stop composing, it could mean that I can't breathe and my heart won't beat."
Up to the present time, Ho Huu Thoi's song “Tinh Viet-Lao” is the most popular and spreading widely in Laos. This song is also the most popular and respectable "cross-border" phenomenon today.
Especially, in 2022, a year with many practical activities to celebrate the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year, the song has a more favorable position among the public of the two countries.
In 2015, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos also awarded a Certificate of Merit to musician Ho Huu Thoi for his best achievements in composition of music to praise and cultivate Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and friendship.
(Source: WVR)
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