Anti-war songs on the album Ca Khúc Da Vàng (Yellow-skinned People’s Songs) written by late songwriter Trinh Cong Son have been released for the first time in Vietnam by young singer Nguyen Hong An.

The album features eight songs, including popular works Người Mẹ Ô Lý (Mother of Ô Lý), Chờ Quê Hương Sáng Chói (Waiting for the Country in Bright Future), Dựng Lại Người-Dựng Lại Nhà (We Rebuild Our Home) and Ta Thấy Gì Đêm Nay (What I See Tonight), written by Son between 1967 and 1968, bringing the composer’s sense of peace.

Singer An performed the songs accompanied by skilled guitarists Dung Da Lat, Cao Minh Bao, Minh Thuy and Dang Hoa.

The album, Tiếng Hát Hòa Bình (Voice of Peace), is part of a music charity programme called Ánh Sáng Từ Tâm (Light from the Heart), which aims to raise funds for poor children.

An received support from Son’s younger sister, singer Trinh Vinh Trinh, who sent all of the copyright payments for the album to the program.

Born in the former royal city of Hue in 1939, Son became popular in 1957 with his first song, Ướt Mi (Crying Eyes).

His lasting legacy includes albums of romantic love songs in blues and slow ballads, such as Diễm Xưa (Diễm, My Cherished Memory), Ru Tình (Lullaby to Love), and Tự Tình Khúc (My Lyric Songs), which were released in the 1960s and 1970s.

These songs are still loved by legions of Vietnamese and foreign fans.

One of his most popular love songs, Diễm Xưa, are popular in Japan, where they were first introduced through the voice of Khánh Ly, who now lives in the US, recognised as the singer born to perform Son’s songs.

Ly performed Diễm Xưa in Osaka in 1970. Later, the song was written in Japanese, Utsukushii Mukashi, and was listed among Japan’s top 10 favourite love songs.

Son went on to become southern Vietnam’s most famous songwriter and composer of several anti-war collections including Ca Khúc Da Vàng, Kinh Vietnam (Vietnamese Prayer) and Ta Phải Thấy Mặt Trời (We Must See the Sunlight).

These albums were highly popular among students and young people in Sài Gòn (now HCM City) in the 1960s and 1970s as the Vietnamese people fought to liberate the country from American imperialists.

After 1975 Son continued to write songs and enjoyed great success with both his lyrics and melodies.

He died in HCM City in 2001 after a prolonged illness.

VNS