People’s Artist and cai luong (reformed opera) director Huynh Nga (middle) on February 21 passed away at the age of 88. Photo from tuoitre.vn

Nga, whose real name is Huynh Van Thach, was director of about 300 cải lương and drama plays, which were famous in the 1980s and 1990s and have been restaged several times.

Among them are Khách Sạn Hào Hoa (Caravelle Hotel), a historical play about the victories of revolutionary agents in Sai Gon before 1975, and Đời Cô Lựu (The Life of Lưu) featuring challenges and sufferings of a Vietnamese woman under the feudal society in the south.

Thanks to these plays, many actors like Minh Vuong, Bach Tuyet and Le Thuy became cai luong stars.

People’s Artist Minh Vuong, who worked with Nga in Đời Cô Lựu play, said: “Works by Huynh Nga are charming and emotional. They are of a high quality and are very appealing with fresh details.”

Nga was born in 1932 in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An. He joined the army at the age of 15 years old, and then was sent to the north in 1954.

He began working as an actor for the Southern Cai Luong Troupe in 1956 and then was sent to study directing in Romania in 1968.

In 1972, he returned Vietnam and became artistic director of the Hanoi Drama Troupe. After 1975, he came back to the South and worked at the HCM City Department of Culture and Information.

He then directed numerous plays for cai luong troupes in the city and regional provinces, such as Tìm Lại Cuộc Đời (Finding Life Again), Tiếng Sáo Trong Vườn (Flute in the Garden), and Hoa Độc Trong Vườn (Poisonous Flower in the Garden).

He offered training for younger generations of theatrical artists.

He was an administrative member of the Vietnam Theatrical Artists’ Association and the HCM City Theatre Association. In 1997, Nga was granted the title of People’s Artist for his great contribution to cai luong art.

The funeral will be held at the city funeral house on Le Quy Don Street in District 1 until February 24. He will be buried in his hometown in Long An Province. VNS

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