VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese student Ninh Duc Hoang Long won the first prize of an international prestigious opera contest Simandy Jozsef International Singing Competition held in Szeged, Hungary on April 3.

Ninh Duc Hoang Long

As a student of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Hungary), Hoang Long has appeared on many TV channels in Hungary and won the hearts of audiencescfor his successful performance of many Hungarian songs, especially the song “Hazam Hazam” (My Fatherland).

The Vietnam flag appears across many local newspapers and TV channels besides the face of Hoang Long. According to the Hungarian media, the Vietnamese student is among the singers who have sung the song the most successfully.

Born in 1991 in Ninh Binh province, Long is the only foreign student who passed the entrance exam to the Opera Faculty of the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy of Hungary. He received a full scholarship from the government of Hungary, specializing in classic operatic performances.

In July 2014, many local newspapers wrote about Hoang Long after he successfully performed the song “Hazam Hazam”. They all reported “Vietnami fiu enekes Hazam hazam” (The Vietnamese boy sings the song My Fatherland).

Hoang Long meets with the Hungarian Prime Minister and the Resource Minister.

In late 2015, Hoang Long’s song “Maize Emperor” was praised by “Index”, a major online newspaper in Hungary. This is a cute, funny song about a shepherd king. The song was downloaded by nearly 100,000 people.

Hoang Long said: "I decided to attend this contest, wishing to bring a prize to the country so international friends can know that Vietnam has young people who can sing Opera well."

"One of the most amazing moments in my life was my performance at a conference held by the Hungarian Ministry of Education, with the participation of students of 33 different countries. The song was requested by the Hungarian Minister of Education as the gift to the Hungarian Prime Minister when he unexpectedly appeared at the conference. The Prime Minister asked me: where do you com from? I was proud to say: I am from Vietnam"

Praised by Hungarian media as a young student with the voice "touching" the hearts of millions of Hungarians, Hoang Long said he had many Hungarian fans. “They knew that I was from Vietnam, so they tried to find the Vietnamese gifts for me. They also cooked delicious meals and took them to my dorm or where I performed. It is the happiness of an overseas student," Hoang Long added.

Hoang Long said he loved opera and wished to contribute to opera in Vietnam when he returns in 2019.

Thanh Van