Artist Tran Manh Tuan grieved over his mother's sudden death, regretting an unfinished business.

On the morning of September 13, artist Tran Manh Tuan was absent from the event held at his art space in Ho Chi Minh City. He went to Hanoi to mourn his mother.

Artist Tran Manh Tuan played music at the Sound Healing Concert 2025 stage last weekend in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: BTC

The event was held to select Vietnamese musical talents for Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts, USA). Artist Tran Manh Tuan participated in the connection as an alumnus and provided the venue.

This is the prestigious art school where Tran Manh Tuan was the first Vietnamese artist to receive a scholarship to study in 1996.

Tran Manh Tuan mourns his mother

Tran Manh Tuan was absent from the event because he and his family went to Hanoi to see off his mother, Vu Kim Ngon. She passed away on September 9 in Hanoi at the age of 89.

Tran Manh Tuan shared his sadness on September 9, on behalf of his wife Kieu Dam Linh: "Mom, the most peaceful place now is where you are going, to listen to the prayers in a peaceful and calm manner and to reunite with Dad. Rest in peace, Mom. The two of us and the whole family love you, goodbye Mom!"

The artist regrets that his mother passed away without having read the two books he spent over a year writing, which will be released in the near future. They are a memoir and a book about the saxophone.

Ms. Vu Kim Ngon, mother of artist Tran Manh Tuan, with his wife, Ms. Kieu Dam Linh - Photo: FB Kieu Dam Linh

Tran Manh Tuan is currently trying to recover from a stroke in 2021 and has had to undergo several brain surgeries. Although he can play the saxophone and work again, he still has difficulty speaking and his limbs are much weaker, requiring persistent physical therapy. However, he is still diligent in writing books.

Most recently, Tran Manh Tuan performed in two Sound Healing Concert 2025 concerts in Ho Chi Minh City last week. He needed someone to escort him onto the stage, but his saxophone sound was still very sweet, varied and full of "healing". Despite his hoarse voice, the artist still interacted on stage and joked with the audience.

Passionate about training Vietnamese musical talents

Participating in international music training connections is a passion of Tran Manh Tuan. After him, Vietnamese musician Duc Tri also studied at Berklee (scholarship in 2000).

Tran Manh Tuan's daughter An Tran and singer My Linh's daughter Anna Truong also study here. An Tran studies MP&E (Music Production & Engineering), a potential major to become an international music producer, and was chosen as the school's student ambassador. Anna Truong is contributing to the production of many large-scale music and film products in the US.

Artist Tran Manh Tuan is actively involved in art, writing books and connecting with international music training - Photo: BTC

Both Tran Manh Tuan and Duc Tri have contributed to paving the way for other talents to come to this prestigious school. Besides that, there are artists who study short courses such as Thu Minh, Doan Trang, Lam Truong...

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online from afar, artist Tran Manh Tuan said he was selected to Berklee in 1996 after passing the selection round. He was asked to play a piece of music, record it into a video to send, sing... Regarding English, at that time his ability only met 40%, but the school allowed him to spend half a year to perfect it and he passed.

Mr. Daniel Abussi, Deputy Director of Admissions of Berklee College of Music (USA) and MC Minh Duc at the event on the morning of September 13 - Photo: LE GIANG

Currently, the Vietnamese music industry is developing strongly, a new generation of artists performing, composing and producing music has appeared. At the same time, international record labels such as Warner Music, Universal Music, Sony Music... have connected with the Vietnamese music market.

In that context, the market needs more professional, trendy and versatile artists.

LE GIANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nghe-si-tran-manh-tuan-dau-buon-vi-me-mat-dot-ngot-tiec-nuoi-mot-dieu-dang-do-2025091313025445.htm