People's Artist Thanh Tung: I am proud that my family has kept the fire of reformed opera for three generations.

Looking back on his artistic career, People's Artist Thanh Tung expressed his pride because not only he but also his son Manh Hung and granddaughter Khanh An have made efforts to keep the fire of cai luong alive.

In an era where pop music, reality shows and digital platforms dominate the airwaves, there is still a family quietly keeping their passion for traditional art. People's Artist Thanh Tung, People's Artist Manh Hung and singer Khanh An, 3 generations living together for Cai Luong, are a beautiful testament to the saying "like father, like son", when the artistic bloodline is not only passed down but also renewed through each generation.

People's Artist Thanh Tung is a familiar voice of the northern reformed theater stage.

Photo: NVCC

People's Artist Thanh Tung is a veteran of the northern cai luong stage. He received a gold medal for his role as Le Ngan in the play The Case of a Princess in Hai Phong . At the age of over 70, People's Artist Thanh Tung still remembers clearly the years of traveling with the cai luong troupe, the sleepless nights of staging plays, and the opening drum beats resounding in the stage lights. During more than 45 years in the profession, he is not only a talented actor but also an artist who is deeply concerned about the fate of modern cai luong.

For People's Artist Thanh Tung, reformed opera is not something that is "a quick fix" and performing a play over and over again without investing your mind cannot preserve its artistic value. When he was awarded the title of People's Artist at the same time as his son, he said that it was proof that "a tiger father begets a tiger son", not because the title came too late or too early but because it came at the right time. "I am proud that my family has kept the fire of reformed opera alive for three generations," he affirmed.

Facing the view that Cai Luong is declining in the face of the power of commercial music, People's Artist Thanh Tung believes that if it is properly transmitted, young people will have the opportunity to love this art form. That is the spirit of "keeping the flame of tradition" that he has for future generations in the family.

The next generation of People's Artist Thanh Tung

Artist Thanh Tung took a photo with his son, artist Manh Hung, on the day he was awarded the title of People's Artist.

Photo: NVCC

People's Artist Manh Hung grew up amidst the sounds of traditional instruments, vọng cổ songs, and the breath of Northern cải lương. However, he did not choose to safely follow in his father's footsteps, but gradually shaped his own path. The male artist believes that the most attractive cải lương is the combination of tragedy and heroism, plays that carry historical epics, using heroic tragedy to evoke deep emotions. He acknowledges that the previous generation has contributed a lot, but his generation must have the responsibility to renew, so that the heroic cải lương epic will never stop resounding.

In Khanh An's generation, the "family tradition" story in this family is continued with a multi-dimensional passion. From a young age, the 10X singer was surrounded by vọng cổ lyrics, role models on stage and career stories from her father and grandfather. She has won many youth music awards such as the gold medal for young solo singing, top 10 Future Idol , champion of Bolero Idol Kids 2018 and runner-up of The Voice Kids 2019. In 2024, Khanh An continued to step onto the big stage when participating in the program Solo with Bolero and won the runner-up position.

People's Artist Thanh Tung took a photo with his niece, "bolero goddess" Khanh An

Photo: NVCC

While her grandfather was the pillar of Northern Cai Luong, and her father was the one who brought Cai Luong closer to the youth, Khanh An chose a path that was full of the breath of the times. Although leaning towards folk music and bolero, the young girl always showed respect and gratitude for Cai Luong - the art that raised three generations of her family. "I did not choose a career, the career chose me. And I know I cannot turn my back on the traditional art blood flowing in my veins," Khanh An expressed.

Born into a family with a tradition of art, Khanh An does not consider this a pressure when pursuing this career. On the contrary, she feels lucky because she is inspired by the love for music. “I know the road ahead is very long, so I just want to go slowly but surely – learn, practice and sing with all my true emotions. I think the most important thing is not to be named as someone's descendant, but how to make the audience remember Khanh An,” she expressed.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nsnd-thanh-tung-toi-tu-hao-vi-gia-dinh-3-the-he-giu-lua-cai-luong-185251014172906978.htm