Thanh Bui: 'I devoted myself to raising my children when my wife was not around'

Musician Thanh Bui said he wants to devote all his efforts to raising his two children to become useful people for society so that his wife, Truong Hue Van, who is serving a prison sentence, can rest assured.

From 2022 to present, musician Thanh Bui's wife - businesswoman Truong Hue Van, niece of Ms. Truong My Lan, Chairman of Van Thinh Phat Group - is being tried by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City for business violations. In the first phase of the case, Truong Hue Van was sentenced to 17 years in prison. for embezzlement of property. Currently, Truong Hue Van is appealing this sentence.

After two years of silence in his personal life, musician Thanh Bui spoke for the first time about raising a child alone, his love for his wife, and his investment in the education sector.

- How did you overcome family problems?

- Sometimes, the incident affected my spirit, however, I minimized the negative impact. I tried to face the difficult situation gently to find the bright side. For my two children, I had to be stronger and take care of my family. I accepted that things happened as fate testing me. What I experienced helped me grow up and become a better person today.

Every family has its own difficulties. Recently, my friends have even experienced the death of their spouses or children, and they cannot find their loved ones. I do not compare my situation with anyone else, I just think that "as long as you breathe, you can still make it". Since I was a child, I have always been on a big boat with many storms. My destiny is "the ocean". I am used to the feeling of going alone, having to be brave on my own two feet. I just need to understand what I am doing, not caring too much about what others think of me.

- How do you take care of and raise your two children?

- I do not sympathize with statements like "parents have sacrificed a lot for their children, they must be this way or that way" because it can unintentionally put pressure on children. I feel that there is nothing more beautiful than my natural relationship with my two children Khai An and Kien An. I spend a lot of time with my children, the three of us love and bond. My children are fortunate to have the conditions to develop in an educational ecosystem that I have spent a lot of time and effort building, including a music academy, art, sports, kindergarten, and an inter-level school following the NLCS model (North London Collegiate School) of England. My children learn to sing, dance, play piano, violin, give presentations, swim, play soccer, table tennis, and martial arts.

At the age of seven, Khai An and Kien An formed their own band. I am strict and highly disciplined. For example, I set a rule that at 6:50 every day, the two children must be ready at the door so I can take them to school. If they are more than two minutes late, they must take care of themselves going to school or staying at home. I listen to and respect their opinions, but I don't say whatever I want. Relatives think I am strict, but what I want is for them to have a basic core to be able to be steadfast on the path of life. Fortunately, God has given my two children open hearts, easy-going, and understanding beyond their age, so I don't have to face many difficulties.

- What do you do to make up for the lack of motherly love your children lack?

- The two children were also curious about their mother's absence. I shared with them in detail each stage of the incident that happened to the family so that they could understand, sympathize and feel secure. My children had a lot of love around them, so their lack of affection was somewhat reduced. At the age of two, the twins were slow to develop due to premature birth and were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Thanks to timely and appropriate intervention by leading experts, by the age of five, my children were back to normal.

Facing difficult situations in life will make my children stronger. Now, I sit and talk to Khai An and Kien An like grown men. The two children live in an environment where there are wonderful women like their grandmother, sister and aunts. In the past two years, they have had the opportunity to meet their mother a few times. Everything is fine now.

- How did the case affect your relationship with your wife?

- I still love my wife forever, through actions, not words. What I can do to support her is to raise two children well, become useful people for society, and reduce the burden on my spouse. In addition, I also have to know how to take care of my health so that my wife is no longer too concerned about housework. When difficulties arise, we understand our own limits and perceive things more correctly. I appreciate my wife for her strong personality. She is always calm, profound, clear, and emotional.

Looking back at my 11-year marriage, I think I am a good husband and father. From my youth until now, in any love affair or relationship that comes to me, I have always kept the principle: If someone wants to possess another person, there will never be a good relationship. Once I have chosen to get married, I will not be bothered about outside relationships. Before getting married, I had experienced enough flavors of life, so now there is probably nothing that can tempt me anymore.

The way I live in a marital relationship is the same as in society: clear, trustworthy, respectful. I think that is the normal thing that everyone can do.

- What made you continue to stay in Vietnam instead of returning to Australia to build a life after the incident?

- I grew up in an international society and education, but all my life I have been searching for "my home". In Australia, I was "a Vietnamese guy" swimming in a crowd of Westerners, fighting every day for their recognition. In my field, I had to be five or six times better than them to get where I am today.

During a period of many things happening in my personal life, one time while sitting in a coffee shop in Australia, thinking about my life, I suddenly realized: My real home is in Vietnam. In Australia, I had a peaceful life, but when I was far away, I missed my mother tongue and the bustling sounds of shops. There was always something urging me to return, I just wanted to live here. My two children speak English, Chinese and Vietnamese, but I like speaking Vietnamese the most. Besides, only in the country can I do meaningful work and feel that work affects the lives of many people.

- Why did you switch to education after a successful period with music?

- In 2016, once when sitting next to a Korean music group BTS At the Grammy Awards in the US, I realized the pressure and fierceness of those in the entertainment industry. If I wanted to focus on performing and composing, I would not have enough time to be with my two children, to experience important moments in their lives.

As I said, my two children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I and some education experts patiently helped them overcome it step by step, grow up healthy and happy as they are now. After this, I changed direction, hoping to contribute to training and promoting the comprehensive development of young people. When I shared my story, many families said they were inspired. They were very happy when people came to meet me, hugged me and cried, saying that because I told my story, they had more motivation to overcome their fear and accompany their children. Working in education is the common ambition of my wife and I.

- What is the goal you want to achieve?

- I see that some domestic, international and public schools do not seem to train a person comprehensively. There are children I meet, whose families are well-off, who study at international schools but at the age of 11-12 cannot speak Vietnamese. I find it wrong when some parents think that only teaching their children English will help them develop to be outstanding and classy.

I cherish the idea of building schools where children are trained in specialized fields and academics according to international standards, but must also know how to play sports and arts. Good at foreign languages, but most importantly, must be fluent in Vietnamese. Later, children can continue to study abroad but still aim to build their homeland. It is difficult for me to accept that my children are Vietnamese but have lost their roots. That has motivated me to build an educational ecosystem, combining international academics and Vietnamese culture, which can integrate while still being proud of its identity.

- How dedicated are you to the music field?

- The other day, when I launched the theater complex model in Ho Chi Minh City, watching young singer Vu Thanh Van compose and perform by herself, I told myself that 10 years ago, no one cared about her, but now she has more or less established a position. Many young rappers today not only perform but can also compose, arrange and harmonize by themselves. After 12 years, my music school has been transformed into a multidisciplinary arts academy, training a generation of students who are artists like Vu Cat Tuong, Tien Tien, J.ade (Bich Ngoc).

Last year, my music school had many students win scholarships to top art schools in the world such as: Trong Nhan Le Phuoc Khang got into Idyllwild Arts Academy, Le Phuoc Khang got into Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Nguyen Hang Thy got into Berklee College of Music in the US.

In the past, some people thought that I opened a music school to "raise chickens" for the purpose of performing and making money. Now, I hope no one says such things anymore. Over the past 12 years, the music market has changed a lot, becoming more diverse. Looking back at my students, I see that my thinking has more or less influenced their learning path and artistic development.

For me, pursuing arts education is creating a path for young Vietnamese talents to reach out to the world. I dream that one day my students trained in the country can win Grammy or World Olympic awards.

Artist Thanh Bui, 41 years old, real name is Bui Vu Thanh. His family immigrated to Australia in 1982. He was trained in vocal music and piano since he was 10 years old. Thanh Bui began to attract attention when he entered the top 8 of Australian Idol 2008. In 2010, he returned to Vietnam to start a career, developing a music company with musician Duong Khac Linh. In addition to singing, he composes music and has many works in collaboration with international artists, as well as associated with the names of singers Ho Ngoc Ha and Thu Minh. His favorite songs include: Where does love go, A silent love, Flying away .

In 2013, Thanh Bui became a coach on The Voice Kids. The musician married businesswoman Truong Hue Van (born in 1988) the same year.

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