At noon on April 30, 1975 among some officials and soldiers of the Southern Liberation Army in Saigon Radio’s studio, there was a special man who witnessed the historical moment when President of the Republic of Vietnam Duong Van Minh and the cabinet of the Saigon administration broadcast the statement of unconditional surrender. He is Nguyen Huu Thai, former President of the Student Association of Saigon.
With an ability to sing lullabies in different ethnic languages, Cao Minh Hien has spent her life collecting and performing ethnic lullabies across Vietnam to promote the exquisiteness of these folk songs.
With the launch of his book “Ngan nam ao mu” (A thousand years of caps and robes), Tran Quang Duc, a researcher of Han Nom (classical Chinese and Chinese-transcribed Vietnamese) born in the 1980s, has created a phenomenon in the field of cultural studies which is inherently academic.
In his performances, Tri Nguyen, a pianist and “dan tranh” (Vietnamese 16-chord zither) artist, always couples European classics with Vietnamese folk and traditional music. With the combination of Western classical music and Vietnamese folk music, his compositions are much loved by audiences in various regions. He won the Golden Award and the most popular artist at the Global Music Arads selected by the American audiences in 2015 which was an international acknowledgement of the musical career of this Vietnamese-French composer.
Artisan Ly Let is the son of elderly Ly Nghet who is well-known for building pagodas throughout the southern cities and provinces. Succeeding his father, Ly Let has also become a famous pagoda builder. He has built and restored over 400 pagodas which bear the typical architectural and cultural characteristics of the Khmer ethnic people in Vietnam.
Xuan Hoach is known as a veteran artist of the Vietnamese folk music genre who has wholeheartedly devoted his life to Xam singing (ancient folk songs performed by blind beggars) and traditional musical instruments.
Among Vietnamese stage and movie actors, Tien Hoi is famous for successfully playing the role of President Ho Chi Minh (known to Vietnamese people as Uncle Ho). The actor left a great impression on audiences when he took the role of the country’s leader in many plays and movies including “A Sleepless Night”, “See You Again, Saigon” and “Hanoi in the Autumn of 1946”. In the play “A Sleepless Night”, the actor said, he had lots of unforgettable memories because it was the first time he took on the role of the country’s beloved leader.
People’s Artist Bach Tuyet is well-known for her sweet singing voice in the Cai luong (reformed opera) circle in Southern Vietnam and has been called Cai Luong Chi Bao (a precious gem of Cai luong).
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan - Chairwoman and CEO of AIC Group has won the World’s Best Smart Nation Concept and Model Award at Global Smart Cities Contest 2018 in London.
