Quoc Dung: 50 years of life with music and love, many ups and downs with famous singer Bao Yen

The passing of musician Quoc Dung left many regrets for friends and colleagues. The musician left his legacy to the Vietnamese music industry in the form of countless timeless songs written from his life experiences.

Musician Quoc Dung belongs to the last generation of the music industry before 1975, when he was both a singer and a musician with songs familiar to Saigon youth: Mai, Spring Chorus, Que Huong and Dream Wish, Breeze, Have You Seen Spring, Desolation... .

Musician Quoc Dung's real name is Nguyen Quoc Dung, born in 1951 in Thailand. In 1954, his family returned to Saigon to live following the call of the Southern government to overseas Vietnamese.

Having had musical talent since childhood, when he was 10 years old, Quoc Dung was sent to study at the National School of Music in Saigon, and at the same time studied music in the Green Youth Department of actor Kieu Hanh. At the age of 15, he performed mandolin on television in a grand orchestra, and at the age of 16, he graduated as valedictorian in Western music.

Musician Quoc Dung started composing very early, when he was only 11 years old, he composed his first piece of music, but it was music without lyrics. It was not until he graduated from music school that he completed a complete work and named it "Have You Seen Spring?", which became the most representative work of his career.

Since the 1960s, the youth music movement began to be popular in the South, initially with the appearance of young bands mainly singing foreign music at American clubs. After that, the vibrant melodies of foreign music began to influence Vietnamese youth, so from the late 1960s Vietnamese foreign music began to appear to serve the needs of listening to pop-rock music. in Vietnamese for young audiences.

In the 1970s, musicians Nguyen Trung Cang, Le Huu Ha, Tung Giang... pioneered composing youth music songs entirely in Vietnamese, and Quoc Dung also contributed with famous songs: Mai , The Breeze, Escape, Desolation, Spring Chorus, Homeland and Dreams, Happy Days Together...

Not only successful in the field of composing, Quoc Dung is also a singer, once together with Thanh Mai formed the most famous duet of Saigon's youth music thanks to the combination of musician Nguyen Anh 9 (master by singer Thanh Mai).

When appearing on the show Paris By Night, musician Quoc Dung said that when composing this song, he was acquainted with many different Mais, and one of those Mais left him with a lasting impression. composing songs has been closely associated with his career.

In addition to being a singer and musician, Quoc Dung is also an actor, playing the male lead in the film Truong Toi directed by Le Dan in 1973.

With the ability to compose, perform and use mandolin, guitar, piano, drums, bass, keyboard, organ, Quoc Dung is considered one of the typical faces of young music before 1975. 1980s -1990, musician Quoc Dung is also one of the most famous harmony musicians in the country, having made hundreds of music tapes and discs.

In its vast musical heritage, Tet Song For You is one of the classic love songs about spring. Released in 1982, the song marked a milestone in Quoc Dung's love for Bao Yen right from the first days of meeting.

Specifically, in 1982, Bao Yen and her younger sister Nha Phuong first met musician Quoc Dung at Ho Chi Minh City Television Station when they came to record for a music program. Bao Yen's thoughtful and thoughtful appearance captivated the soul of musician Quoc Dung, while she also quickly fell in love with him.

The love affair between a talented musician and a famous singer in the Vietnamese music industry is romantic and sweet. Bao Yen recalls that musician Quoc Dung was the one who pursued her first. The song "This Tet I don't want candy and jam, because your lips are as sweet as a pink lotus" in Tet Song For You is the wish he conveyed to his lover, because at that time, the two were just acquaintances. Although they have feelings for each other, they are still shy and reserved.

After 4 years of courtship, the couple moved into the same house despite facing many obstacles from the singer's family. Together with Quoc Dung, Bao Yen flourished in art, successfully performing many of her husband's songs.

It can be said that Quoc Dung's songs like Have You Seen Spring Yet, Old Road, Forgotten Autumn Forest... contributed to creating Bao Yen's name, helping the female singer become a monument to the industry. Vietnamese music at that time.

Musician Quoc Dung once frankly admitted that it was difficult for him to resist the attraction of other women, even though he was not irresponsible towards his family, nor did he not love his wife. During his 36-year marriage, many times he fell in love and even fell in love with other women, but in the end, he and famous singer Bao Yen remained together until the end of their lives. The couple has two sons, Khai Ca and Bao Chau.

Speaking of this, famous singer Bao Yen once shared: "My husband is destined for love, so many women voluntarily come to him like being attracted to him by a magnet."

Quoc Dung's flirtation caused both their marriage to face many storms. Bao Yen was angry many times and even decided to separate, but then decided to stay. She once shared that each person gave each other their own corner, but still accompanied each other for the sake of their children and music.

In 2013, musician Quoc Dung had a serious traffic accident. Since then, his health has gradually weakened and his memory has been affected by a stroke.

Recently, musician Bao Chau - youngest son of musician Quoc Dung - changed his Facebook profile picture to black with the memorial line: "I will do what I promise."

In his later years, the musician still occasionally appeared with his wife in some performances. Memories are sometimes remembered, sometimes forgotten, but he always considers himself lucky to be alive and fully devoted to music.