Văn Cao’s Musical Heritage Reimagined with Emotion Through the Eyes of Youth
On Sunday evening, June 8, 2025, the minishow “Swallows Weave Spring Skies” and the seminar “Searching for a Dreamed-of Normal Season” opened a special space at the Hanoi Creative Hub – Hanoi Museum. Here, the musical legacy of composer Văn Cao was revealed through multiple lenses, especially from the hearts and memories of his family members.
The program was the research product of a group of students from the Faculty of Cultural Industries and Heritage, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The event aimed to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the song “Tiến quân ca” being chosen as the National Anthem of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (August 13, 1945 – August 13, 2025) and the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2025). Over 200 enthusiastic audience members participated in the talk show “Searching for a Dreamed-of Normal Season: Văn Cao’s Musical Heritage Through the Lens of Youth,” a meaningful highlight in the “Swallows Weave Spring Skies” minishow series.
Composer Văn Cao, the author of timeless melodies such as “Tiến quân ca,” “Trường ca sông Lô,” and “Mùa xuân đầu tiên,” left Vietnamese music an invaluable treasure trove of works and an enduring memory of an artist with steadfast national character. During the seminar, simple life stories of the composer and secrets hidden behind his compositions were unveiled in the most authentic way.
Composer Văn Cao through Hùng Văn’s sketch and the composer’s handwritten manuscript of “Tiến quân ca.”
The highlight that touched the hearts of the audience was the presence of poet and artist Văn Thao – the eldest son of Composer Văn Cao. For the first time, the audience heard untold thoughts and memories about his great father, about his creative process, his life, and the values he embedded in every note. Poet Văn Thao is not only an inheritor of the artistic lineage but also a living witness, one who preserves and recounts most fully the spiritual legacy left by Composer Văn Cao. His simple, unadorned yet emotional narratives brought the portrait of his father – the genius composer – to life, making him more intimate and familiar than ever, creating a special convergence of past and present.
“A normal season with simple images like: smoke drifting over the river, a ray of sunlight, the crow of a rooster… was a great aspiration throughout my father’s revolutionary and artistic journey,” shared Mr. Nguyễn Văn Thao, Văn Cao’s eldest son, with emotion.
Led by Journalist/Editor Hoàng Trang, esteemed speakers at the seminar conversed, deepening the story of Composer Văn Cao. Writer and cultural researcher Nguyễn Trương Quý, author of scholarly works on Vietnamese new music such as “Hanoi Sang” (Hanoi Sang a Time of Singing) and “The Youthful Period of Patriotic New Music,” took the audience through history, analyzing Văn Cao’s music as a witness of the era, reflecting national resilience amidst great changes. Lieutenant Nguyễn Hữu Hoàng Sơn (Military Song and Dance Theatre), offered a fresh perspective from today’s generation – with his profound understanding and direct connection to the heritage, Hoàng Sơn became a bridge between the “indomitable steel” in immortal compositions and the patriotic sentiment flowing through modern life.
The program’s highlight was the talk show “Searching for a Dreamed-of Normal Season” featuring Artist Văn Thao – the eldest son of the late composer Văn Cao; writer Nguyễn Trương Quý; and Second Lieutenant QNCN, singer Nguyễn Hữu Hoàng Sơn (Military Song and Dance Theatre).
Young people reinterpreted Văn Cao’s songs, affirming the love and attachment of the younger generation to the enduring value of Văn Cao’s musical heritage. At the same time, it encouraged future generations of the nation to continue their journey of discovery, feeling, and spreading the spirit of this heritage.
Executed by young people, the event is a strong affirmation by the younger generation of their love, attachment, and responsibility in preserving and promoting the enduring heritage values of Composer Văn Cao. This journey is not only about honoring but also about returning to feel, to understand, and to continue that spirit, with the wish that these familiar melodies will continue to “live” in the memories of many generations to come.