Born and raised in a family with a rich artistic tradition, Bach Long was exposed to the stage from a young age.
He shared: "Every day I hear the sound of drums, instruments, and singing. Cai Luong art has become a part of my heart."
His father, the late People's Artist Thanh Ton, was a great figure in the art of hat boi, and his mother was artist Huynh Mai. His siblings, artists Bach Le, Bach Lien, Bach Luu, Bach Ly, and his younger brother, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc, are all famous artists.
At the age of 10, Bach Long had the opportunity to meet his first teacher, Minh To, who ignited Bach Long's intense passion for the stage.
MC Minh Ngoc questioned why Bach Long did not learn from his parents, who are well-known in the profession. However, Bach Long said: "The Buddha at home is not sacred."
Talking to MC Minh Ngoc, Meritorious Artist Bach Long said that at that time, his father, the late People's Artist Thanh Ton, wanted his children to pursue their education, and then whatever career they wanted was up to them. Meritorious Artist Bach Long said that his father was also surprised to see that both his sons (him and Thanh Loc) had certain successes in their careers.
When he was young, Bach Long often gathered a few children in the neighborhood and created simple plays. He built the stage, drew the scenery and composed the dialogue himself. That was one of the inspirations and motivations for Meritorious Artist Bach Long to establish the Bach Long Children's Troupe.
In 1990, the television station asked Bach Long to stage a play for the children and grandchildren of artists in the Minh To troupe to perform. Bach Long adapted the play "Toad suing the sky" into reformed opera with a style that was familiar and appealing to young audiences. This was a milestone that made him realize the value of transmitting traditional reformed opera to the younger generation.
When mentioning his most impressive roles, Meritorious Artist Bach Long shared that each role has its own value: “Each role is a destiny”. Whether it is a main or supporting role, he always invests his heart and soul. Famous children's roles such as Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Tran Quoc Toan, Kim Dong leave a special mark in the hearts of young audiences.
Meritorious Artist Bach Long said that there were times when he felt sad when looking at the sparse audience seats when they came to see him perform.
The male artist expressed that he was very "brave" to dare to persistently pursue this art form even when the peak period of Vietnamese reformed opera was no longer.
"I have a passion for it and I have to do it and keep it. If I ignore it, the future of Cai Luong will be lost," Meritorious Artist Bach Long confided, affirming that the more difficult it is, the more I see it as a motivation to continue preserving the culture.
Awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in 2023 at the age of U70, artist Bach Long remains humble and maintains his stance. When asked about what he would like to change if he had the power to go back to the past, he expressed his dream of restoring the golden age of Cai Luong.
