Touching things that make everyone feel emotional
There are familiar but difficult-to-speak feelings, such as a word of love for parents or unfinished wishes. These emotions become the touching point of the art program "Gratitude for Birth 2026" every Vu Lan season.
Over the years, the program has not only told stories about filial piety and family affection but also spread messages of gratitude, appreciation and responsibility to family, community, and country.
In 2026, the highlight of the program is the connection between filial piety in each family and the nation's "When drinking water, remember the source" morality. Stories about parents, war memories and the sacrifices of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are interwoven, creating deep emotions.
Emotions are always rising
Not only the audience, but also the artists participating in the program also experienced special emotional levels when performing performances about motherhood, family affection, gratitude and sacrifice.
For singer Quach Mai Thy, the preparation process for the performance "Carrying Mother" became a journey full of emotions. The female singer shared that every time she practiced and the song reached its climax, she often could not hold back her tears.
When practicing and singing this song, I couldn't hold back my emotions. Every time the climax comes, I shed tears" - Quach Mai Thy confided.
Songs about mothers always touch the deepest, most empathetic emotional realm in each of our hearts. For the audience, for artists... everyone is moved by each song about the grace of parents' birth.
Singer Tung Duong shared that the feeling of singing about mother, about homeland and country, over time seems to grow more and more mature in his heart and the way he sings.
Vu Lan month makes Tung Duong want to slow down and spend more time with his parents. He believes that difficult things to say to parents can be conveyed through music and simple actions in life.
Vu Lan month is a month of filial piety, I think I am also very touched when things I cannot say to my parents can be expressed through music. Singing about my mother, I am always moved" - Tung Duong shared.
According to Tung Duong, filial piety should not only lie in beautiful words but needs to be expressed in specific actions.
Fulfilling filial piety here is not about words, but about actions, we do what we can for our parents. We need to care for, be responsible and do what is practical for our parents" - the male singer said.
That message is also what the program wants to send to the audience: Filial piety does not necessarily have to start from great things. It could be a phone call, a visit home, a meal with parents or simply spending more time listening.
Apologize to parents instead of me
One of the other emotional threads of "Gratitude for Birth 2026" that also easily touches the hearts and minds of viewers is the story of soldiers who sacrificed and mothers "three times seeing their children off, two times crying silently. The soldiers did not return, the mother remained silent"...
Musician Truong Quy Hai shared that he performed the song "Singing for the Living" to tell the story of such mothers. Among them, there are mothers of his comrades who lay down in the Vi Xuyen battlefield. The song has the line "Thay toi apologizes to parents, đạo làm con chữ hiếu dở dang", evoking the remorse for the children who passed away when they had not yet completed filial piety to their parents.
For Truong Quy Hai, Vu Lan is not just one day or one season of the year.
For Vietnam, Vu Lan filial piety is not just one day, one season, but every day is a day of filial piety to parents" - he shared.
That saying also expands the meaning of the program: Gratitude should not only appear in one holiday. It needs to become a part of life, expressed by each person living, loving and being responsible to family and community.
After 9 years, "Gratitude for Birth" continues to return with a familiar but never-old story: Love for parents. What makes the program vibrant is not only in the artistic performances but also in the ability to awaken personal memories, personal emotions, and personal subconscious in each audience member.
