To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the death of musician Thanh Tung (2016 - 2026), on the afternoon of May 25, the musician's family for the first time organized the exhibition "Legacy of Love" at the Exhibition House 16 Ngo Quyen (Hanoi).
Not only is it a memorial activity, "Legacy of Love" is implemented with the desire to continue to preserve and spread the spiritual values that Thanh Tung's music has left in the lives of Vietnamese people for decades.
In more than half a century of composing, musician Thanh Tung has made his mark with many familiar songs such as "Alone", "Purple Flowers Outside the Yard", "Sunlight Beside the Porch", "Spring Confession", "Lonely Star"... His melodies not only appear on stage or discs but also become part of the memories of many generations of audiences.
The exhibition introduces more than 100 images, handwritten music, valuable documents and many artifacts published for the first time from the musician's family's private archives. In addition, there is also the contribution of documents from friends, artists, collectors and people who love Thanh Tung's music at home and abroad.
According to Ms. Bach Duong - musician Thanh Tung's daughter, the exhibition process is a journey to find pieces of memories about her father's life and career. She said that the volume of documents left behind is very large but not arranged like a complete memoir, having to meet many people to collect each story, each detail related to the musician.
She also shared that there are things she had never known before, so in the process of preparing for the exhibition, she felt like a Thanh Tung music lover gradually re-exploring memories of him through many different perspectives.
The exhibition space is built like a journey through stages in the musician's life and career, from his time studying at the Pyongyang Conservatory of Music to his period of vibrant artistic activities after returning home.
The highlight of the exhibition is the audio-visual area recreating the musical atmosphere of decades ago with cassette tapes, vinyl records, CDs, recording materials and films with music composed by musician Thanh Tung such as "Van bai lat ngua", "Hon dat".
In addition, dozens of typical songs by him from the 1970s to 1990s have also been digitized so that visitors can directly enjoy them through the personal headphone system at the exhibition.
Sharing about the greatest legacy left by musician Thanh Tung, Ms. Bach Duong said that it is love and humanity in his way of life. According to her, that affection is not only for his family but also love, compassion and the spirit of connecting people that his music always aims for.
Through the event, the musician's family also introduced the Thanh Tung Foundation - a long-term project aimed at storing, preserving and developing the musical heritage and humanistic values he left behind.
Legacy of Love" also marks the beginning of a series of memorial activities lasting in 2026. Following the exhibition will be a street music program taking place at Hoan Kiem Lake pedestrian street on May 29 and the concert "Thanh Tung - Legacy of Love" held on June 28 at the National Convention Center with the participation of many artists and a large-scale symphony orchestra.
