Trịnh Công Sơn Oral History

The Trịnh Công Sơn Oral History collection is an archive featuring personal accounts and memories shared by friends and family of the renowned Vietnamese songwriter. Through intimate narratives and anecdotes, this collection offers a deep insight into Trịnh Công Sơn's life, music, and enduring influence on Vietnamese culture.

Our Little Home – Trịnh Vĩnh Trinh | Trịnh Công Sơn of Mine & Ours #1

To commemorate the 24th anniversary of composer Trịnh Công Sơn’s passing, the Vietnam Studies Center, in collaboration with the Trịnh Công Sơn family, launches the podcast series Trịnh Công Sơn Của Tôi & Của Chúng Ta. Episode #1, titled “Căn nhà ta nằm nhỏ” (a lyric from the song Như một hòn bi xanh), features guest Trịnh Vĩnh Trinh, the composer’s youngest sister, and is now available on Spotify. This opening episode offers a rare, intimate portrait of Trịnh Công Sơn’s early life. Through Trịnh Vĩnh Trinh’s recollections, listeners are invited into the family home and the formative experiences that shaped his music: from composing his first song “Sương đêm” with a guitar gifted by his mother, to his friendship with cultural icons Nguyễn Tuân and Văn Cao, and his life at 47C Phạm Ngọc Thạch. The episode also highlights his gentle yet principled role as an older brother, and the Buddhist roots of his compassion and forgiveness.

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Trịnh Công Sơn: Of Mine & Ours – Echoes of Memory

April 9, 2025

On April 1, 2025—marking the 24th anniversary of the passing of musician Trịnh Công Sơn—the Vietnam Studies Center at Fulbright University Vietnam officially launched the first episode of the podcast series Trịnh Công Sơn: Of Mine & Ours, created in collaboration with the late musician’s family. Titled Our Little Home, the opening episode evoked memories of a tender childhood space where the first melodies of this gifted artist began to emerge.

The podcast Trịnh Công Sơn: Of Mine & Ours was part of the broader initiative Trịnh Công Sơn Music Research and Performance, led by the Vietnam Studies Center. The project aimed to offer a new approach to exploring Trịnh Công Sơn’s cultural and philosophical legacy—not only through his iconic lyrics, but also through personal memories, life philosophies, and the spirit of compassion and universality that permeated his work. Structured as oral history, each episode featured a conversation with a guest who had a meaningful connection with Trịnh Công Sơn—whether a family member, close friend, artist, or intellectual who accompanied him in his creative journey.

Beyond personal recollections, each 60-minute episode also introduced lesser-known songs by Trịnh Công Sơn, performed by students from Fulbright’s Music Club. With a research-driven approach, these performances went beyond singing—they delved into the meaning of the lyrics, the structure of the music, and the historical context that shaped the artist’s creations, while also revealing how Trịnh’s music gave voice to student movements and conveyed messages of peaceful resistance, love, and humanity during times of upheaval.

Spanning multiple episodes, the podcast featured guests such as poet Nguyễn Duy, Professor Tương Lai, painter Lê Thiết Cương, monk Trung Hải, among others. Together, they opened a space where different dimensions of Trịnh Công Sơn’s life and legacy were revisited through familiar voices, music, and intergenerational empathy.

As Vietnam marked 50 years of reunification, Trịnh Công Sơn: Of Mine & Ours was not only an act of remembrance, but also an effort to connect cultural and historical heritage with contemporary life. Through this project, the Vietnam Studies Center and the musician’s family hoped to offer a rich, multi-dimensional, and deeply human perspective on Trịnh—not only as a composer, but also as a cultural icon, a storyteller, and a spiritual companion to generations of Vietnamese people.