People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and his difficult childhood
People’s Artist Thanh Hoa’s real name is Nguyen Thi Thanh, she was born in 1950 in Dai Mo, Tu Liem, Hanoi. As the older sister of 6 siblings in a family with difficult circumstances, Thanh Hoa had to do many different jobs since childhood to help her parents. She used to wash dishes for hire, however, after a while, because she was too young, the store owner did not dare let her continue working for fear of gossip.
At the age of 9, Thanh Hoa won first prize in the Ha Dong Town Nightingale Singing Contest. At the age of 16, the female artist began studying at the Vietnam Music School (later the Hanoi Conservatory of Music) and graduated from Intermediate School in 1970.
People’s Artist Thanh Hoa in his youth. (Photo: FBNV)
After graduating, Thanh Hoa became a singer for the Liberation Radio Station and was adopted by two reformed opera artists, Thanh Hung and Ngoc Hoa. Because of this, she took the stage name Thanh Hoa, a combination of the names of these two artists.
People’s Artist Thanh Hoa Thanh Hoa once performed for the army during the Ho Chi Minh campaign, where she witnessed many fierce scenes. Thanh Hoa once recounted: “Once we were sitting eating porridge, a shell exploded, the pot of porridge was destroyed, nothing was left, luckily none of us died”.
Returning to work at the Voice of Vietnam Radio Station in the following years, her name became familiar to the public. She is considered the singer who recorded the most there with 400 recordings, including immortal songs associated with many generations such as: Love of the land and water, The canal we dug, Lullaby of a young mother, The train you pass the mountain, Love on the Quan Ho river, Listening to Nghe Tinh folk songs in the middle of Mac Tu Khoa, Spring in the rice and flower villages, Spring train tracks…
Sharing in the program 5-star hotel, People’s Artist Thanh Hoa confided: “When I started singing, I didn’t think I would be famous. I worked at Voice of Vietnam for 35 years and 7 months, recording 2 sessions per week, 2-3 songs per session. I have recorded nearly 500 solo songs, including leading, choir, group… I have probably sung thousands of songs.”
A fulfilling life after many ups and downs
Despite her successful career, People’s Artist Thanh Hoa encountered many difficulties in her love life. Her first marriage to musician Phan Lac Khoa soon fell apart, and he later passed away. Later, she married circus artist Ton That Loi, who was 6 years her junior.
Despite family opposition and a lot of criticism, People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and artist Ton That Loi still closely attached. After decades together, the couple always show each other love and respect, often walking together in many events.
People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and her husband – artist Ton That Loi. (Photo: FBNV)
Share with Dan Viet, Thanh Hoa once said: “Apart from giving birth, she is nothing like a woman in the way that people often honor her. I don’t know how to do housework, every time I go into the kitchen, the whole family panics because there will definitely be something inedible. My personality is not feminine, I also spend all day rushing out into society to do this and that.”
Currently, People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and her husband live in a 1,000m2 garden house in the suburbs of Hanoi. She rarely sings and is currently the President of the Association for the Protection of Performing Artists’ Rights. The female artist once shared that she wants to do something for the younger generation more than running shows to sing for money. “Right now, what I’m most concerned about is what to do for the younger generation, what to do to protect their rights or help them have their own style to shine on their path…”, she confided.