Trong Tan possesses a bright, lyrical Leggiero tenor voice. Among the “three red music singers” including Dang Duong – Viet Hoan – Trong Tan, the singer from Thanh Hoa is the most famous and famous name.
Taking the entrance exam to the Conservatory of Music because… the family is poor
Trong Tan has been passionate about music since childhood. During his middle and high school years, he taught himself to play the piano, participated in the school’s musical activities, registered for competitions in the province and won quite high prizes.
Having a talent for music, at the end of high school, faced with 3 options to enter the School of Architecture, Finance or Conservatory of Music, Trong Tan chose music to pursue. In particular, the reason the male singer decided to enter the Conservatory of Music was also because he was supported with study expenses.
| Singer Trong Tan. Image. FBNV |
“At the end of high school, the news that the Conservatory of Music’s regular Intermediate program was fully supported with study expenses, only taking care of accommodation in the dormitory, was the catalyst for me to decide to pursue music. Because my family is poor, I can hardly afford to take the exam for any other school, for example the schools I really like and can take the exam for like Architecture or Finance,” Trong Tan shared with Dan Viet.
In 1995, Trong Tan went to Hanoi to take the entrance exam to the Conservatory of Music. He was taken by a friend to meet Ms. Minh Hue, but she did not accept, because the time was too short, there were only 12 days left until the exam, with an appointment to take the exam again next year.
Confused and afraid of failing the exam, Trong Tan told himself, “Sing whatever you want” and practiced on your own with a group of friends. “Unexpectedly, my singing luckily reached her ears. She stood outside listening, then suddenly knocked on the door. She said, “You just sang, sing it again,” then told her to go to her room to continue experiencing the music. Right after that, I was accepted by her to study.” Trong Tan revealed.
That year’s exam, about 100 people took the Vocal Music exam and only 3 passed. Trong Tan is one of those 3 people, he passed with a perfect score. At that time, Mr. Tran Hieu accepted Trong Tan’s sponsorship in front of the entire faculty. That is also the person who helped Trong Tan a lot on his musical path.
With talent and diligent training, Trong Tan has reaped sweet fruits. He participated in the 1997 Hanoi Great Voice Festival contest and won the Promising Young Voice award. At the 2nd National Television Singing Contest in 1999, Trong Tan won first prize. He also won second prize in the national professional opera and chamber singing competition in 2000.
In particular, the songs that Trong Tan performed left an impression on the audience. Among them, the song “The sound of the monochord” created a buzz, bringing Trong Tan’s name to stardom.
The unexpected decision of the “red prince”
After graduating, Trong Tan worked as a lecturer at the Vocal Music Department of the Conservatory of Music and continued to pursue his career as a singer. In 2013, he decided to quit teaching to focus on singing. At that time, Trong Tan’s resignation from teaching at the Vietnam National Academy of Music caused a stir in public opinion, because this was a job many people desired.
Many years later, an acquaintance of Trong Tan revealed the reason why the male singer decided to quit teaching. At that time, Trong Tan expressed: “Even though teaching vocal music and performing are closely linked together, if you do both at the same time, it will be very difficult to reach the top. If you focus a lot of time on teaching, you will have less opportunity to perform on big stages, both domestically and internationally. Performing jobs only reach a certain age, but right now I’m still in my prime, it would be a pity to waste the opportunity…
Furthermore, my family is also dependent. My wife works and still has to take care of two small children, so it’s very difficult. While I was teaching at school all day and performing at night, I couldn’t help my wife at all.”
And Trong Tan proved his decision was correct. After 20 years of working with the profession, Trong Tan still maintains the top position in the public’s hearts when singing revolutionary music. He is also fondly dubbed the “king of red music” by the media and audiences along with Viet Hoan and Dang Duong.
In addition to performing on stage, Trong Tan released a number of albums such as: “The sound of the monochord”, “A journey”, “Rang tram bau”, “Hoping to return to Hanoi”, “Love on the Quan Ho river” … Trong Tan’s latest album is “Ru ta sad”, released in 2023.
Recently, Trong Tan and Anh Tho organized a tour across Vietnam called “20 years – Love songs” marking the journey of both of their musical activities. For Trong Tan, besides Viet Hoan and Dang Duong, Anh Tho is the male singer’s soulmate in music, a good partner on stage and in real life.
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| Trong Tan and Anh Tho have great chemistry on stage. Photo: FBNV |
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| Trong Tan, Viet Hoan, Dang Duong. Image. FBNV |
Poetic love and a perfect home
Not only does Trong Tan have a successful career, he also makes many people admire him for his perfect marriage with his beautiful lecturer wife.
Trong Tan and Thanh Hoa have had a poetic love since their school days. The two fell in love when they attended high school together at Lam Son school, Thanh Hoa. At that time, Trong Tan was in 11th grade, and Thanh Hoa was one grade below him. Although studying in different sessions, the couple happened to sit at the same table. The familiar pieces of paper helped them bond with each other.
Later, Trong Tan studied at the Conservatory of Music, Thanh Hoa also strived to have two university degrees. She graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Trade Union University and the Department of English from the University of Foreign Languages. Currently, Thanh Hoa is a lecturer at the Vietnam National Academy of Music.
Sharing about his partner, Trong Tan always shows respect and love. He expressed that after a long journey together, with mutual understanding, the love between the two has now surpassed ordinary love – it is soulmate love.
“Marriage is the connection of two people from strangers to holding hands to go a long way together. When we look towards each other and intend to take care of our marriage the way we take care of a tree, one day it will bear sweet fruit. It’s the feeling of not being able to live without each other, considering each other as an indispensable part of our lives. There are many stories that can only be told to each other. At that time, we will easily overcome the hardships, worries or trivial things,” Trong Tan confided.
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| Trong Tan and Thanh Hoa couple. Photo: FBNV |
Having a beautiful, talented wife as a strong supporter, perhaps that is also the reason why Trong Tan flourishes more in music. And the immense happiness for the male singer is also because his two children have both followed in their father’s footsteps and pursued their passion for art.
In particular, Tan Dat – Trong Tan’s son has a beautiful voice, is a versatile young artist, and is expected to make great strides in the future. In the recent music night of Trong Tan – Anh Tho, Tan Dat also appeared on stage, dueting with his father.
Vu Hoa Thao Nguyen – the youngest daughter of singer Trong Tan is studying at the Intermediate level of the Traditional Instruments Department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Recently, Thao Nguyen won Second Prize at the 2023 National Ethnic Instrument Solo and Concerto competition.
Sharing about his two children, Trong Tan could not hide his pride: “I do not force my children, but I am happy when they all pursue music. Dat has a great voice and his family is following him in music. The couple both agreed that: We will give our child direction, foundation, share with him the path, that he is quite suitable for the mainstream, he can approach more ballads and pop. , or semi classic… By your time, audiences can listen to music quite well.
On the other hand, young people will like new things. Tan Dat himself currently prefers Pop, he wants to be both an artist and a producer for his works. Dat is studying at two schools: National Academy of Music and Faculty of Applied Music – Thang Long University. Children learn about studio technology, compose, dance, make music, and understand new music trends. It can be said that Dat will definitely take a different path from his father. And I also want that.”
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| Trong Tan and his son sing a duet. Photo: FBNV |
A peaceful life, planting trees, taking care of pets…
At the age of 47, Trong Tan is satisfied with his life, peaceful and free. Currently, the male singer and his wife and their two children live in a spacious and spacious house in Hanoi. In addition, Trong Tan also owns a billion-dollar property in his hometown of Thanh Hoa.
On his personal page, in addition to sharing photos of his performances, Trong Tan updates many simple moments with his family, such as leisurely moments of playing songs for his wife, practicing his voice, practicing the piano with his two children, or taking care of his children. Vegetable garden on the terrace, comforting the little cat…
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| Trong Tan is satisfied with his current life. Photo: FBNV |
He confided: “It is true that I am introverted and highly value family values. I can sit on the rooftop drinking tea, tending plants, and watching cats all day without getting bored. There are times when I don’t leave the house for several days, but I still feel very happy.”
After all, it seems that Trong Tan has nothing left to wish for, because he can live with his passion for music, have a full home and enjoy simple pleasures.
Trong Tan’s real name is Vu Trong Tan, born in 1976, from Thanh Hoa, graduated from Hanoi Conservatory of Music. He used to be a lecturer in the Vocal Music Department at the National Academy of Music and has a master’s degree.