Bui Xuan Phai Awards honour musician Hong Dang

VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang (left) and winners of the awards. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Popular musician Hong Dang has won Grand Prize of the annual Bui Xuan Phai - For the Love of Hanoi Awards. 

The Grand Prize is among awards announced at the 14th Bui Xuan Phai -- For the Love of Hanoi Awards on October 28 by The Thao & Van Hoa (Culture & Sports) daily under Vietnam News Agency.

The awards were launched in 2008 by the paper and family of the late artist Bui Xuan Phai. 

The awards aim to honour the contributions of individuals and organisations to Hanoi and their love for the capital city. 

The musician could not come to receive the award due to his health problem. His wife, Ms. Le Anh Thuy, expressed her emotion at the awarding ceremony.

“Composer Hong Dang had a difficult childhood, so he was full of emotions and cherished his days in Hanoi. The hard life seems to be the material for his works. I'm very touched when Hong Dang's creations are recognized, especially at a time when he doesn't have much time left," the musician's wife said.

Musician Hong Dang (Photo: Sports&Culture)

Dang is honoured for his compositions about Hanoi including two prominent songs entitled Hoa Sua (Milkwood Pine Flower) and Ky Niem Thanh Pho Tuoi Tho (Memories of Childhood City). 

The song Hoa Sua served as the main soundtrack for the movie Hanoi Mua Chim Lam To (Nesting Season in Hanoi) in 1978. 

Like many famous songs that were originally from the movie, Hoa Sua became popular even though the lyrics do not include the word Hanoi.

Born in Yen Thanh district, the central province of Nghe An, Dang came to Hanoi to study at the first generation of Vietnam National Academy of Music. 

"The jury made a good decision to give the Grand Prize to musician Hong Dang," said Do Hong Quan, Chairman of Vietnam Union of Literary and Arts Associations. 

Le Hong Son (left), Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee and Journalist Le Xuan Thanh, Editor-in-Chief of The Thao & Van hoa newspaper (right) present the grand award to Hong Dang’s family (Photo: Vietnam+)

"In the context of the pandemic, the honour of a musician proves that music has the effect of encouraging the spirit and refreshing the human soul."

At the awards ceremony held in Hanoi on October 28, three other awards were given, including The Work Prize; The Job Prize and The Idea Prize. 

German photographer Thomas Billhardt took The Work Prize for his photo book and photo exhibition Hanoi 1967-1975.

His photo exhibition held last October introduced for the first time in Vietnam some 130 black-and-white and colour photos taken during his trips to the country. The exhibition provides an honest view of the city from 1967 to 1975.

"This wonderful award is not for me and my photos," Billhardt said in a video message.

"It also honours the book designers, the publisher, Goethe Institute in Vietnam and for all involved to do this project."

Two nominations out of four in total are given The Idea Prize. The winners are the idea of building an underground highway and renovating the To Lich River into a historical, cultural and spiritual park and the Red River urban subdivision planning project. 

The To Lich River project was initiated by Nhat Viet Environment Company. It made a proposal to the Hanoi authorities to recover the river, which was once one of the capital city’s most beautiful.

Meanwhile, the Red River project highlights a fresh environment in the future riverside city. About 70 percent of the area ideally will be for tree growing and public space. 

Beating two strong contenders in The Job Prize, the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and efforts of Hanoi City's COVID-19 prevention and control forces was the winner./.