(VOVworld) – Despite his blindness guitarist Van Vuong has traveled to all parts of Vietnam to perform. In 2012 he was given the “For the love of Hanoi” award for his hundreds of compositions about the capital city. Vinh Phong reports:

73-year-old Vuong was born in Hai Duong but has been living in Hanoi. He learned to play guitar when he was little. With a great passion for music, Vuong began to learn Braille to be able to write Braille music notes. At 15 he composed the song “Dawn on the river”. A year later he went to Hanoi to learn from other musicians. He met guitarist Ta Tan and musician Van Cao who taught him music theory. At 18 Vuong’s first performance of the song “Rice drum” won audience acclaim. Thanks to Radio the Voice of Vietnam, Vuong’s music became more popular and in 1968 he moved to Hanoi to pursue a musical career. Vuong says he listens to his solo performances and songs every day to remind himself of his first days in Hanoi and the peaceful moments in the city even during wartime: “I most remember 1973 and 1974 when I used to go around at night filled with feelings for Hanoi. The breeze was cool and I liked to meander the silent streets - Nguyen Gia Thieu, Khuc Hao, Tue Tinh, and Ba Trieu.”

Vuong set the song “Hanoian” by Nguyen Dinh Thi to guitar music the same year he became a Hanoi citizen: “I was passing by Dinh Tien Hoang street on January 11, 1968, and heard the song “Hanoian” by Nguyen Dinh Thi performed by singer My Binh. I was moved and I wished I could have my eyesight back to see how beautiful Hanoi was. I decided to go home and set this song to guitar music.”

The warren of narrow streets and lanes inspired Vuong to write several melodies about Hanoi. He said:  “I love to sit by Sword Lake and West Lake to feel the breeze and hear the rustling of tree leaves. The feeling of being immersed in an immense space gives me a lot of emotions. I also love to go on vibrant streets like Pho Hue, Hang Dao and Hang Ngang to feel the energy of the traffic and the people. I conveyed my feeling in the song “The Hanoi I love” to express my passion for Hanoi.”

After some 8,000 live performances and more than 100 compositions and songs about Hanoi, Vuong was given the “For the love of Hanoi” award in 2012. Vuong said:  “I was informed by the Vietnam News Agency I had won this prize. I was surprised because I didn’t think I had done anything special for Hanoi. What I did stemmed from my love for the city. I missed Hanoi a lot whenever I was on a trip.”

Phan Huy Le, a member of the jury board for “For the love of Hanoi” award, said: “Guitarist Van Vuong really deserves this award.  Despite his blindness, he, in 40 years, has written songs about Hanoi and performed for the Hanoi audience. His love for Hanoi is worth honoring.”

Vuong says Hanoi has a special place in his heart and it is appropriate that his 74^th birthday on October 10 coincides with the city’s 60^th liberation day.