Trịnh Công Sơn

Trịnh Công Sơn (February 28, 1939 – April 1, 2001) was a famous Vietnamese, musician, songwriter, painter and poet. He is widely considered to be Vietnam's best songwriter. His music explores themes of love, loss, and anti-war sentiments during the Vietnam War. Born in Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province, as a child he lived in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. There he attended the Lycée Français and the Providence school. Later in his youth, Trịnh went to Saigon and studied western philosophy at the Lycée Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from which he graduated with a baccalaureate degree. In 1961, he studied psychology and education in a school for teachers in Qui Nhơn, in an attempt to avoid being drafted into the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces. After graduation, he taught at an elementary school in Bảo Lộc, Lâm Đồng. Trịnh Công Sơn wrote over 500 songs during the 1960s and 1970s, He became one of South Vietnam's notable singer-songwriters following his first hit, "Ướt mi" (Tearing Lashes), released in 1958. He was frequently under pressure from the government, which was displeased with the pacifist's sentimental lyrics in such songs as "Ngủ đi con" (Lullaby, about a mother grieving for her soldier son).