Singing to save his mother’s life

Vu Hai has so far sold 16 albums.

The 29-year-old, real name Tran Ngoc Hai, was born in a poor peasant family in Phu Tan District, An Giang Province. He lost his sight after contracting a disease when he was 10 months old.

Despite his blindness and poverty, Hai was passionate about singing. When he was seven, Vu Linh, a famous exponent of cai luong, a kind of opera popular in southern Vietnam, was his favorite. He could memorize and perform the songs sung by Linh after hearing them o­n the radio.

He would sing cai luong accompanies by musical instruments for his neighbors for fun and, occasionally, fish porridge.

When he was 15 Hai and his mother became lottery ticket-sellers after his father, the main bread-winner, had to stop working due to severe pneumonia. He died eight years later when Hai’s mother had to stop working due to high blood pressure and diabetes.

Like a dream

One day, after selling lottery tickets all day long, Hai came home jubilant and told his mother he had met Che Thanh, a famous singer at that time.

He had been going around selling lottery tickets as usual in Long Xuyen when he heard that a group of famous singers from Ho Chi Minh City had gathered at a nearby coffee shop. He rushed to the place to meet them and expressed the hope he could sing to raise money to buy medicines for his mother.

Che Thanh asked him to sing a song to assess him. After listening, he promised to help Hai make his dream come true and asked him to choose a stage name. Hai chose Vu Hai after his favorite singer, Vu Linh.

Vu Hai, with VND50,000 in his pocket, went to a studio in the city o­n Che Thanh’s direction for his first recording. He recorded seven songs and 10 CDs.

He took the CDs around with him to local coffee shops to show people while selling lottery tickets and sold his first two CDs for VND20,000.

Sales began to pick up gradually until his effort was recognized by the local radio station. He was then interviewed live o­n radio and his fame spread. He has received support from some HCMC-based singers who have joined Vu Hai for duets.

His first such CD, Dong Doi (The flow of life), expresses his thoughts o­n life: “Life is a floating boat and, despite passing through many rapids and waterfalls, has to be peaceful and happy.”

A singer o­nce introduced Hai to a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City where he sang. But he quit after three months because he missed home and sick mother.

He is back in Long Xuyen, selling lottery tickets and carrying his bag of CDs, and taking care of his mother.