HA NOI — Veteran tenor and People’s Artists Doan Tan, whose name has been known through the partiotic song Duong Chung Ta Di (The Road We Walk On) has died at age 73, his daughter, singer Hong Vy told the media yesterday

Tan died late on Sunday at the Military Hospital 108 in Ha Noi after a long battle with Alzheimer that causes his problems with memory, thinking and behaviour.

Born in 1947 and a native of the northern province of Thai Binh, Tan used to be a geological survey worker, working in Quang Ninh, where has the biggest coal mine in Viet Nam, before entering the Viet Nam’s College of Music in 1969. 

He later joined the art troupe of the Viet Nam People’s Army.

With his gifted voice, since he was at the first year of the college, the song Duong Chung Ta Di which he performed successfully was recorded by Radio the Voice of Viet Nam to broadcart widely nationwide.

Together with his famous song Duong Chung Ta Di, Tan had performed at the International Student Music Festival in Germany in 1973, then in front of thousand Sai Gon (former name of the current HCM City) residents and soldiers after the city’s liberation on April 30, 1975.   

The singer, who built his names with patriotic songs, has been greeted by large audience, especially Vietnamese soldiers in every battle fields during the American War.

The song Anh Linh Tinh Nguyen va Dieu Mua Apsara (The Vietnamese Volunteer Soldier and Apsara Dance) that he sang won the Golden Medal at the National Military Music Featival in 1984 and 1985 in a row.

In 2005, the People’s Artist released his first CD album, named after his “starting bolock” song – Duong Chung Ta Di. — VNS