I'm leaving tomorrow
The sea remembers your name calling back
Calling the spirit of the drooping willow
Calling the white sand shore late at night
The lyrics from the sad song of the late musician Trinh Cong Son carry the story of a simple coastal city in the Central region - a place that once held a part of the youth, love, sadness and small joys of a talented sensitive soul in his 20s. That is the coastal city of Quy Nhon, also the land that Trinh Cong Son always mentioned with longing and sincere affection.
Musician Trinh Cong Son when he was studying at the Pedagogical School (Quy Nhon)
City of yellow lights at night
The relationship between Trinh Cong Son and Quy Nhon city began in 1962, when the young musician said goodbye to his hometown of Hue to go to Quy Nhon to study at the Pedagogical University. This is the birthplace of famous songs such as Bien nho, Diem xua, Chieu mot minh qua pho, Loi me ru, Nang thuy tinh and Cat bui. Although he was only attached for more than two years, this coastal city left a special mark in the life of the talented musician.
At that time, Trinh Cong Son entered his early twenties with many ambitions, intoxicated with life. He wandered the streets smelling of the sea breeze and sunshine, played billiards in crowded small shops, rested in a cramped student dormitory and indulged himself in late nights watching the sea shimmering with yellow lights in the distance.
Quy Nhon beach in the 1960s
With a sensitive heart, such peaceful and simple things become the most unforgettable memories, so later, in the work "About a city I've left", he emotionally mentioned Quy Nhon with the desire to return:
"Maybe very soon I will prepare a trip back to Quy Nhon to sit and look at a beach of the old days, when a grain of sand was enough to move me."
Perhaps, the song most closely associated with this beautiful coastal city is Sea of Memories. It is said that behind those lyrics filled with melancholy nostalgia is the beautiful love story of 23-year-old Trinh Cong Son and young girl Bich Khe.
Musician Trinh Cong Son and friends
In the summer of 1963, Bich Khe had to temporarily leave Quy Nhon for Nha Trang with her family. The night before saying goodbye, Trinh Cong Son sat by the deserted beach and poured his nostalgia and longing into each note of music. Without needing beautiful lyrics, the two words "son khe" in the lyrics "Troi cao luu buoc son khe" were enough to convey a sweet, discreet love to one person.
Musician Trinh Cong Son wrote about Quy Nhon in "About a city I've left" as follows: "Bien nho is a song I wrote for the streets of Quy Nhon. The streets and the sea and a girlfriend who sat with me every night looking at the sea. That has now become the past, but in me Quy Nhon is still as clear as a mirror. A mirror in which I can see myself."
About Quy Nhon listening to love songs in the sound of waves
60 years have passed, Quy Nhon today is still a beautiful and gentle coastal city with a soft, curving coastline, long stretches of soft, golden sand, clear blue sea pushing murmuring waves and a vast, high sky. Of course, time has also brought many changes, the yellow lights have been replaced by LED lights, making the coastal city at night no longer dark and sad as before, vehicles are gradually bustling to pick up and drop off tourist groups, more entertainment establishments have appeared, but the peace and simplicity are still there in every small street, where the slow pace of life of innocent people still flows calmly.
The images of clean and airy streets without traffic jams, residential areas filled with the cheerful chatter of neighbors or the friendliness of the locals remain unchanged. Thanks to that, people who come here can still vaguely see the image of the beloved city that nurtured the overflowing emotions of the musician years ago, confided in the sad and touching love songs.
Quy Nhon beach today
Quy Nhon is so dear and affectionate in Trinh Cong Son's memory, and this city will never forget him. In 2018, a street named after Trinh Cong Son officially opened, and two years later, a fine art statue of the musician was built and placed in a park right next to the beach. Still with his slender figure in his familiar shirt and guitar, he passionately immersed himself in every deep sound. Next to the musician's statue is the music sheet for the song "Bien Nho" - the most outstanding composition that Trinh Cong Son ever dedicated to Quy Nhon city.
Statue of musician Trinh Cong Son on Quy Nhon beach
Nowadays, people coming to Quy Nhon can still accidentally hear somewhere the passionate lyrics of Bien Nho, Diem Xua... resounding in the simple street corners, or go to small old shops to watch the sea and listen to live music performances every week like at Trinh Cong Son Cafe on Xuan Dieu Street. Trinh Cong Son's image is still there forever, becoming a part of the soul of the coastal city that he loved, so that music lovers still constantly come here with the desire to relive the pure emotions that the musician once conveyed in each song and voice.
I'm leaving tomorrow
City of yellow lights at night
Lonely soul leans shoulder and calls sadly
Listening to the rough sea outside is sadder
