Hung Kings Commemoration 2023

Every year I turn my heart toward the Hung Kings Commemoration, as a quiet reminder to myself that I am still Vietnamese, even after spending two-thirds of my life on foreign soil.

In my younger years, my friends and I helped organize this day as a formal ceremony, followed by a cultural program rich in the spirit of our homeland.

But for twenty-three years, swept up by work and family life, I had no occasion to take part again — until our older brother Nguyen My Tuan, Vice President of the VAJ (Vietnamese Association in Japan), passed away just before the preparations for this year’s ceremony. Another senior member then called me up to Tokyo to join the younger generation in organizing the event, and to MC the cultural program.

Carrying my sound equipment, I set off for the capital. The hall at Ota Sangyo Plaza PiO, right by Kamata Station, was spacious. There I met old friends again — more wrinkles, but the same energy as before — alongside many bright young faces. Preparations went smoothly and we began on time at 13:30. Over a hundred guests were present, an encouraging turnout after three years of pandemic restrictions on gatherings.

After a stirring drumbeat, our MC Thuy Linh, graceful in her ao dai, opened the program. Mr. Ngo Van Vien, Secretary General of the Association, spoke about the meaning of the ceremony and the Association’s recent activities. The ceremonial address to our nation’s founders was then chanted with feeling, recounting the merit of our forebears in building the country, and the soaring spirit of their victories. Three elders stepped up to the altar to offer incense. The atmosphere was deeply solemn — as if the soul of our homeland were right there with us, in a land thousands of miles away. Next came the memorial rite for Vice President Nguyen My Tuan, who passed away on March 13, 2023. His portrait, glowing with a gentle smile, gave everyone the feeling that he was still present among us, just as in past gatherings.

Two Japanese guests, Mr. Yamazaki, Secretary General of the Solidarity Association, and Mr. Kawaue, Secretary General of the Asia Welfare Education Foundation, addressed the gathering with their reflections. Mr. Kawaue, who once served as a consul in Vietnam, opened his remarks in fluent Vietnamese. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Professor Hasebe and Professor Tsuchida (Meiji Gakuin University and Komazawa University), and to all the honored guests who have walked alongside the Association for the past forty years.

After the tea reception came the cultural program, themed “Mother Calls Us Home.” The vocal ensemble led by Mr. Le Hong Quang happened to be visiting Japan from the United States at this very time, so the Association invited them to perform for the Hung Kings Commemoration — and we were fortunate that Mr. Quang accepted. It gave me the chance to return to a Tokyo stage, hosting alongside Thuy Linh.

Together with eight singers, Mr. Le Hong Quang carried his audience back to a peaceful era filled with images of the Vietnamese mother and the boundless sacrifices of Vietnamese women, through selections from the song-cycles “Mother Vietnam” and “The Great Highway.” His silken voice, polished technique, and the harmonies of the chorus stirred listeners with scenes of old village life — “Poor Hometown,” “Country Mother,” “Come Back and Listen,” “Evening Field,” “Missing One Far Away,” “Longing for Home” — and a journey alongside Princess Huyen Tran along the long road of our homeland.

Hue Le, a member of the ensemble, came to Japan as a refugee in the late 1980s before settling in the United States. She delivered Duy Khanh’s “The Path Back to Motherland,” accompanied on piano by Mr. Quang, and moved the audience deeply with the longing of young men in a time of civil war: “Mother, all that remains is our motherland.” Thank you, Hue, for bringing Mr. Quang and his ensemble back to your second homeland. And thank you, Mr. Le Hong Quang and all the singers.

We must also mention the sweet voices who graced our cultural programs twenty years ago: the sisters Tuyet Huong and Tuyet Phung, their friend Tuyet Nhung, along with the young performers Anh Duc and Gia Le, who brought a fresh, youthful energy with new songs — embodying how generations carry on the work of preserving our community’s culture.

Finally, the song “Vietnam Vietnam” by Pham Duy was sung by everyone in the hall together with our performers, leaving us with the feeling that one day Vietnam will indeed become the country described in the lyrics — the country our forebears wished to preserve.

I hope that the spirit and warmth of this day will continue to be carried on, far into the future.