Lê Quốc Minh (left), member of the Party Central Committee, deputy head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation, and Chairman of the Việt Nam Journalists’ Association, and Vũ Việt Trang (right), General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, present the Grand Prize to musician Trần Tiến. VNA/VNS Photo Hòa Nguyễn

HÀ NỘI — Musician Trần Tiến secured the Grand Prize at the 18th Bùi Xuân Phái - For the Love of Hà Nội Awards 2025 with "songs deeply imbued with the cultural essence of the Red River, the Old Quarter and Đoài Region,” according to the Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Culture & Sports) newspaper.

Now living in the southern province of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, the 76-year-old Hà Nội-born musician is among the pioneers who brought free-spirited, improvisational creativity to Vietnamese music, composing across diverse genres such as jazz, country, rock, hip-hop, and rap.

His colleagues fondly refer to him as "The King of Vietnamese Pop."

Trần Tiến shared: "Hà Nội has changed so much with taller buildings, wider streets. There are many new roads I've never even seen. And that's something to be glad about. We must change as the whole world has changed. But inside me, the image of the old Hà Nội remains, like a painting by Bùi Xuân Phái. Wherever I touch, memories of those cherished years ripple beneath, moments of joy and sorrow, like negatives from a distant past."

Musician Trần Tiến in 1994. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Đình Toán

In his compositions, Hà Nội is more than just a place or the nation’s capital – it is the Old Quarter of childhood memories, a flowing current of Northern folk culture and a tapestry of everyday streets and the rustic charm of the Đoài Region countryside.

When brought together, the Red River, the Old Quarter, and Xứ Đoài form a cultural triangle that is both historical and symbolic. Through this connection, Hà Nội in Trần Tiến’s music transcends geography and becomes an expansive cultural space – vibrant, dynamic and deeply imbued with the Vietnamese spirit.

His songs enrich the nation’s musical identity, turning Hà Nội into a cultural symbol deeply woven into the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

"Hà Nội is my mother, my sister and my childhood friends. No matter how wealth, poverty, illness, or loneliness may cause one to suffer, my heart will forever remain in my hometown, Hà Nội. Everything I've ever needed to say, I’ve already poured into my songs," he added.

Musician Trần Tiến (right) and musician Y Moan in 1996. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Đình Toán

In addition to the Grand Prize, the organisers presented the Work Award to a series of paintings of Hà Nội by painter Phạm Bình Chương and to the musical Lửa Đất (Fire from the Earth) by the Youth Theatre of Việt Nam.

The Award for Good Deeds went to the construction and inauguration of the Việt Nam Exhibition Centre (VEC), while the Idea Award was given to the project for building the Hà Nội Opera House and a cultural and art park in Quảng An, Tây Hồ.

The Bùi Xuân Phái awards were launched in 2008 by the Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Culture & Sports) newspaper and the descendants of the esteemed late artist Bùi Xuân Phái (1920-1988), one of the key individuals behind Việt Nam’s modern art scene.

It aims to honour authors, works, ideas, and initiatives that possess artistic and scientific values and reflect a deep love for Hà Nội.

This year, more than 160 authors, works, ideas, and initiatives were nominated and 11 nominations were officially selected.

The Bùi Xuân Phái Awards also include the Award for Works, the Award for Good Deeds and the Award for Ideas.

Last year, the Grand Prize was awarded to architect Prof. Dr. Hoàng Đạo Kính, who has made substantial contributions to the restoration of numerous cultural and architectural structures nationwide, particularly in Hà Nội. — VNS