Young actress Tú Quyên plays Empress regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng in monodrama (Monologue at Night) by late playwright Lê Duy Hạnh. — Photo courtesy of Thiên Lý Cải Lương Troupe

HCM CITY — A new book featuring outstanding theatrical scripts by late playwright Lê Duy Hạnh, one of the South’s leading contemporary theatre artists, has been released in HCM City.

Hạnh began working with cải lương (reformed opera) theatres in HCM City in 1976, and wrote and produced several scripts for cải lương, tuồng (classical drama), drama, and monodrama plays featuring Vietnamese history and culture.

The book, Độc Thoại Đêm (Monologue at Night), published by the Writers’ Association Publishing House, features eight scripts, such as Độc Thoại Đêm, Chiếc Áo Thiên Nga (Swan Fur Coat) and Nỗi Đau Nhân Loại (Human Suffering).

Some of them have been staged in both cải lương and drama.

Độc Thoại Đêm portrays Empress regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the last and only sovereign of the Lý dynasty. She ruled the kingdom of Đại Việt (ancient name of Việt Nam) as queen regnant from 1224-25. Later, she was forced to deliver the throne to her husband, Trần Cảnh, later King Trần Thái Tông, the first king of the Trần dynasty, who ruled Đại Việt for 33 years (1226-58).

The monodrama has been performed by different generations of Vietnamese artists, from People’s Artist Bạch Tuyết, guru of cải lương, to young actress Tú Quyên.

Chiếc Áo Thiên Nga is among the most famous plays.

The work tells the love story of Princess Mỵ Châu of the Âu Lạc Kingdom and Trọng Thủy, a son of Triệu Đà, the lord of a rival state. Châu reveals Thủy the kingdom’s secret – a magic crossbow from the Golden Turtle God to protect the nations from invaders. At the end, Âu Lạc is attacked and defeated.

It has been staged several times in cải lương by director Hoàng Quỳnh Mai at the Việt Nam Cải Lương Theatre, and in drama by director Đức Thịnh at the Hồng Vân Drama Stage, both of which won top prizes at national theatrical festivals.

Veteran playwright Vương Huyền Cơ commented that Hạnh’s scripts reflected his profound thoughts on ideology and social prediction. Many of his works are still fresh today.

Outstanding theatrical scripts by Hạnh are introduced to the public through the book, Độc Thoại Đêm (Monologue at Night). — Photo courtesy of Hạnh’s family

Độc Thoại Đêm is the fifth book of the collection featuring Hạnh’s works, which have been released by the Theatre Association and the Writers’ Association of HCM City and his family.

The first two books, Tuyển tập kịch bản cải lương của tác giả Lê Duy Hạnh (Exclusive cải lương play scripts by Lê Duy Hạnh) and Lê Duy Hạnh - Miền nhớ (Lê Duy Hạnh – A realm of memory), were published in 2024 to mark Hạnh’s first death anniversary.

A year later, two other books, Như trong truyền thuyết (Like a Legend) and Hồn thơ ngọc (The Poetic Soul of Jade), were released.  

All five books feature 43 cải lương (reformed opera), tuồng (classical opera), and drama scripts.

Playwright Lê Hoàng Long, the son of Hạnh, said the publications aimed to preserve his father’s theatrical works, which have left a deep mark on the Vietnamese theatre scene and audiences.

Long added that his family was searching for Hạnh’s missing works to complete the collection.

Hạnh was born in Bình Định Province (now Gia Lai Province). He joined revolutionary movements when he was young.

He began with his first play, Tâm Sự Ngọc Hân (Princess Ngọc Hân’s Confessions), in 1980. It was performed by the HCM City Performing Arts Troupe for over 700 shows, helping artists Mỹ Châu (as Ngọc Hân) and Tuấn Thanh (as Nguyễn Huệ) become stars of cải lương.

Hạnh received the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2001. 

He was awarded the Prize for his collection of three historical plays, called Bùi Thị Xuân Hồi Kết Cuộc (Female General Bùi Thị Xuân), Mặt Trời Đêm Thế Kỷ (Sun after the Long Night) and Trời Nam (Southern Land). They highlight the themes of patriotism and bravery.  

Hạnh also worked as a lecturer for the HCM City Theatre and Cinematography University and HCM City Culture University, and was the former chairman of the HCM City Theatre Association.

In 2025, Hạnh was awarded the Đào Tấn Award, a prestigious annual award given by the National Cultural Promotion and Preservation Research Institute, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Vietnamese traditional arts.

Lê Tiến Thọ, the institute’s chairman, said Lê Duy Hạnh was one of the notable dramatists of Việt Nam over the past 50 years, along with Lưu Quang Vũ, Xuân Trình, and Tào Mạt.

Hạnh died of a heart attack in 2023 in HCM City. He was 76. — VNS