Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI — New Zealand Ambassador to Việt Nam Haike Manning surprised his Embassy staff and over 190,000 followers of the Embassy’s Facebook page with the release of a personal music video.

In the video, he sings Hãy yêu nhau đi (Let’s Fall in Love) by the late great Vietnamese composer Trịnh Công Sơn.

Ambassador Manning departs Việt Nam in two weeks, after a four year term in Hà Nội.

“This song is my big ‘thank you’ to all of the staff at the Embassy and to all of our friends, partners, alumni and students in Việt Nam who made our time here so memorable,” said the ambassador.

The music video was prepared in collaboration with singer Thanh Bùi and his talented team at SOUL Production and the students at SOUL Music & Performing Arts Academy. Ambassador Manning also worked closely with the family of Trịnh Công Sơn in the production of the video.

This is the first time Ambassador Manning has sung a full song in Vietnamese.

“I wanted to sing a Trịnh Công Sơn song because I know how influential and important he is to modern Vietnamese music and to the people of Việt Nam.

“I chose Hãy yêu nhau đi after some thought, because while it is melancholic, it also talks of love and tolerance across time and across cultures. Musically, Trịnh Công Sơn’s songs are very poetic, and the more I listen, the more I understand his extraordinary talent,” he said.

Thanh Bùi, who worked closely with Ambassador Manning on the project, said, “It was a real honour for the SOUL Production team and our SOUL students to work on this song with Ambassador Manning. It reminded me how so much beauty can come from having an open heart and open mind across cultures.”

Ambassador Manning added that this video is expected to portray his love and respect for Việt Nam, which he has considered his home for the past four years.

“My son has grown up speaking fluent Vietnamese, and we have great memories of our time here. We look forward to staying connected with this great country in the future.”

For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/nzembassyvietnam. — VNS