Đầu năm 1971, Toán Xồm, Lộc Vàng và 6 người khác bị kết án vì tội hát nhạc phản cách mạng, tức là tình ca. Phải đợi đến những năm gần đây mới có những ca từ quá đơn giản như "Em ơn đừng buồn."
Le Chef de la Colonie vient de donner aux Chefs des Administrations locales des instruct ons en vue d'interdire jusqu'a nouvel ordre la danse dans les dancings, bars, hôtels et restaurants.
En ce qui concerne Hanoi, la Police Urbaine sur l'ordre de l'Administrateur Maire a signifie, dès mardi, cette interdiction aux propriétaires de dancings, hôtels, et restaurants.
Ainsi, le jazz qui, chaque jour, animait, de 20 heures à une heur du matin, certains quartiers de la ville et de ses environs, s'est tu depuis Mardi.
Ce n'est pas nous qui nous en plaindrons.
nguồn: L'Effort Indochinois 17 tháng 5 1940
The Chief of the Colonies has just issued instructions to Heads of Local Governments to ban dancing in dance halls, bars, hotels, and restaurants until further notice.
As for Hanoi, the City Police, on the orders of the Mayor Administrator, issued this ban to the owners of dance halls, hotels, and restaurants as of Tuesday.
Thus, the jazz music that once enlivened certain neighborhoods in and around the city from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. has been silent since Tuesday.
We won't be complaining.
The Indochinese Effort May 17, 1940.
Ông thống đốc vừa công bố cho các quan thủ hiến địa phương cấm khiêu vũ tại các vũ trường, quán bar, khách sạn, nhà hàng cho đến khi có thông báo mới.
Đối với Hà Nội, Công an thành phố đã ban hành lệnh cấm này đối với các chủ vũ trường, khách sạn, nhà hàng theo lệnh của Chủ tịch vào thứ ba.
Bởi vậy, nhạc jazz vốn được chơi mỗi tối hàng ngày, từ 8 giờ tối. đến 1 giờ sáng trong một số khu phố thành phố đã im lặng kể từ thứ Ba.
Chúng tôi không than phiền.
Nỗ lực Đông Dương 17 tháng 5 1940.
Germany attacked France on May 10, 1940 and took Paris on June 14, 1940. The situation in French colonies became precarious without clear leadership from a central government. Pétain signed an Armistice on June 22, 1940 and the Vichy state came into existence on July 10, 1940.
Nightlife came to halt in Indochina during the hostilities.
I have just learned of the passing of the musicians Trương Hoàng Xuân on May 3, 2025. He was one of the many songwriters who have generously agreed to meet with me and answer my questions. I always feel that I must honor those who have helped me.
A Saigon native, he grew up in a family of evangelicals and studied at the Lycée Pétrus Ký. He studied music with several well-known teachers -- Hùng Lân, Lê Thương, Tống Ngọc Hạp and Võ Đức Tuyết. In 1966 he enlisted in the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam with the rank of sergeant, working for the Armed Forces radio station (Đài Phát Thanh Quân Đội).
Like many professional musicians of that time and place he had a parallel career as a freelance musician, teaching, playing at clubs, writing arrangements, and, of course, writing songs. He also used the pen names Hoàng Ngọc Quyên and Thy Linh.
He left radio (and the armed services) and started a career as a teacher at the Trường Trung Học Tổng Hợp Nguyễn An Ninh in the 10th district of Saigon. Some time after the events of 1975, his suspect resumé (lý lịch) caused him to have to quit teaching. He then worked for the postal service doing cultural work.
This was not one of the most popular songs of its time, but it was recorded by Trang Mỹ Dung for Sơn Ca records. (Trang Mỹ Dung is one of my favorite song interpreters). In a time and place with many, many sad songs, this is one of the sadder ones. On completing school, for a young man there's only war. A friend sees off a friend knowing that his turn is coming up soon. They will transition from sitting at a desk studying books by lamplight to night time military maneuvers.
Unlike other generations, these two were born in a "topsy turvy time of trouble" (mùa nghiêng ngửa loạn ly). I translate "mùa" was time, but it more precisely means season, and seasons imply cyclical events. "Ly loạn" means disorder, especially social disorder which in this context is warfare. "War has cast hatred upon every region of our peaceful land." No greater political context is given for this disorder. One would hope that peace would be the default within a nation, yet young people are fated to try to quell this disorder.
These students sent to war are terribly aware of their insignificance within the larger context - they are "clouds hovering like duckweed around mountain tops." Duckweed clusters on a pond's surface, as clouds cluster around mountain peaks. Both images speak to impermanence and to the self-awareness of insignificance felt by both protagonists the song.
There is little hope in this song. Nor is little inspiration to try to fight hard to prevail. There is also not rancor toward anyone -- toward an enemy, toward the government, toward fate, toward the forces that have taken control of their lives. But the song speaks to the reality of young men in that society stepping up to take their place (as duckweed or cloud vapor) in the effort to restore peace to their land.
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