Văn TuấnLiving harmoniously, always ready to help
Born in 1941, Mr. Nguyen Lan Cuong is the fourth child in the Nguyen Lan family - a prestigious family known for their contributions to the country.
His father was NGND, Professor Nguyen Lan, a respected scholar. His siblings are all experts in their fields, such as Professor Nguyen Lan Dung, Professor Nguyen Lan Hung, musician Nguyen Lan Tuat...
During his lifetime, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong shared a unique aspect of the family tradition: "In my large family, all the male descendants have the word 'Lan' in their names. Whenever we gather, the extended family of about 80 people forms a very special community."
Speaking to the Dan Tri reporter, Professor Nguyen Lan Dung - the older brother of musician Nguyen Lan Cuong - revealed that his younger brother was an enthusiastic and passionate person, passionate about archaeology and music.
Professor Nguyen Lan Dung revealed that Mr. Nguyen Lan Cuong lived harmoniously with friends, and was greatly admired by many. Even when he discovered he had a terminal stomach cancer, he remained extraordinarily optimistic.
"Cuong only found out about his advanced stage stomach cancer about 3 months before he passed away, but he was not pessimistic at all. He even joked: 'When I recover from this illness, I will make a collection of 300 people who come to visit me.' It's heartbreaking to hear," Mr. Lan Dung choked up.
With 8 siblings in the family, the passing of Mr. Nguyen Lan Cuong was a great loss for Professor Nguyen Lan Dung.
He revealed: "Cuong was a loving person, treating everyone equally, always ready to help. He was an outstanding, enthusiastic, and dedicated person, living to the fullest and never complaining about anything."
The passing of Associate Professor, musician Nguyen Lan Cuong is a loss not only for the family but also for the scientific, artistic, and educational community of the country.
He is a vivid testament to talent, perseverance, and dedication - a rare individual who has left a valuable legacy for many generations to come.
An archaeologist - a lifelong passion
From a young age, Mr. Nguyen Lan Cuong showed an early artistic talent, but he turned to the scientific path following his father's guidance, as his older brother in the family pursued a career in the arts.
Following his father's advice, he passed the entrance exam for the Biology Department at the University of Hanoi.
However, his love for the stage still quietly burned inside him. When he was a freshman, Nguyen Lan Cuong secretly auditioned for the theater troupe of the Ministry of Culture and unexpectedly passed the audition.
The team consisted of 15 members, including People’s Artist Trong Khoi, and was scheduled to be sent to the Soviet Union for a 5-year training program. However, the plan was canceled at the last minute and he returned to his studies.
After graduating in biology, Mr. Nguyen Lan Cuong worked at the Institute of Archaeology of Vietnam and from then on, he was devoted to a lifelong career in science, especially in archaeology - the study of ancient humans through skeletal and bone remains.
This initial seemingly "settled" choice led him to many great achievements. He was the Secretary-General of the Vietnam Archaeological Association, head of numerous national research projects, participated in excavations, and restored famous human remains.
For Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong, archaeology is not just about excavating and researching dry skeletal remains, but a vibrant journey to rediscover forgotten stories - where each set of bones is a soul in need of understanding, respect, and revival.
Working at the Institute of Archaeology of Vietnam provided him with the opportunity to access thousands of ancient human remains through excavations. With over 50 years of dedication to archaeology, he has studied a large number of ancient Vietnamese human remains.
In 2021, the Vietnam Record Organization awarded him the title of The researcher with the most ancient human remains in Vietnam: 1,093 sets of remains.
The name of Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Cuong is associated with many significant archaeological works, such as the Vuon Chuoi site (Hanoi) and national projects on the restoration and renovation of Buddhist statues in the Da Chua, Tieu Son, Phat Tich pagodas...
One of his important works is the research on the burial statues of the two monks Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong in Da Chua Pagoda.
After the survey, Associate Professor Lan Cuong announced that these were burial statues. In 2003, he led a scientific team to renovate these two statues, helping them avoid the risk of deterioration.
Recently, he continued to make a mark with his research on ancient human remains discovered in the volcanic cave of Krông Nô, Dak Nong province, a discovery considered a turning point in Vietnamese archaeology.
In his final years, he was still dedicated to his work, riding his motorbike to archaeological sites around Hanoi.
In a recent sharing, he enthusiastically talked about his intention to publish a book Following the footsteps of ancient tombs - a collection of vivid stories about the journey to find relics, from the tomb of Princess Ly Kieu Oanh to other majestic tombs.
Sowing music amidst archaeological expeditions
Not content with dry research, he breathed life into science with both a paintbrush and musical notes.
The book The human skeleton speaks, what does it tell you? - the work won the B Prize at the National Book Awards in 2024 - is a vivid proof.
Not only conveying scientific knowledge, the book was also illustrated by him with over 320 oil paintings, making the skeletal remains more intimate, bringing a profound and humane beauty.
Although his career was tied to scientific research, music was always the underlying current in the person of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong.
At the age of 10, he was sent to China to study at the Vietnamese education area in Nam Ninh, Guangxi. Here, he studied music with teachers Tuc Nhan Kim (China) and musicians Pham Tuyen, Nguyen Huu Hieu - the first person to conduct a choral ensemble in Vietnam.
Upon returning to his country, he quickly demonstrated his musical talent by conducting orchestras at Ly Thuong Kiet High School, where he met and befriended musician Phu Quang.
At the age of 19, he had award-winning compositions: The Muong's song, The singing on the wooden raft...
Over more than 60 years, he composed nearly 100 musical works, ranging from choral music to songs, and held various positions in literary and artistic associations.
He once shared that after long dusty archaeological expeditions, returning to Hanoi, putting on a tuxedo, holding a conductor's baton, and stepping onto the stage with choral compositions is the moment he truly feels himself.
For him, music is not an escape from reality, but a harmonious space where beauty, whether from art or science, all points towards life.
In his creative career, musician Nguyen Lan Cuong wrote many moving songs about soldiers, history: The general of people's hearts, Going away my love, After the declaration, Hoang Thanh's emotion, The song about island soldiers...
Alongside these are many joyful and familiar children's songs such as Your doll, Red light stop, green light go, What profession do you like?, We celebrate Dien Bien Phu's 60th season...
"Writing for children is not easy at all. Children are innocent, fair, and straightforward. To make them sing, the songs must be good, and in their language," he once shared.
Despite this, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong always humbly accepted that he was just "a small cobblestone" in the mountain of the country's musical works. Before his passing, he was still planning to compose a symphony on the historical theme of Nguyen Trai.
A private, humble, and talented individual
Although prominent in his career, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong was very private in his personal life. It wasn't until 1982, at the age of 41, that he married.
His wife was the one who kept the home fires burning, taking care of the household so he could focus on his work. Their first daughter, named Hoa Cuong, was born on the National Day of September 2nd. Their son, Nguyen Lan Chương, studied finance and banking and now works as a programmer, teaching in Hanoi. Even though he did not follow a path in music or science, he was still proud that his son carried the blood of intellectuals.
In the final months of his life, he only discovered he had terminal stomach cancer. Due to the late discovery, he could not undergo chemotherapy but could only apply targeted therapy.
Despite being sad that he had many unfinished plans, he remained optimistic. He once said: "I still jokingly told my students that in the world beyond, I would still make music, teach, and do archaeology."
