Google pays tribute to Vietnamese musician Trinh Cong Son

An image of Son playing a guitar and singing is incorporated into Google’s logo for the day, a special temporary alteration that commemorates holidays, events, achievements, and people.

Vietnamese celebrations like the Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), the Mid-autumn Festival, Teachers’ Day, and Independence Day have featured in the search engine’s doodles.

Vietnamese musician Trinh Cong Son features in Google Doodle on February 28, 2019. Photo screenshot from Google

Son, born in Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands, was raised in a Buddhist family by parents who wrote poetry. Educated at the Lycée Francais School in the ancient imperial city of Hue, he also studied philosophy at the Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau in Saigon.

He became a musician and songwriter in the 1950s, writing on themes ranging from love and romance to philosophy. 

His most famous songs include ‘Diem Xua’ (Old Love), ‘Ha Trang’ (White Summer) and ‘Cat Bui’ (Dusts).

His ‘Ngu Di Con’ (Lullaby) about the mother of a fallen soldier was a hit in Japan in the 1970s, selling over two million copies.

Son was also a poet, painter and occasional actor.

He died in Saigon in 2001, but his musical legacy lives on, with his songs still popular and performed by some of the country’s top singers like Khanh Ly and Hong Nhung.