Criticism
Phạm Duy's move from the U.S., where he resided since 1975, to Saigon, was a cause for much criticism, from both outside and within Vietnam. Some overseas Vietnamese saw his actions as hypocritical by showing sympathy toward the communist government of Vietnam, even though a number of his songs have been about resistance, refugees, and their homeland. In contrast, some musicians from within Vietnam, particularly Hanoi, saw the acclaim accorded to his return as inappropriate for someone whom they consider a traitor.
In 2006, his first post-1975 concert in Vietnam was well received. However, the composer Nguyễn Lưu wrote an article titled " can't acclaim" in which he criticized Pham Duy's works, citing many instances in which he saw bourgeois or anti-communist lyrics. The article was widely derided by readers, with some calling the criticism "simplistic" or "ignorant".
Responding to the popular media's intense focus on Pham Duy after his return to Vietnam, the musician Phạm Tuyên, author of many well-known socialist songs (and son of the journalist Phạm Quỳnh), in 2009 said that to judge Pham Duy, one must look at his contributions as well as his mistakes. To him, the media mentioning Pham Duy's great music while ignoring all his past mistakes is unfair to musicians who have spent their whole lives devoted to the Revolution. Trọng Bằng, another musician of so-called "red music", said that Pham Duy had a "sinful past", while the musician Hồng Đăng said that "the true value of an artist is his patriotism...and truthfully only some of 's song received popular success, not all were well-received."
After Phạm Duy's death, Phạm Tuyên said that "my generation is still influenced by Phạm Duy's music...his songs about homeland, country, left a lasting impression on my mind," and that "I was very happy when he returned." However, no representative from the Vietnam Musicians Association attended his funeral, and according to musician Tuấn Khanh, the Propaganda Committee warned the media to not make a big deal out of his death.
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Famous quotes containing the word criticism:
“Good criticism is very rare and always precious.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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