Lifelong luthier

During a life-long love affair with the violin, a 74-year-old man has made instruments that are sought after by both local and international violinists.

Le Dinh Vien considers violins as his children

Le Dinh Vien first heard the violin in 1948 when he attended a performance of Do The Phiet, Vietnam’s number one violinist at that time.

Life had been harsh for the highly intelligent high school graduate.

After his father’s death, Vien wandered through Vietnam’s central and northern regions doing odd jobs to support his five younger brothers and sisters.

He met two guitar and violin coaches and was soon using the carpentry skills his father had taught him to make mandolins and guitars.

Vien lingered around the local library searching for books about music and instrument-making.

"I wasn’t satisfied with what my teacher taught me,” Vien said.

“He couldn’t explain the origins of a guitar’s design, why it had to be made a certain way."

He began studying independently at the Thanh Hoa provincial library and, using his fluent French, learnt about violin-making from French books.

“At the time, I thought to reach the height of making stringed instruments I had to make violins," he said.

“Luck smiled on me when a man named Vu Van Trung came to our shop with his broken violin for repair.

I grabbed the chance to disassemble his violin and learn how it was made."

It took Vien a month to build his first violin, considerably surprising his teacher, Trung, who was the first to play the instrument.

“I have had that violin since 1956,” Vien said.

Vien eventually moved to Hanoi to work at the Musical Instrument Factory in the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Without any professional training as a luthier, he continued to read books from France and other countries to learn about the world’s best violin making techniques.

"Making a violin is much more difficult than a guitar," Vien said.

"Guitars have flat surfaces, whereas violins barely have a straight line in their construction and thus require an artful eye and skillful hand."

After retiring, Vien could not stay away from his beloved violins.

He opened a small workshop in his house, which has become a popular haunt for local and international artists as well as foreign students who want to learn the art of making violins the Vietnamese way.

International reputation

On his 2002 trip to Vietnam, renowned Chicago-born violinist Paul Carlson uplifted audience at the Hanoi Opera House and proved a Vietnamese craftsman’s skill.

The violin that Paul Carlson used was not brought from the US but was made in Vietnam by luthier Le Dinh Vien.

"It was the most glorious time of my working life," Vien said, recalling the day Carlson performed with one of his violins.

“Vien is the only craftsman in Vietnam that has such a golden hand in violin making," said Phan Nghia, former deputy head of Vietnam Opera and Ballet Theatre and now a member of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Nghia has one of Vien’s best violins, purchased on a trip to Nam Dinh Province 40 years ago.

He originally thought it was Italian-made.

When the violin was broken during the war, Nghia came to the luthier for help, the violin’s true maker was revealed and their close friendship began.

“The sound of Vien’s violins taps the style of three countries, all famous for violin making,” Nghia says.

“They have Italy’s warmth and sweetness, Germany’s resonance and sharpness and France’s charm.”

Source: TT/Thanhnien