 People’s Teacher and People’s Artist Thai Thi Lien. (Photo: VNA) |
Lien was born in 1918 in Ho Chi Minh City into an intellectual family. Her father was Thai Van Lan, one of the first Vietnamese electrical engineer graduating in France.
She started playing the piano when she was four. At the age of 100, she still played music every day.
 Piano teacher, artist Thai Thi Lien and her son Dang Thai Son (Photo: VNA) |
Lien was among the founders of the Vietnam Music School (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music) and headed the Piano Department until she retired in 1977.
Lien was also one of the first Vietnamese female pianists and compiled the first piano curricula in Vietnam.
Two of her children also became great artists. People’s Artists Tran Thu Ha was head of the Vietnam National Academy of Music and People's Artist Dang Thai Son was the first Asian pianist to win the first prize at the 10th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1980.