
Phạm Tuyên (born 12 January 1930 in Hải Dương) is a Vietnamese musician. He served as the head of the music department at Hanoi's Voice of Vietnam Radio during the Vietnam War. Phạm Tuyên composed numerous popular socialist songs, including Như có Bác Hồ trong ngày vui đại thắng ("As If Uncle Hồ Were Present on the Joyous Day of Great Victory") and Đảng đã cho ta mùa xuân ("The Communist Party Has Given Us Spring").
Phạm Tuyên was born on 12 January 1930 in the rural commune of Lương Ngọc, Bình Giang district, Hải Hưng province. He was the ninth child of the renowned journalist, scholar, and cultural researcher Phạm Quỳnh (1892–1945), who was executed by the Việt Minh in 1945.
In 1949, Phạm Tuyên attended the Trần Quốc Tuấn School of Land force, Course V. In 1950, he served as a company leader (a military unit, not a commercial company) at Trường Thiếu sinh quân Việt Nam (Vietnamese Military School for Children). During this period, he began composing songs, many of which were inspired by his experiences in military schools.
In 1954, he was appointed to oversee literature, sports, and arts at Khu học xá Trung ương (Central Dormitory) in Nam Ninh, China. He returned to Vietnam in 1958 and joined the Voice of Vietnam, where he assumed the role of music editor. Between 1958 and 1975, he composed numerous popular songs, including Bài ca người thợ rừng ("The Song of Lumbermen"), Bài ca người thợ mỏ ("The Song of Miners"), the choral piece Miền Nam anh dũng và bất khuất ("The Heroic and Undaunted South Vietnam"), Bám biển quê hương ("Cling to the Homeland’s Sea"), Yêu biết mấy những con đường ("How I Love the Roads"), Chiếc gậy Trường Sơn ("The Trường Sơn Stick"), Gảy đàn lên hỡi người bạn Mỹ ("Play the Guitar, My American Friend"), Từ làng Sen ("From Sen Village"), Đêm trên Cha Lo ("Night at Cha Lo"), and Từ một ngã tư đường phố ("From a Street Intersection").
The iconic song Như có Bác Hồ trong ngày vui đại thắng ("As If Uncle Hồ Were Present on the Joyous Day of Great Victory") was composed on the night of 28 April 1975, recorded in the afternoon of the same day, and broadcast in a special newscast at 5 p.m., coinciding with North Vietnam's capture of South Vietnam, marking the official end of the Vietnam War.
After 1975, Phạm Tuyên continued to produce popular songs, including Gửi nắng cho em ("Sending Sunshine to You"), Con kênh ta đào ("The Canal We Dug"), and Màu cờ tôi yêu ("The Flag I Love"), with lyrics by Diệp Minh Tuyền. His song Thành phố mười mùa hoa ("The City of Ten Flower Seasons"), with lyrics by Lệ Bình, was composed in 1985.
Chiến đấu vì độc lập tự do ("Fight for Independence and Freedom") was written at the beginning of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. This song marked the beginning of a musical movement known as biên giới phía Bắc ("The Northern Border"), which honoured the bravery of Vietnamese soldiers who fought against Chinese forces. However, these songs were later withdrawn from circulation after Sino-Vietnamese relations were normalized.
Phạm Tuyên also composed many songs for children and young audiences, some of which became immensely popular, including Tiến lên đoàn viên ("March Forward, Members of the Communist Youth Union"), Chiếc đèn ông sao ("The Star-shaped Lantern"), Hành khúc Đội thiếu niên Tiền phong Hồ Chí Minh ("March of the Hồ Chí Minh Young Pioneer Organization"), Hát dưới cờ Hà Nội ("Singing Under Hanoi’s Flag"), Gặp nhau giữa trời thu Hà Nội ("Meeting in Hanoi’s Autumn Sky"), Đêm pháo hoa ("Fireworks Night"), and Cô và mẹ ("The Teacher and the Mother").
In addition to his musical works, Phạm Tuyên authored numerous articles on musical aesthetics, songs, and their composers. He was also the initiator and director of many national musical competitions, including Tiếng hát hoa phượng đỏ ("The Song of Red Flamboyant Flowers") and Liên hoan Văn nghệ truyền hình toàn quốc ("National Television Arts and Letters Festival"). He served as the President of the Board of Examiners at many national arts festivals organized by the Ministry of Culture and various other institutions.
Phạm Tuyên was a member of the Standing Committee of the Executive Board of the Hội nhạc sĩ Việt Nam (Vietnamese Musicians' Association) from 1963 to 1983.
Phạm Tuyên retired and currently resides in Hà Nội.