Khanh Du shows off his unusual guitar technique at home in Ho Chi Minh City

Khanh Du has a different way of playing the guitar: he puts it behind his neck or back, adjusts his hands and arms accordingly, and plays in that position, and the result is not too shabby at all.

It took a lot of practice.

“I would try each lick or phrase separately at first, then once I had it right, I’d put the whole thing together. Later, when I was familiar with the position of the strings behind my back, all I needed to do was visualize the notes to play them,” he said.

Du was born Pham Van Du in 1955 in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City today).

His life changed in 1972 when he went to an outdoor pop concert in Saigon.

The vibrant performances by foreign acts such as The Jaycees, The Magic Stones, The Hammers and The Royal King along with local pop stars Cathy Hue city, Pauline Ngoc, Kim Phung, Thuy Khanh and others inspired the youngster to emulate them.

Du soon began learning the guitar from the man who would become his mentor, Doan Du, and performed onstage for the first time at 18.

Since then, Du has played bass alongside Doan Du in a famous partnership that has lasted 30 years.

Their electrifying performances soon became a fixture and they would back many big names like Tham Thuy Hang, Duy Khanh, Huynh Hoa and the “Queen of Twist,” Tuy Phuong.

The two artists still dazzle audiences with Doan Du playing the guitar with his teeth and Du adeptly playing the instrument slung across his back.

His stage name, Khanh Du, was given to him to match the name Doan Du, which was inspired by a character in the wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) novels by celebrated Hong Kong writer Louis Cha, better known by his penname Jin Yong.

Doan Du’s real name is Luu Van Du. At the age of six he was crippled when his legs atrophied from an illness.

He took up the guitar when he was 14 and soon tried playing it with his teeth. At first his teeth hurt and he incurred electric shocks every time his mouth touched the strings, but eventually he got it right.

He practiced until he could play an entire song and in 1985, he started playing gigs with Khanh Du.

The odd couple receive rousing applause at the many venues they play, which include circuses such as Doc Lap (Independence), Hoang Bieu and He Sa.

There are people who refused to believe that Khanh Du could play the guitar behind his back until they saw it with their own eyes and were stunned by the skillful renditions of famous oldies by Trinh Cong Son and Tu Cong Phung.

The 54-year-old stage veteran is philosophical about life.

“After performing for years, I realize nothing lasts. Everything is ephemeral. Even our names aren’t really ours. Only our desire for music and beauty still remains,” he said.

These days, Du spends his weekdays working full time in a government office and waits until the weekend to play before the crowds with the guitar behind his back and his partner and mentor Doan Du by his side.

Reported by Giao Huong