Van Cao's real name is Nguyen Van Cao, was born on November 15, 1923 in Lach Tray (now Lach Tray ward, Ngo Quyen district), Hai Phong city, but he was originally from An Le village, Lien Minh commune, Vu district. . Village, Nam Dinh Province. Coming from a family of officials, Van Cao Nguyen's father is the director of the Hai Phong water plant. As a child, Van Cao attended Bonnal Primary School (now Ngo Quyen High School, Hai Phong), then attended high school at Saint Josef Seminary, where he started studying music. In 1938, at the age of 15, because of his family's decline, Van Cao dropped out of school after finishing his second year because of his loyalty. He worked as a telephone operator at the Hai Phong Post Office, but quit his job a month later.
