9X guy passionate about "sowing the seeds" of Vi and Giam in the capital

(Baonghean) - With his passion and love for Vi and Giam folk songs, Le Thanh Phong (born in 1992) in Trung Do ward, Vinh city established the Nghe An Folk Heritage UNESCO Club right in the heart of Hanoi capital to contribute to maintaining, preserving and developing this precious intangible cultural heritage.

A performance by the Nghe An Folk Heritage UNESCO Club at West Lake (Hanoi). Photo: NVCC

I met Phong one morning at the beginning of the year when he was enthusiastically practicing with the artists at the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Heritage Vi and Giam. Enthusiasm and deep passion for Vi and Giam Heritage are my feelings when talking to this young man.

Le Thanh Phong was born and raised in a family with an artistic tradition, so from a young age he showed his ability to sing folk songs. His grandmother's lullabies, his mother's folk songs, his father's and uncle's guitar playing fostered in Phong a passion for singing.

Since he was a child, Phong was taught Vi and Giam melodies by his grandmother and mother. Phong also attended folk singing and teaching classes on the Provincial Television Station taught by Meritorious Artist Hong Luu. For a long time, the 9X boy from Nghe An has actively participated in the folk song movement in schools, folk song singing competitions organized by the Department of Education and Training, and the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union and has won high prizes. Not only does he have a smooth, clear voice, Phong also has the ability to adapt modern songs into folk melodies. In 2009, while studying in grade 11, Phong participated in the national "Ten Thoi Hong" competition in Hanoi and won a gold medal with the work: "Nhung Loi Thay Chua Ke", this is a song by musician Thanh Son that Phong adapted to folk songs and performed very successfully.

Phong has graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Culture Management, Hanoi University of Culture and is majoring in singing Chau Van at the Hue Academy of Music. The Nghe An boy born in 1992 is currently the editor of the Vietnamese culture news of VTC10, and the editor of the cultural events and communications department of Lifetv channel. Phong can sing many folk songs well but still has a special passion for his hometown's Vi and Giam.

Giam wallet in the heart of the capital

Being a son of the homeland of Vi and Giam, when he went to Hanoi to study, Phong had a plan to gather people from Nghe An who love Vi and Giam folk songs so that whenever they miss their homeland, they can sit down and sing together. And Phong's idea was approved by many people.

After a period of preparation, the Nghe An Folk Heritage UNESCO Club, founded and chaired by Le Thanh Phong, was established on March 26, 2014. Initially, the club was called Vi and Giam Folk Songs to serve Nghe Tinh people far from home, especially students who love Vi and Giam at the University of Culture where Phong is studying. Currently, after nearly a year of operation, the club is sponsored by the Vietnam UNESCO Association and has the name it has today. At the same time, the club also has the advice and artistic direction of the Vietnam Music and Arts Development Center and the Center for Conservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Song Heritage. Currently, the club's official meeting place is Xuan La communal house (Tay Ho district, Hanoi) every Thursday afternoon. This is also a place to introduce and promote the cultural history of the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.

Phong understands that the vitality of Vi and Giam folk songs lies in the community spirit through the daily activities and labor of the simple villagers. Therefore, in each activity and performance, the 9X chairman often lets the club members wear costumes that are true to the spirit of Vi and Giam, which are flared skirts for women and shirts and dark pants for men. The content of the activities includes 3 singing stages: greeting songs, do songs - car ending songs and farewell songs. The members not only sing familiar Vi and Giam songs but also improvise, create... new songs to suit the current situation. To better serve the activities and performances of the club, every time Phong returns to his hometown, he often seeks out outstanding artisans and artists to copy the lyrics and learn more Vi and Giam melodies.

When the club was first established, it faced many difficulties. Members had to save money and contribute to the common fund to cover living expenses, such as renting costumes, buying props, purchasing musical instruments, renting boats to practice and perform. From 20 initial members, the club has now gathered more than 100 people, most of whom are from the 9X generation. Notably, the club's members are not only children from Nghe An but also many young people from different provinces and cities. "I am both happy and worried about this achievement. I am happy that Vi and Giam are widely spread, especially young people know about it and are passionate about it, but at the same time, I am also worried about how to convey to young people a more thorough understanding of the expressive nature and performance space of Vi and Giam, not just learning to sing simple tunes," Phong confided.

To spread the word

In the near future, the Chairman of the Nghe An Folk Heritage UNESCO Club hopes to organize a Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival in Hanoi with the gathering of famous Vi and Giam singers and dozens of Vi and Giam clubs in the capital and Nghe - Tinh. Further, Phong plans to promote Vi and Giam so that tourists who come to the capital can listen to Vi and Giam folk songs so that this heritage can be more and more popularized domestically and internationally.

Meritorious Artist Hong Luu, Deputy Director of the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Heritage, who is also the direct consultant and artistic director of the Nghe Tinh Folk Heritage UNESCO Club, said: “The establishment of the Vi and Giam Club in the heart of the capital by Phong is a very valuable work. Phong not only inspires young people with love and passion for the traditional art of their homeland, but also creates an artistic space for the Nghe community far from home as well as those who love Vi and Giam to see that it always exists and helps people connect with each other. From Le Thanh Phong's Vi and Giam Folk Heritage Club in Hanoi, we hope and believe that this model will be increasingly replicated with the Nghe Tinh community in the country and around the world.”

Duy Ngoi