Thai folk songs are also wonderful!

(Baonghean) - Just the other day, I turned on the TV and learned that the Nghe An - Ha Tinh folk songs (Vi and Dam) have been recognized by the world as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. It sounds like no small thing, but a big deal, and something to celebrate!

I've known and loved the folk songs of Nghe An and Ha Tinh for a long time. I like them because they tell so many stories, and the lyrics resonate deeply within me. They're about young men and women falling in love, teasing each other, or about the gratitude owed to parents, and how to treat each other properly...

After hearing the TV station's story, I started thinking a lot. I found it strange. Something that young people probably don't like anymore is now valued by the world. And what young people like is considered commonplace by the world.

That's just what I'm saying. I feel more joy than surprise. Because it's also a joy for the whole province and the whole country. Counting on my fingers, I realize that our country has many things that the world knows about and recognizes as shared cultural heritage of all humanity. Gongs, singing, even caves and the sea are now valued by the world. So the whole world understands more about our country now.

Looking back at the villages of the Thai people, we also have many folk songs such as "khap," "lam," "xuoi," "nhuon," and "mua sap"... The lyrics of "khap" and "nhuon" of the Thai people often speak about the meaning of life and about the courtship between young men and women. Each song carries a very unique meaning that can only be appreciated when you return to the village.

I believe that the Thai folk songs of the indigenous people deserve to be recognized as a shared cultural heritage of all humanity. I hope that our Thai people will cherish and preserve them, preventing them from fading away, and that the government will soon research and provide further assistance to help them spread further. Who knows, one day, Thai folk songs might even be known to the Kinh people in our country, and then to the French, Americans, and so on???

Huu Vi

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(According to Mr. Lo Van Trieu, Tang village - Nam Son - Quy Hop)