PV: Madam, in the past, Vi and Giam singing was deeply rooted in the thinking and living habits of the Nghe An and Ha Tinh communities and created unique features of the Nghe people that cannot be mistaken for anything else. So can you summarize Vi and Giam folk songs as well as the core values of this genre in the cultural flow of the Nghe people?
People's Artist Trinh Thi Hong Luu:The starting space for all types of folk songs originates from labor and production, and Vi and Giam in Nghe An is no exception to that rule. In labor and production, Nghe people are hard-working, self-reliant, self-reliant, diligent, creative and united to overcome difficulties and strive to build a life. Harsh natural conditions have molded the character of Nghe Tinh people, who are resilient, straightforward, determined but also extremely tolerant... Those virtues and emotional levels are conveyed by Nghe An people into Vi and Giam melodies with "special" words, creating the uniqueness of Vi and Giam folk songs.
Vi and Giam are two different singing styles, but both have a performance space associated with labor, production, in traditional craft villages, or during leisure time, when rowing boats, casting nets along the river, going to the forest to collect firewood, or during festivals... At first, Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe An were still primitive, rustic, and simple, originating from the lyrics of girls spinning, planting, weaving... but then, over time, Vi and Giam developed to a new level with strict rules and structures, forming lyrical and attractive folk rhymes that captivate people's hearts.
Overcoming the barriers of time, the fierceness of war bombs, the changes of industrialization and modernization… Nghe An’s Vi and Giam folk songs still affirm their eternal vitality. The quintessence of Nghe An’s Vi and Giam folk songs becomes the source of contemporary songs, the place where songs about Nghe An and Ha Tinh take flight.
PV: Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs, like folk songs from other regions in the country, have some forms of preservation and promotion. Could you please tell us about the current forms of preservation and promotion of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs?
People's Artist Trinh Thi Hong Luu:Since Vi and Giam became the Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the work of preserving and promoting Vi and Giam has been promoted in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. In particular, building a network of folk song clubs in residential areas in localities is a very practical task. The system of established clubs has created a widespread network of folk songs from the province to the grassroots. Folk song club activities have been raised to a new level, becoming more methodical, organized and selective, becoming more professional and constantly expanding throughout residential areas. And artisans are the ones who play a key role in promoting and expanding the network of folk songs in the community. Many artisans are old and weak but still participate in club activities, enthusiastically teaching folk songs to the younger generation.
It can be affirmed that the Vi and Giam folk song clubs are truly collective activity models, aiming to preserve, conserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the nation; at the same time, nurturing and nurturing talents for traditional arts, especially the young generation. Up to now, the whole province has more than 130 folk song clubs with thousands of participants. Every year, the Provincial Traditional Arts Center also organizes Vi and Giam folk song teaching classes for clubs in the province.
Through the classes, students are not only guided in practicing folk songs but also nurtured and improved in their writing and staging skills, helping them to operate steadily, promoting the spread of folk songs to every home and every neighborhood towards the long-term goal of returning folk songs to the people and their living environment. At the same time, this is also an opportunity for artisans to meet and share good operating models and good practices to create a spread in the community.
Another form of preserving and promoting the value of Vi and Giam folk songs is also focused on, which is bringing folk songs into schools. In schools, for more than 20 years now, the program of teaching folk songs has been systematically implemented in extracurricular programs. Currently, the Department of Education and Training is implementing the implementation of making folk songs an official subject, teaching them on a trial basis in a number of kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools in the province, moving towards expanding this model and popularizing it throughout the province. Every year, the Provincial Center for Traditional Arts coordinates with folk song clubs to train music teachers of schools, so that they can teach them to students. Every two years, the Department of Education and Training organizes a folk song festival in high schools across the province, thereby creating a widespread folk song singing movement, contributing significantly to the preservation and promotion of Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe An.
In addition, we cannot fail to mention the form of bringing Vi and Giam folk songs to the stage, or more correctly, the theatricalization of Nghe Tinh folk songs. Since 1973, that is, over 50 years, we have experimented with bringing Nghe Tinh folk songs to the stage, from short plays (1 act) to long plays (4 acts), from folk, traditional to historical, hypothetical, modern themes... Bringing Nghe Tinh folk songs to the stage has both the task of preserving and promoting the original values reproduced on stage, and at the same time, the task of adapting and developing to meet the requirements of serving the life of the era of industrialization and modernization of the country, of the period of integration and development.
In addition, implementing the project to preserve and promote the values of Vi and Giam folk songs, since 2022, the Nghe An Provincial Traditional Arts Center has organized Vi and Giam folk song performances to bring folk song activities into the lively performance environment of people's lives. Up to now, the Center has organized 15 folk song performances at Ho Chi Minh Square, attracting the attention of a large number of people. In addition to exchanging and bringing Vi and Giam back to its "living space", it also has the meaning of adding new lyrics to the treasure trove of Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh.
PV: It is known that, in addition to the above forms, there are also activities such as teaching folk songs on radio and television, organizing competitions, performances, folk song festivals, and up to now, Nghe An has organized and coordinated to organize 4 Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Festivals at the provincial and inter-provincial levels, each festival attracting dozens of clubs and hundreds of artisans and actors to participate in composing and performing. Could you tell us about the role of Vi and Giam Folk Song Festivals in preserving and promoting the value of this type of intangible cultural heritage?
People's Artist Trinh Thi Hong Luu:Since the first Nghe An Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival in 2012, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces have organized three more Festivals in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Before the provincial and inter-provincial festivals, a cluster-level festival was held with the participation of Vi and Giam Folk Song clubs in the localities. This is an important activity to preserve and promote the inherent and typical values of singing genres and performances; create opportunities for clubs to meet, exchange and share experiences; continue to promote the Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song singing movement in sectors, organizations, unions and localities.
As a member of the Organizing Committee and Jury of the Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival, I feel that the passion of the members of the folk song clubs is always burning and spreading to many others. The members of the clubs are eager, but the audience is also very enthusiastic, coming to watch in large numbers. There are people from far away districts who pack their bags and come to Vinh city to cheer for their team. Through each Festival, we see a strong revival of the ancient folk songs of Nghe Tinh in the hearts of the people and in daily life. In particular, through the Festivals, many talented young faces have been discovered, possessing sweet voices, fluently performing Vi and Giam melodies such as Ha Quynh Nhu (Yen Thanh), Nguyen Cong Phuoc, Nguyen Tra My, Le Khanh Vy (Vinh city), Le Cong Anh (Nam Dan), Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan (Thanh Chuong) ..., among which, many have become professional actors and singers.
PV: In 2023, the 5th Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival is an important activity in the series of activities of the Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival - the first event held in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Can you tell us more about this?
People's Artist Trinh Thi Hong Luu:Festival is a modern cultural event originating from the West, organized to promote the image of the locality, meet the requirements of spiritual life, thereby developing tourism. Each Festival focuses on honoring some cultural values of the region, highlighting the culture, the pinnacle of art, the culture with depth that cannot be organized on normal days. The main purpose of organizing the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival is to exchange and honor the heritage, then promote the image of the locality, build a brand for Nghe tourism.
The idea of organizing a Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival in Nghe Tinh was formed many years ago, after Vi and Giam Folk Songs were recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This is considered one of the solutions to preserve and promote the performing environment of Vi and Giam in accordance with the spirit of the UNESCO Convention. However, it was not until 2023, towards the 10th anniversary of Vi and Giam Folk Songs in Nghe Tinh being recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity (November 27, 2014 - November 27, 2024), that the idea was materialized into the 2023 Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival in Nghe Tinh, with many diverse activities such as: Organizing the Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival in Nghe Tinh at the cluster level (simultaneously in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces); The 5th Nghe An - Ha Tinh Inter-Provincial Festival with the theme "Two banks of Vi, Giam" and organized a tour in Nghe An and Ha Tinh; Forum, folk song singing of 3 regions; Street festival with the theme "Colors of heritage"; Marathon "Returning to the Vi, Giam region"...
It can be said that the Festival will be an opportunity for Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs to converge and shine, affirming the richness and diversity of the Vi and Giam heritage; at the same time, demonstrating the meeting, exchange, connection and spread of this art form between regions, areas and localities. With pride in the heritage, the delegations participating in the Festival will introduce the quintessence of this special folk song to the public, contributing to preserving, promoting and strongly spreading the value of the heritage in contemporary life.
PV: Thank you for this conversation!
