Two young men from Tan Ky are passionate about playing the flute.
(Baonghean.vn) - The life stories of these two young men are as beautiful as the songs and flute melodies they sing, inspiring many people. These two young men are Ngo Si Ngoc and Nguyen Van Mao, both sons of Tan Ky district.
"Popular artist" A Páo
Many tourists who have stopped at the majestic Ma Pi Leng peak in the Ha Giang rocky plateau have been impressed by a young man dressed in the traditional Hmong ethnic costume, known by the stage name A Pao, who owns a coffee shop there. A Pao is friendly, hospitable, witty, and has a talent for singing and playing various musical instruments, including the Hmong flute.
A Páo, whose real name is Ngô Sỹ Ngọc (born in 1988), is from Nghĩa Đồng commune, Tân Kỳ district (Nghệ An province). After graduating from Việt Bắc College of Culture and Arts, he chose Hà Giang to establish his career and make it his second home. With a special love for Hà Giang, A Páo has diligently promoted and spread the image of the rocky plateau to tourists through songs, musical works, and short video clips posted on social media platforms.
As a citizen of the digital age, A Páo has effectively used Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube to promote tourism in Ha Giang. He updates these platforms daily with photos and video clips of Ha Giang's landscapes, people, and culture, as well as songs he has composed and performed himself.
The simple, unpretentious, and charming nature of A Páo's photos and video clips, imbued with the spirit of the mountains and forests, has earned him over 1 million subscribers on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. These photos and video clips have drawn many tourists to Ha Giang, allowing them to meet this fascinating young man.
A Páo is not only a talented singer and musician, but he also has many memorable compositions. To date, he has introduced to the public over 50 songs that he wrote himself, both music and lyrics, about the rocky plateau of Ha Giang, especially about his homeland in Nghe An province, known for its folk songs. Among them, four songs – "My Nghe An," "Finding You in the Song of the Lam River," "You Are the Girl of the La River," and "My Homeland Ha Tinh" – have become hit songs on social media, performed by many singers, and garnering hundreds of millions of listens…
Recently, a video of A Páo performing the song "Tìm em câu ví sông Lam" (Finding You in the Lam River Folk Song) during his participation in the 5th season of the game show "Singing Battle Arena" (broadcast on VTV3) has received over 10 million views.
Meeting him when A Páo returned to his hometown of Tân Kỳ to attend a close friend's wedding, he shared: "I'm just an ordinary artist. I sing, compose, and make music videos primarily out of passion, to express my love for my homeland, and at the same time, to introduce and promote the image of the land and people where I live."
Now that I'm settled in Ha Giang, I always return to my hometown whenever I have the chance. When tourists visit Ha Giang, I not only introduce them to the rocky plateau but also to the beloved Nghe An region. I yearn to continue writing beautiful songs and lyrics about these two regions.
A Páo (Ngô Sỹ Ngọc)
"Record holder" Mao Meo
The friend who organized the wedding, also from Tan Ky, that A Pao attended, is "Mao Meo" – a figure who has inspired young people for many years with his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to his passion. "Mao Meo" is the nickname of Nguyen Van Mao (born in 1988).
Mão is currently a National Artisan and a Golden Hands Artisan in the crafting of traditional musical instruments; President of the Vietnam Bamboo Flute Club; and holds two Guinness World Records in Vietnam: "The person who crafted the largest bamboo flute in Vietnam" and "The person who performed with musical instruments made from the most types of vegetables and fruits in Vietnam"... Mão's Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube accounts also have over 1 million subscribers and followers.
"From a young age, I was fascinated by the bamboo flute. Under my father's guidance, my flute playing technique improved steadily, and my love for this traditional instrument grew stronger. The flute accompanied me to school, to performances, and on stage..."
Bamboo flute artisan Nguyen Van Mao
Mao's career began with the flute. During his student years in Hanoi, Mao actively participated in the flute-playing movement among students at various universities. He noticed that there were quite a few active bamboo flute clubs, but they lacked cohesion. So he created a website, fan page, and YouTube channel to attract and connect these clubs, building a community of shared interests.
In addition, he actively teaches flute playing for free, performs in many places, and has established over 200 bamboo flute clubs across provinces and cities. After 10 years of development, the Vietnam Bamboo Flute Club Fanpage now has 113,200 members.
During the development of the movement, Mão crafted bamboo flutes to give to friends. His flutes were highly appreciated by friends and flute players. This sparked his idea of making and selling bamboo flutes. From selling bamboo flutes online, by the end of 2013, Mão opened his first bamboo flute shop in Hanoi.
In 2017, he opened a company with a bamboo flute manufacturing workshop in Tan Ky district, along with a chain of 25 stores nationwide, creating jobs for many people. The bamboo flutes made by his workshop are entirely handcrafted, meticulously crafted in every step, making them very popular and exported to 20 countries around the world.
Also in 2017, at the suggestion of a friend, Mao Meo started producing environmentally friendly bamboo straws to replace plastic straws. From the first order of 5,000 bamboo straws, two years later, orders for bamboo straws had been exported to more than 30 countries, bringing Mao tens of billions of VND in revenue.
Nguyen Van Mao shared: “Just when things were starting to get back on track, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. After the pandemic ended, the global economy was affected by war. Orders decreased, and the scale of production and business somewhat shrank to 15 stores… It’s difficult, but I remain confident and try my best in my work. In the future, I will continue to research and produce other products made from bamboo such as knives, forks, spoons, tea trays, cups, chopsticks, and containers for export.”
