Attractive singing of Vi Phuong Vai in Nam Dan

(Baonghean) - Nam Dan, a land rich in cultural traditions; both imbued with the cultural identity of Nghe An and with its own unique features. This is the place that nurtured the spirit, intelligence, talent, and character of the great Ho Chi Minh and many other great people such as Mai Thuc Loan, Phan Boi Chau, Le Hong Son.... This unique capital is always proudly preserved and promoted by the cadres and people of Uncle Ho's hometown.

Origin of Vi Dam folk songs

Kim Lien - Nam Dan Fabric Ward Club.

Nam Dan District in Vietnamese history is a land of "Famous scenic spots, ancient and many heroes". Lam River, Dai Hue Mountain, rice fields, vegetable plots, green bamboo hedges, lotus ponds and roads that have been familiar for generations; but every time it is mentioned, it seems that in the hearts of every person from Uncle Ho's hometown, excitement and pride still surge. All have entered into the lullaby, creating a strange attraction of this land rich in cultural and historical traditions. As for President Ho Chi Minh, after decades of doing business in the country, suddenly hearing a Vietnamese mother lull her child to sleep in a foreign land in Thailand, the nostalgia for his homeland awakened his heart: "Away from home for a few decades / Last night I heard my mother's voice lulling her child to sleep"; his homeland to him was "heavy duty, high affection", a constant pain throughout his life. Therefore, before leaving, he "still wanted to hear a Nghe Tinh folk song".... It can be said that singing Vi Phuong Vai has become "flesh and blood", an indispensable "dish" in the spiritual life of Nam Dan people.

Since ancient times, on both banks of Lam Giang, with the smooth, fertile alluvial plains and mulberry fields, the people of Nam Dan diligently raised silkworms and weaved cloth. They passed on to each other their experiences in production and sent each other their rustic, simple, and sincere feelings. Ho and Vi melodies were chosen as the main means to convey those feelings and were an indispensable source of spiritual encouragement when working or playing. They talked to each other with poems; asked each other with Vi melodies and especially when picking mulberry in the fields, taking care of silkworms in the barn, spinning and spinning silk, spinning and weaving on the frame... there were always accompanying songs. Hat Vi Phuong Vai was named from that time. This folk art form has been considered the "cradle" and is known as the "native" specialty in the treasure trove of Nghe Tinh Vi Dam folk songs.

It is worth mentioning that singing Vi Phuong Vai in Nam Dan is not only a cultural product produced in the labor production of the working people, but it is also a perfect blend of two trends of folk and scholarly, becoming a means of gathering comrades, encouraging the patriotic spirit among the people of many scholars, Confucian scholars, scholars, bachelors, and bachelors... The most typical person is Phan Boi Chau, who not only sings well, composes talented lyrics, and skillfully puts the national spirit into the content of the lyrics. "Phan Boi Chau is worthy in every aspect of being an excellent artist among the patriotic scholars who go to sing in the Fabric Ward" - (book "Nam Dan - Homeland of President Ho Chi Minh".

Kim Lien Fabric Ward Club - Nam Dan brings captivating ancient Vi Dam melodies.

Mr. Tran Van Tu, Tru I village, Kim Lien commune, is 88 years old this year. Although his health is "like the weather", sunny or rainy, he is always full of enthusiasm and passion for singing Vi Phuong Vai. In Mr. Tu's village, there is also Mrs. Vuong Thi Nhuan (88 years old). In the neighboring villages, there are Mrs. Hoang Thi Ut (90 years old) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam (92 years old). They are both at the age of "sometimes remembering, sometimes forgetting", but the folk songs are still intact in their minds. Mr. Tran Van Tu shared: "When I was 6-7 years old, I followed the ladies and uncles to listen to singing. Back then, the Vai Ward in this land was very famous because there were many good Vi singers. Every night, they sang, the men wore turbans and ao dai, the women wore yếm đào and four-panel dresses. Just like that, the melodies seeped into my body and became a passion that has followed me throughout my life until now."

And we also felt the joy in Mr. Tu's eyes when talking about the current Kim Lien Ward Vi singing club. In addition to gathering famous artists who have become folk artists such as Mr. Tu, Ms. Hoang Thi Ut, Nguyen Thi Tam, Vuong Thi Nhuan..., the club also has many singers at the age of 45, 30, showing the continuity and eternal vitality of Vi Dam singing in the constant flow of social development.

Efforts to preserve and develop

On a day close to the new year of Binh Than 2016, coming to Kim Lien, we felt a folk cultural space imbued with national identity, Nam Dan identity. I and many other visitors experienced the scent of memories with many sediments flowing through the flow of time into the present through the scenes and profound lyrics performed by the artists in the Kim Lien Fabric Ward Vi Singing Club.

The lyrics and folk songs “Who knows whether the Lam River is clear or turbid/then knows that living a life of shame or glory. Your boat goes up and down rapids/the country and the mountains and rivers are the meaning and love of everyone!”; the lullabies of a kind mother: “My child, I tell you this/take care of your studies and clothes. Being a hungry person, being clean and ragged, being fragrant/Fame and reputation are debts to the country that must be repaid”... were sung and deeply penetrated into each person's emotions.

Mr. Phan Van Tinh - Deputy Director of the Culture and Sports Center of Nam Dan district, said: Starting from September 2015, Nam Dan will perform Nghe Tinh Vi Dam folk songs - an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at Kim Lien relic site every Saturday and Sunday to serve tourists. This activity is a continuation to preserve, maintain, promote and advertise the unique culture of Nghe An in general and Nam Dan in particular.

Mr. Tinh also added that in order to preserve and promote Vi Dam folk songs, in recent years, Nam Dan has persistently focused on directing the implementation of the "Project to preserve and promote the value of Vi Phuong Vai singing" associated with the "Project to bring folk songs into schools". In competitions and art festivals, typically the Sen Village Singing Festival and the Vi Dam Folk Song Festival organized from commune to district level, the requirement is to have 50 - 70% of Vi Dam folk songs in the overall program. The whole district has also established 8 Vi Dam folk song singing clubs that operate regularly and effectively.

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Nam Dan District Party Committee, affirmed: Nam Dan is a land of "spiritual land and talented people", a place with a long-standing cultural and historical tradition, both bearing the common characteristics of the national culture and highlighting the unique characteristics of Nghe An and Nam Dan, including Hat Vi Phuong Vai. Hat Vi Phuong Vai as well as Vi Dam folk songs are invaluable assets, a source of spiritual nourishment, a cultural foundation, and the intelligence and talent of Nam Dan people.

“It is not by chance that Nam Dan was chosen to build a Cultural District and is one of the five districts to build a new rural area in the country, all of which originate from the tradition and position of Nam Dan. Nam Dan is very sacred in the hearts of people across the country and friends around the world, each person in Uncle Ho's hometown sees more clearly the responsibility to make Uncle Ho's hometown truly strong in culture, creating a beautiful image and its own appeal in the hearts of tourists", emphasized Nam Dan District Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy.

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