Moving story about a 'singing woman' in Luong land

(Baonghean.vn) - Overcoming her fate, that woman gradually became a "poet", a "teacher" of Vi Giam folk songs in Luong region (Do Luong, Nghe An).

Talking about Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa (41 years old) in Tay Xuan hamlet, Giang Son Dong commune (Do Luong), local people cannot help but admire and respect her. Despite her disability, she is still passionate about composing and teaching Vi Dam folk songs to everyone.

Every Saturday, members of the Giang Son Dong Vi Giam Folk Song Club gather at Ms. Hoa's house for activities. They come here with enthusiasm, everyone hopes to meet soon to exchange and learn to sing folk songs. Everyone chooses Ms. Hoa's house as a gathering place, first of all because she is the Club's President and is disabled and cannot walk.

Attending Ms. Hoa’s house during a meeting of the Giang Son Dong Vi Giam Folk Song Club, the atmosphere was very cozy. The members gathered around on a mat in the middle of the house. The “tiny” Headmistress sat in a plastic chair, looking like a 10-year-old child. Because Ms. Hoa had paralyzed legs and very weak arms, a member had to sit next to her holding a microphone to “serve”. After each comment and sample singing by Ms. Hoa, everyone sang the new tunes in unison.

Clip: Ms. Hoa in a folk song club meeting

Ms. Hoa is the eldest child in a family of 5 children, her parents are veterans of the war against the US. As a victim of Agent Orange, when she was born, her body was normal, but as she grew older, her limbs became more and more atrophied. From a person with normal mobility, she became disabled, and had to rely on relatives for all her personal activities.

Although she was good at studying, especially literature and had beautiful handwriting, she had to drop out of school in 7th grade, ending her dream of becoming a music teacher.

Overcoming fate, with a natural talent and inheriting the love of literature and art from her father (who passed away) who was a military musician, along with her own efforts to study, she gradually became a "poet", a "teacher" of Vi Giam folk songs in the region.

Ms. Hoa said: "Writing poetry is inborn, but singing Vi Giam folk songs, I had to learn." She said that nearly 20 years ago, when listening to the radio or watching TV, she saw artist Hong Luu singing folk songs, and she fell in love with folk songs.

Despite her disability, Ms. Hoa is still passionate about composing and teaching Vi Dam folk songs. Photo: Huy Thu

Once through Nghe An newspaper, she got to know the artist Nguyen Thi Thanh in Anh Son, then wrote a letter expressing her feelings. Feeling sorry for the disabled girl who loved Vi Giam, Mrs. Thanh and her husband traveled all the way to Tay Xuan to teach her folk songs.

Since mastering the Vi Giam melodies, she gradually moved on to writing new lyrics, writing skits and folk song skits under the pen name Quynh Hoa. Every year, on the occasion of festivals and holidays, local departments, organizations and units come to ask her to write.

She remembers that once, Giang Son Dong Kindergarten asked her to write 17 works. After a short time, all of them were completed. Up to now, she can’t remember how many works she has written, “probably up to hundreds”.

Her compositions are quite diverse, from topics praising the homeland, the country, and soldiers, to building new rural areas, family planning, traffic safety, drug prevention, saying no to dirty food, etc. Every work is hot and current, full of life, and is warmly received by viewers.

Over the years, she has not only composed but also enthusiastically passed on Vi Giam folk songs to many people. On holidays, she often teaches singing to the youth union members in the commune, and in the summer she teaches singing to students (previously, she also taught culture to the children in the neighborhood). Soldiers from the 1st Regiment, 324th Division stationed locally also come to her house to stage and practice the works she wrote.

Seeing that people in the commune love folk songs, nearly 2 years ago, she established the Giang Son Dong 2 Vi Giam Folk Song Club with dozens of members, maintaining regular activities every Saturday. She spent part of her monthly allowance to buy musical instruments (zither, flute, two-string fiddle, drum, etc.) to serve the club's practice.

Ms. Dao Thi Tue (58 years old), a club member, said: "Thanks to Ms. Hoa, I love Vi Giam even more, learn many new melodies and especially sing better."

For the past two years, she has not been able to sit up and hold a pen to write on paper like before, but can only lie down and write on her phone. When turning her body in bed or on a chair, she has to rely on relatives. Every time she attends a club activity, she has to take painkillers the night before.

For the past two years, she has not been able to sit down to write, but has only been lying down and writing on her phone. Photo: Huy Thu

Despite the difficulties and hardships, the love for poetry and folk songs of the "tiny" Editor (weighing just over 20 kg) has not faded. She still constantly learns and exchanges articles with folk song editors and great artists such as Dan Huyen, Mai Van Lang... She still actively writes and teaches folk songs with the desire to "Contribute to preserving the beauty of Vi Giam" and "to live a useful life".

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Du, a cultural officer of Giang Son Dong commune, said: “Ms. Hoa is disabled but has contributed a lot to the local arts movement. Thanks to her, the Vi Giam folk singing movement here has become more vibrant. Up to now, she is the only writer of Vi Giam lyrics in Giang Son Dong.”

With her contributions, Ms. Hoa has been awarded many certificates of merit by departments and organizations at all levels. Recently, she has submitted a dossier to the Provincial People's Committee to consider awarding her the title of Meritorious Artisan.

Huy Thu