(Baonghean.vn) - Although a retired physical education teacher, the distinguished educator Nguyen Thanh Phuc (66 years old), residing in Block 7, Thanh Chuong Town, has a particular passion for collecting, crafting, and performing traditional Vietnamese musical instruments.
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| Mr. Phuc's passion for traditional musical instruments originated in his childhood, when he was still herding buffalo and cutting grass. Throughout his life, from school and teaching to retirement, that passion has continued to be nurtured. |
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| In Mr. Phuc's house, there is an entire space dedicated to traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, with over 40 pieces belonging to all four categories: wind instruments (flute, piccolo, mouth organ, horn, mouth harp, etc.), string instruments (zither, 16-stringed zither, two-stringed fiddle), drum instruments (rice drum, bamboo drum), and percussion instruments (tơ rưng, stone xylophone, eight-stringed zither). |
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| As for flutes, there are dozens of them, of all kinds: transverse flutes, solo flutes, folk song accompaniment flutes, open-back flutes, mini flutes, double-leaf flutes, gourd flutes, etc. |
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| Above his bed hung a set of six horns along with the Hmong trumpet that he often used for performances. |
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| Of these musical instruments, two-thirds were collected and restored by him, while the rest were made by himself. Some instruments took years to find the materials, then he painstakingly carved and shaped them from various materials (stone, wood, horn) before finally creating the finished product. Among the string instruments he crafted, the sixteen-stringed zither was the most elaborate. |
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| The Cơ nip instrument of the Ơ Đu ethnic group is over a hundred years old; it was a memento given to him by an elder in Kỳ Sơn when he was teaching in the western region. |
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| This stone xylophone was meticulously crafted, as stones that produce such beautiful sounds are not found everywhere. Mr. Phuc said that he had traveled extensively to the western districts, visiting many famous streams and caves such as Khe Hao (Quy Hop), Len Roi (Tan Ky), Len Yen Khe (Con Cuong), Ban Pung (Tuong Duong)... and even Ninh Binh to find the stones. |
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| In his house, traditional musical instruments are hung, displayed, and stored everywhere—on walls, in cabinets, on beds, under the bed... Besides traditional instruments, he also collects Western musical instruments and keeps dozens of ancient bows and arrows hanging densely under the roof. |
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| Mr. Phuc stands beside a natural stone musical instrument stand in front of his house. The stones here were collected by him and sent to him by friends from all over. |
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| Not only is he passionate about collecting and crafting traditional musical instruments, but he can also play almost all the instruments he owns. In addition, he is a renowned "inventor" of visual teaching aids and a magician with over 100 acts compiled into a collection. |
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| Among the musical instruments he collected and crafted, the bầu lute, bầu flute, stone xylophone, bát lute, and double-layered flute were the ones he played skillfully and often performed on at festivals. |
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| In addition, Mr. Phuc can also play the Hmong flute like a true Hmong village man. |
Huy Thu
