Artisan in mountainous commune of Nghe An opens free summer class to spread passion for Vi and Giam to young generation
"Uncle Ho's words before he left/that he wanted to hear the folk songs of Nghe An/the songs of his homeland like a mother's lullaby/follow him as he traveled to the four corners of the world. His words to his grandchildren are still recorded/to preserve and promote...".Arriving at hamlet 8, Nghia Dong commune, from afar, one can hear the sweet, clear singing voices coming from the free folk song class for teenagers and children taught by Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh.
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Author:Khanh Ly - Thanh Nga /Technique:Hong Toai• 03/08/2025
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At the age of 60, Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh is still passionate about collecting and composing Vi and Giam folk songs and passing on and spreading that passion to the younger generation. His folk song teaching class (fully called Preservation and Promotion of Vi and Giam Folk Songs) is held right in the spacious, shady yard of the small, simple house where his family lives.
The class attracted about 60 students, the younger ones were arranged to sit together on a mat in front, the older students sat in 3 rows of chairs in the back, orderly and disciplined, attentively humming along to the teacher's tunes.
Students who come to the free folk song teaching class at the home of Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh affectionately call him "teacher". The class started in early June, attracting students of many ages (from 6-14 years old) and from many different locations.
There are many students who, despite their home being 16 km away from the school, still attend class diligently and never miss a day. For example, Hoang Anh Hong, a 5th grader, was asked by her aunt to enroll in Mr. Minh's folk singing class. Every day, her mother takes her from Nghia Khanh commune to Nghia Dong commune to learn folk singing in the afternoon.
"Thanks to Mr. Minh's guidance, I have learned many things, from breathing techniques, vibrato to rhythm...", Anh Hong shared..
As for Nguyen Thi Thu Thao (born in 2013), the captain of the Nghia Dong Secondary School, who lives in the same neighborhood as Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh, Thao was taught singing by him many times. However, when she heard that there was a free class during the summer, Thao still came to study to improve her singing skills. In Mr. Minh's class, Thao and her friends were taught both traditional folk songs and modernized songs.
In addition, "Mr. Minh also taught us how to perform, breathe life into the characters, how to handle situations on stage...", Thao shared.
Talking about his class, Mr. Ngo Tri Minh said that in the past, he had taught singing to many people in villages, hamlets, clubs, art troupes, and extracurricular activities at schools, but at the beginning of this summer, he officially opened a free folk singing class at home for teenagers and children.
To serve the class, he bought the piano, speakers, microphones, and chairs himself; as for drinking water, living space, and play area for the children, his wife - Mrs. Trinh Thi Hoanh, who has worked for local women's work for more than 30 years, has carefully prepared. She is also a lover of Vi and Giam folk songs, so she always supports her husband in fueling the love for the nation's intangible cultural heritage for the younger generation.
Mrs. Phan Thi Thu - a resident of Hamlet 8, Nghia Dong Commune, still brings her grandson Nguyen Phuc Minh Quan, who is in 5th grade this year, to learn to sing at the folk song teaching class every day. She expressed: There are few people as enthusiastic and responsible as Mr. Ngo Tri Minh and his wife. When the children come here, they not only satisfy their passion but also cultivate and enrich their souls through songs and singing about deep humanity, love for their homeland and country...
As the third child in a family of 10 children, Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh was fascinated by folk songs from a young age. He sang when calling his friends to herd buffaloes, and sang when working with his father in the fields during harvest.
Folk songs at that time were simple and imbued with the flavor of the countryside. He said: People in Nghia Dong commune have a strong love for the folk songs and folk tunes of their homeland. They can improvise folk songs from their daily lives, both during their free time or during their work and production. In particular, this place soon had a tuong troupe, cheo troupe, and folk song performance troupes that dominated many stages in Tan Ky district (old).
It was from the theater stages with the plays “Co gai Song Lam”, “Khong phai toi”… that Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh was soon nurtured with love and passion for learning and practicing. He shared: “I followed the village theater troupes all day and all night, whenever the troupes practiced, I was there wherever they performed. Therefore, I knew all the lines, dialogues in the Vi, Lap Lo or Tu Hoa melodies and sang these melodies well.”
In 1985, Mr. Ngo Tri Minh was sent to study at the Military Engineer Corporal School. In the military environment, he learned singing and playing skills from his teammates, so his singing and playing became more and more skillful.
In just a short time, Mr. Ngo Tri Minh not only mastered the guitar and organ but also focused on researching and practicing playing the flute and erhu to be able to accompany folk singers.
In 1988, he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown to participate in cultural and artistic movements in his hometown. He was trusted to be in charge of the folk song team of the village.
In the following years, he and those who shared the same passion for Vi and Giam folk songs, together with the commune's cultural officials, found many solutions to spread and established Nghia Dong Vi and Giam Folk Song Club, which was also the first Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Tan Ky District (old). Initially, the Club had only over 10 members, with few young people, but later the Club's Executive Committee spread and attracted more members, including young people.
Busy with family work and economic development, the members of the Nghia Dong Commune Folk Songs Club always take time to practice and meet once a month. With a relatively equal force and the enthusiastic activities of club members such as Mr. Ngo Tri Minh, the Nghia Dong Commune Folk Songs Club has achieved remarkable achievements.
These are awards for movement activities such as: A Prize of the Sen Village Singing Festival in 2012 with the performance "Forever Bright in the Countryside"; A Prize of the Sen Village Singing Festival in 2014 with the performance "New Day of Nghia Dong", A Prize of the 5th Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival, Cluster IV in 2023 with the song "Advice of Parents"...
In addition, Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh was honored as the author of good self-composed songs in festivals. Typically, the song "Singing from Lotus Village" in the 2001 Mass Art Performance was awarded a Certificate of Merit to the author; in the "From Lotus Village to Cultural Villages" Performances in 2000, 2001, 2002, he was also honored as the author of good songs developed from folk songs.
In addition to performing, collecting, compiling, and transmitting folk songs, Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh also composes songs developed from folk songs, contributing to spreading Vi and Giam folk songs in the community.
To date, Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh has composed more than 60 works of Vi and Giam folk songs and songs of high value in content and art.
His songs such as "Nghia Dong mot goc troi que", "Huong sac Dinh Sen"... are considered famous local songs, loved by many people and have achieved millions of views on YouTube.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Nghia Dong commune said: "Mr. Ngo Tri Minh's talent is that you only need to give him the required content and tomorrow he will have a work. From folk songs with new lyrics, folk song suites, to skits or operas, he writes and composes well. When his songs are performed by the commune's folk music troupe, many singers and actors from other sectors, units or cultural centers ask to sing and perform on other stages."
With his tireless activities, enthusiasm and talent in mastering and practicing folk songs, in 2015, Mr. Ngo Tri Minh was honored to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in the art of performing Vi and Giam folk songs by the President.
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For Mr. Ngo Tri Minh, being awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan is not only a recognition and an honor but also a great responsibility, in which, he contributes to preserving and developing folk melodies, spreading and transmitting so that the source of Vi and Giam folk songs will last forever. together with the nation; become an indispensable spiritual food in the people's daily life, work and production, the glue that binds village love and neighborhood affection.
Therefore, he considers teaching and nurturing the core of Vi and Giam folk songs from the young generation as a noble mission and responsibility of an artist like him. The free folk song classes at home that he opens are no exception to this purpose.
He worried: “I have been invited by schools in the commune and Tan Ky district (old) to teach folk songs to children, but it was not systematic, not a long-term campaign, so it was not as expected.
I really hope that the Party Committee and government will pay attention to activities to preserve and spread the intangible cultural heritage of Vi and Giam folk songs, especially to the young generation."
Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh
It is known that in July 2025, a working delegation of the Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee of Nghia Dong commune and representatives of a number of departments and branches led by comrade Nguyen Van Thuc - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of the commune visited and encouraged teachers and students of the Vi and Giam folk singing class at the house of Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh.
And recently, on the afternoon of August 1, the People's Committee of Nghia Dong commune coordinated with the Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of the commune to organize a conference to report the results of the class on preserving and promoting Vi and Giam Folk Songs, creating conditions for students in the class of Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh to perform the Vi and Giam Folk Songs that had been taught.
This is a meaningful activity, contributing to traditional education, nurturing the soul and fostering national cultural identity, while creating a healthy and useful playground during the summer for teenagers and children.
According to Meritorious Artist Dinh Dac - former Head of the Research Department of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Heritage, Provincial Traditional Arts Center: Teaching folk songs to the young generation in Nghia Dong and neighboring areas is truly a long-term way to preserve and promote the nation's intangible cultural heritage. Each person who is taught will spread the love of Vi and Giam Folk songs in their own way, but will help the community understand the beauty of folk songs. Without those who pass on the knowledge like Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh, Vi and Giam Folk songs will gradually fade away.
Meritorious Artist Ngo Tri Minh is a talented person who can play, sing and compose. He has a number of works that have touched the hearts of the masses and have received significant recognition. A person who works in the cultural movement but is both passionate and holds and practices Vi and Giam folk songs well like him is truly a rare person.
Meritorious Artist Dinh Dac - Former Head of Nghe Tinh Folk Heritage Research Department, Provincial Traditional Arts Center
