Initiator of the Lotus Village Singing Festival

Dedicated to duty

One day in mid-May, we returned to Phong Ho village, Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc) to visit Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong. Unexpectedly, after only about a year, his health declined so quickly. Because at the beginning of the year, he was still able to walk and talk, but now he had to lie in one place and his mind was sometimes confused, sometimes awake. We know that as humans, everyone will grow old and leave this life, but we cannot avoid feeling sad.

Previously, we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong several times, we heard him talk about the idea and journey of organizing the Sen Village Singing Festival. His story made many people admire him, because of his love forPresident Ho Chi Minhwith enthusiasm and determination in work.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong (front row, far left) and his colleagues working in cultural affairs. Photo: Archive

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong (born in 1928) lives in Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc), a rural area at the end of the Lam River, near Cua Hoi. Born into a family with a revolutionary tradition, his father was a pre-uprising cadre, Mr. Thuong was soon imbued with the spirit of fighting for the people and the country.

In 1945, while studying at Vinh National School, the Japanese coup against France occurred (March 9, 1945). The 17-year-old student asked to leave school and join the Viet Minh organization.August Revolutionbroke out, was appointed as Secretary of the Provisional Administrative Committee of the commune, joined the National Salvation Youth Union and then taught locally.

At the age of 20, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong was admitted to the Party. Full of ambition and aspiration, the young man from Phong Ho village signed up for military service, marched to the Northwest to fight the French and became an artilleryman. After nearly 10 years of military service, in 1958, Mr. Thuong returned to his hometown to work at the Department of Culture, then became Principal of the Provincial School of Culture and Arts, and Director of the Nghe Tinh Cultural House.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong always strives to innovate and develop the mass art movement. Photo: Hoai Son

During his time working at the Nghe Tinh Cultural House, Mr. Thuong and his colleagues participated in the cultural and artistic movements at the grassroots level, contributing to motivating people of all walks of life to actively work and produce. He directed the promotion of the mass cultural and artistic movement, organized mobile film screenings in villages, communes, factories and enterprises to encourage the spirit and give more motivation for farmers and workers to overcome the difficult period of the post-war period.

Annual,House of CultureThe province organizes mass art performances from commune to provincial level. Mr. Thuong is often present at the performances, arranging time to go to the districts to attend. He follows each performance of the units, asking for the audience's opinions to grasp the organization as well as the reception needs.

Ideas and the journey to the finish line

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong once shared: “After several years of following the Mass Arts Festival, I have noticed that the content and performances are often repetitive, with little innovation and creativity, causing a feeling of boredom and boredom for the audience. This reality requires innovation in both organization and content, themes and forms of expression, forcing us to ponder and think of new ways to attract the masses.”

During his military years, he traveled through many rural areas and met many knowledgeable people. Mr. Thuong realized that Nghe Tinh had two great prides: the birthplace of Vi and Giam melodies and the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh. Moreover, in early 1955, when he was still a secretary for Senior General Chu Van Tan, Mr. Thuong had the opportunity to meetUncle Hoat a performance, the impression of the meeting followed him throughout his life.

Even after his retirement, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong still regularly attends the Sen Village Singing Festival. Photo: Hoai Son

That helped him come up with the idea of ​​organizing a performance praising Uncle Ho's achievements and homeland on the occasion of his birthday. This idea was enthusiastically supported by his colleagues, everyone discussed and agreed to name itLotus Village Singing Festival.

From idea to implementation is a long journey with many difficulties and hardships. In 1981, Mr. Thuong packed his bags and went to Hanoi to meet his old teammate, Phung Xuan Binh, who was then the Director of the Central Cultural House. After hearing the idea, the two went to the Ministry of Culture and Information to meet Minister Nguyen Van Hieu and Deputy Minister Nong Quoc Chan to present and ask for opinions. After listening, Minister Nguyen Van Hieu immediately agreed and asked Mr. Thuong and Mr. Binh to implement the idea as presented.

Returning to the province, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong again "knocked on the door" of the Provincial People's Committee Chairman Tran Quang Dat and Provincial Party Secretary Truong Kien. The two provincial leaders also immediately approved and agreed to organize the Sen Village Singing Festival. Mr. Thuong excitedly directed and participated in the implementation of the stages in the organization process, contacting 11 provinces and cities to participate.

The Lotus Village Singing Festival is a practical activity to honor President Ho Chi Minh's contributions. Photo: Thanh Cuong

All the provinces and cities accepted, the basic preparations were completed, then received a call from the Central Party Office requesting to postpone it to the following year, because that year Nghe Tinh had a bad harvest and famine. Once again, Mr. Thuong packed his bags and went to Hanoi to meet with the leaders of the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Central Party Office to discuss and ask for opinions. Finally, the superiors agreed to organize but reduced the scale from 11 units to 4 units (Nghe An, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Cultural House).

The first Sen Village Singing Festival, although limited in scale, attracted and gained the attention of a large number of people, creating the premise for the success of the following years. Realizing that this was a truly meaningful activity, the Ministry of Culture - Information and Nghe An province developed it into aLotus Village Festivalwith many special contents and programs, organized annually at the provincial level and every 5 years at the national level.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong is really excited and happy because the Sen Village Festival has been growing and taking root in cultural life, since then it has been 40 years. Even after retirement, he still attends each festival to enjoy the performances, cheer and contribute ideas about the expertise as well as the organization.

“The Lotus Village Singing Festival is a humane activity, expressing gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh and improving the quality of the mass arts movement. The development of cultural and artistic life today is partly due to the contributions of Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong, who initiated this meaningful activity.”

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh - Deputy Director of Department of Culture and Sports