The person who 'keeps the flame' of Thai ethnic culture alive in Nghe An.

In Quy Chau district, many people know Ms. Sam Thi Xanh as a dedicated artisan who actively encourages students and local people to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group.

Having retired from teaching in 2010, she devoted much of her time to her passion for culture and arts. In 2011, she enrolled in a class to learn the ancient Thai script and joined the Thai Script Club. Afterward, she independently researched the ancient Thai script and, together with other club members, decided to open a class to teach Thai ethnic culture to students and local people.

Sharing about the early days of opening the Thai ethnic culture teaching class, Ms. Sam Thi Xanh said that many families did not want their children to attend because they wanted them to focus on cultural subjects in school. Many also believed that learning Thai culture was just learning folk songs, which were unnecessary, because as society develops, fewer people will listen to and understand the culture of ethnic minorities. In addition, some members of the club were elderly, and their children did not want their parents to "carry the burden of the whole community."

These difficulties have resulted in the campaign to encourage students and the public to learn Thai culture not meeting expectations; the number of registrations is not high, mainly consisting of children and grandchildren of club members.

However, overcoming those difficulties, with a spirit of solidarity and enthusiasm, the members of the Thai Ethnic Culture Club did not shy away from challenges, going from house to house to encourage parents and students to participate in Thai culture classes during the summer break. The results exceeded all expectations; for many years, every summer, dozens of students have participated in Thai culture classes.

With the trust of the community, since 2011, Ms. Sam Thi Xanh has been elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Thai Culture Club in Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district. After nearly 13 years of persistent efforts, the club has changed the previous mindset of the people. Today, organizing cultural and artistic activities has become a widespread movement throughout the villages and hamlets.

During village festivals, ethnic cultural features such as traditional costumes, folk songs, traditional games, bamboo pole dancing, and furrow carving become highlights and a source of pride for every resident of Hoa Tien village and the entire Chau Tien commune.
Sharing her experience in organizing and teaching the Thai ethnic culture, Ms. Sam Thi Xanh passionately said: "Fortunately, as a retired teacher, I have always nurtured a deep love for culture and accumulated skills in organizing classes."

To ensure that the lessons are deeply ingrained in the minds of the students and learners, the approach must be tailored to each individual, but most importantly, the class must be truly open and enjoyable so that learners can easily understand and remember. Therefore, when facing the students, the elders in the club organized lessons for the children to sing traditional songs like "lam," "nhuon," dance "lam vong," dance "sap," carve "luong," and play gongs and drums, creating a space where "learning is playing, and playing is learning."

From 2013 to the present, Meritorious Artisan Sam Thi Xanh, together with the Club, has opened 21 Thai language classes with 170 students who can read and write fluently. Many of these classes have been taught in other communes through the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee. Many students of the Club have won high awards from competitions organized at the district and provincial levels.
In particular, since 2011, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district and Hoa Tien commune have adopted a policy of developing the Hoa Tien community tourism village, linking tourism development with the preservation and promotion of ancient Thai ethnic culture. This is an opportunity for Thai ethnic culture to be promoted and spread within the community.

To date, the Nhuon, Lam, and Khap folk songs have become specialties of Hoa Tien community tourism village, creating an attraction that draws more and more tourist groups to visit and experience; contributing to the development of the tourism industry in Quy Chau district.

Not only does Ms. Sam Thi Xanh dedicate herself to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group, but she also excels in social work in her locality. From 2020 to the present, in her capacity as Vice President of the Elderly Association of Chau Tien commune, member of the Fatherland Front Committee of the commune, and Head of the Elderly Association branch in Hoa Tien 2 village, she has always actively participated in all aspects of work, and for many years has been recognized as an outstanding branch at the district and provincial levels.
With her dedication and commitment, and her proactive approach in advising and carrying out assigned tasks in the aforementioned fields, in 2022, Ms. Sam Thi Xanh was honored to be awarded the title of "Outstanding Artisan" by the President of Vietnam for her outstanding contributions to preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of the nation. In 2023, she received a Certificate of Commendation from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province.

It is both an honor and a responsibility for the Distinguished Artisan Sam Thi Xanh to continue contributing and passing on her passion to the younger generation in preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of the Thai people...