Society

Composer Duong Hong Tu: Preserving folk culture is like preserving the blood, flesh, memories, and identity of our homeland and nation.

Minh Quan • July 6, 2025 13:37

In preparation for the Nghe An Provincial Emulation Congress for the 2020-2025 period, musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu is one of the delegates selected as an exemplary figure. On this occasion, reporters from Nghe An Newspaper and Radio & Television had a conversation with him about his work and his concerns in preserving the valuable cultural heritage of his homeland.

PV:Dear musician Duong Hong Tu, we understand that you have spent most of your life traveling throughout the villages and hamlets of the western part of your province, collecting, preserving, and spreading the folk cultural values ​​of the ethnic minority communities. For you, each sound of the flute, each gong, each song, each dance is not only a joyful sound but also the memory and soul of a community. Could you share a little about your life and how you came to collect and research folk music from western Nghe An province?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I was born in 1941 into a poor farming family in Da Son commune, formerly Do Luong district, now Thuan Trung commune. My childhood was filled with days spent helping my mother plant and harvest rice, eating meals mixed with sweet potatoes and cassava, listening to the sound of buffalo bells in the late afternoon, and the simple lullabies my mother sang. It was from those lullabies that my love for music gradually seeped into me.

When I was 10 years old, my family moved to a new economic zone in Tan Ky, then to Nghia Dan. In the sun-drenched, windswept red basalt soil of Phu Quy, I first heard lullabies, simple folk melodies, and the resounding drums and gongs of the harvest festival. Those sounds instilled in me a love for folk music, making me listen attentively and remember each melody and drum beat amidst the mountains and forests, even though I didn't know then that I would dedicate my life to folk music.

In 1960, when I was over 18 years old, I volunteered for military service and was assigned to the Nghe An Armed Police Force (now the Border Guard), stationed in the western border communes where the Thai, Mong, and Khmu ethnic groups lived. In that border region, I lived close to the people, listening to the Mong flute melodies echoing in the early morning mist, the Thai flute's haunting sounds by the fields, and the sounds of gongs, drums, and furrows reverberating throughout the highlands. Each sound was like a stream flowing into my heart, instilling in me a desire to understand, collect, and preserve these musical values ​​so that they would not fade away with time.

Throughout my 13 years in the military, my superiors discovered my musical talent and sent me to attend composition and instrument-playing training courses to support propaganda work. I became a key member of the Nghe An Armed Police's Propaganda and Arts Team, performing for people in the Mekong Delta, remote parishes, volunteer soldiers on international missions in Laos, and even performing at the Hien Luong Bridge, the 17th parallel that divided North and South Vietnam.

In 1973, after being discharged from the army, I was assigned to work at the Arts and Culture Department of the Nghe An Provincial Department of Culture. In 1975, I passed the entrance exam to the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, specializing in music composition. After graduating in 1980, I returned to Nghe An, in charge of the music tape and disc section. My work was connected to Vinh City, but in my heart, the sounds of the khene, flute, and gong, the Thai xòe dance, and the Mong khene dance still resonated with a poignant longing, reminding me of the remote villages and hamlets along the border.

Therefore, I always volunteered to participate in trips to mountainous areas, meeting artisans, learning how to play the khene (a type of bamboo flute), gongs, and recording folk songs and dances. I gradually realized that this was no longer just a personal passion, but also a responsibility to preserve and pass on the values ​​of folk culture that are facing the risk of disappearing to future generations.

Since retiring in 2002, I felt "freed," and once again, I packed my backpack, took my tape recorder and notebook, and traveled throughout the villages and hamlets of western Nghe An province. Each trip, each song, each flute melody I recorded became a building block in a valuable archive of materials serving the research and preservation of folk culture.

PV:Throughout that journey, what motivated him and strengthened his resolve to preserve folk cultural heritage?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I have always considered myself indebted to the people of Western Nghe An. During my time working in the border region, the people there sheltered me, sharing every handful of rice, sip of water, and piece of wild game meat during difficult times. They opened their hearts, teaching me to play the khene (a traditional wind instrument), and teaching me ancient songs and dances. I am always concerned that if these traditions are not preserved in time, they will be lost when the artisans grow old and frail, and that would be a great loss for my homeland.

There were days when I walked dozens of kilometers through the forest, crossing cold streams, sleeping in damp, dark stilt houses, just to listen to an ancient flute melody or record a lullaby that had been passed down through generations. Those memories became the motivation for me to continue my journey, even though I am old and my health is not what it used to be.

PV:So, during the collecting process, did you encounter any difficulties, and how did you overcome them?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:There were so many difficulties. The road to the village was full of steep slopes and landslides; it was slippery in the rainy season and dusty in the dry season. Some days I walked all day, crossing streams, trekking through the forest, eating rice balls, drinking stream water, and sleeping in stilt houses with the villagers. To gain their trust, I had to live with them, share their daily work, participate in their festivals and weddings… and gradually they opened up, sang to me, taught me each note of the flute, how to vibrate my lips, how to breathe when blowing, and how to keep the rhythm for the xòe dance.

Furthermore, recording, transcribing, analyzing, and systematizing the materials also requires patience and meticulousness. I had to teach myself how to record difficult melodies, translate lyrics from Thai and Hmong into Vietnamese, and then compare and contrast them to find the differences between regions and ethnic groups. It was a persistent process, but I never felt tired because I understood that what I was doing was necessary.

PV:It is known that, to date, he has published many valuable research works on folk music. Could he share more specific details?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:To date, I have published five monographs, including: "Folk Music of the Thai Ethnic Group in Nghe An", "Folk Music of the Mong Ethnic Group in Nghe An", "Folk Culture of the Mong People in Nghe An", "Traditional Culture of the Tho Ethnic Group in Nghe An", and "Folk Music of the Tho Ethnic Group in Nghe An". These works not only compile hundreds of folk songs, but also analyze the system of musical instruments, folk melodies, folk music, and describe customs, traditions, rituals, and festivals associated with music.

Besides compiling books, I also participate in many other projects to preserve culture. For example, in early 2020, I and my co-authors republished the book "Traditional Musical Instruments of the Mountainous Regions of Nghe An" to introduce more widely the traditional musical instruments of the ethnic minorities in western Nghe An. I am also gathering materials to publish "Hoa Tieng Tieng," an epic poem of the Tho ethnic group.

In addition, together with the Nghe An Musicians Association and several other organizations, I have organized many cultural and artistic exchange programs to introduce folk musical instruments and folk songs to the community. I consider these activities as a gift of gratitude to my homeland and to the people of the Mekong Delta.

PV:He has received many prestigious awards, including the State Prize for Literature and Arts. Could you share your feelings about receiving this honorable award?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I am deeply moved and proud that my contributions have been recognized by the Party, the State, and my colleagues. The 2022 State Award for Literature and Arts for my research on the folk music of the Thai and Mong ethnic groups is a great encouragement, further motivating me to continue collecting and researching, despite my advanced age.

I am also honored that my works have received numerous awards from the Vietnam Musicians Association and the Ho Xuan Huong Award from Nghe An province. These awards not only honor me personally but also recognize the cultural values ​​of the people of western Nghe An.

PV:He will soon be attending the Nghe An Provincial Emulation Congress for the period 2020-2025 as an exemplary advanced individual. Could he share his feelings about this event?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I am very happy to be selected as one of the outstanding role models.Nghe An Province Emulation Congress for Patriotic Achievements, 2020-2025This is a recognition of my persistent efforts and also an affirmation of the value of preserving and promoting folk culture in the overall development of our province.

I hope that, through this Congress, the stories and concrete actions in the work of preserving cultural heritage will be spread, inspiring more people to care and participate in the preservation and development of traditional cultural values.

PV:TAccording to you, what is the significance of preserving folk culture in the current context? And what message would you like to convey to the younger generation?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:In this era of globalization, as modern life brings with it many new values, folk culture faces the risk of being forgotten or distorted. Preserving folk culture means preserving the soul of the nation. Each folk song, each dance, each flute, each gong contains the history, life, thoughts, feelings, and philosophy of an entire community. If we do not preserve them, there will come a time when future generations will no longer know that their ancestors once possessed these beautiful spiritual values.

Therefore, I hope that young people will cherish and be proud of their national culture. Let's learn, appreciate, and contribute to preserving and promoting these values ​​in today's life. It can start with small things: learning to sing a folk song, learning to play a traditional musical instrument, learning about a beautiful custom of our homeland, participating in folk song and dance clubs at school or in our locality. Because each person keeps a small part, together they will form a vast cultural treasure, allowing future generations to still hear the sounds of the flute and gong, the clear lullabies, and the graceful Xoe dances...

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For me, folk culture is the very essence, the memory, and the identity of my homeland and my nation.

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu

For me, folk culture is the very essence, the memory, and the identity of my homeland and my nation. I believe that as long as we keep the flame of passion alive, preserve and spread it, then in any era, these cultural values ​​will live on and continue to flourish.

P,V:Thank you for the conversation!

Minh Quân (Editor)