Artisan of Cang village

(Baonghean) -Almost everyone in Cang village, Mon Son commune (Con Cuong) admires Mr. Luong Van Thuy for his enthusiasm and always being at the forefront of the cultural and artistic movement. Although he is 62 years old, this veteran of the Thai ethnic group is still enthusiastic about social work and passionate about traditional musical instruments and folk songs.

Asked about his passion for traditional musical instruments, Mr. Luong Van Thuy said: "Since the age of 11, I have been learning from the elders in the village all day long, so I have been able to play almost all the musical instruments of the Thai people, from gongs, panpipes, flutes, and pi, but my forte is still the xi-xlo. In addition, I also know many nursery rhymes and sing them everywhere." In 1967, when the resistance war against the US to save the country began to enter a fierce and fierce period, Luong Van Thuy, a young man from Muong Qua who was then 18 years old, joined the army and fought in the battlefields of the Southwest. Despite the fierce war, in his spare time, the young soldier from the mountainous district of Con Cuong enthusiastically sang the smooth, profound and equally optimistic and life-loving folk songs of the Thai people. Along with singing, the sound of the xi-xlo, a musical instrument made from bamboo, contributed to encouraging the fighting spirit of his comrades. Therefore, Luong Van Thuy became a typical "artist" of Battalion 1 - Group 125. Once, while scouting the enemy base with his comrades, Luong Van Thuy was unfortunately captured by the enemy and imprisoned on Phu Quoc Island for 3 years (1970-1973). In prison, despite being brutally tortured, despite the fragile boundary between life and death, the son of Cang village still sang folk songs to harmonize with the waves and winds of the ocean.

Mr. Luong Van Thuy performs the xylo instrument.

Returning from the imperial prison with a 40% disability, Luong Van Thuy got married, actively worked in production and participated in social work. Currently, he is the Head of the Association of the Elderly in Cang village and also a member of the Folk Songs and Musical Instruments Club of the village. For him, although life is still difficult and deprived, singing is indispensable. He is one of the active members of the club in the role of a xi-xlo artisan. In exchanges, performances and cultural and artistic festivals, he actively participates and contributes to the overall success of the Cang village art troupe. Recently, the Cang village art troupe has always been the core of the Mon Son commune art movement in the district-wide art festivals and has won many high prizes.

In his spare time, Mr. Luong Van Thuy also meticulously crafts each xi-xlo for the club and for those who love this musical instrument. Recently, his simple house has become crowded with children from all over the village coming to learn how to play the xi-xlo and sing Thai folk songs. He confided: "When I teach the children, I feel like I've found my childhood again...".

Cong Kien