Aspiration to spread the folk songs of Ví and Giặm

Dedicate your efforts to ensuring the survival of folk music.

For those who love the folk songs of Thanh Chuong district, known as the "land of bamboo shoots," everyone knows the Ngoc Son Folk Song Club – the earliest and most active grassroots folk song club not only in Thanh Chuong district but also in Nghe An province. The person who has steered the club for over 14 years since its establishment is Ms. Vo Thi Hong Van – the only artisan in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Nghe An province to be awarded the title.People's Artist.

Born in 1965 into a farming family in Ngoc Son commune, Vo Thi Hong Van was already a well-known artist in her locality from a young age, attending village school. In 1985, she was selected by the Thanh Chuong District Cultural Center to join the district's amateur performing arts group. In 1987, she was selected by the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Theater. However, that same year, her father passed away in an accident. As the eldest of six younger siblings, she had to put her dreams on hold, return to her hometown to farm, and nurture her passion for folk songs through local performing arts activities.

In early 2009, Ms. Vo Thi Hong Van proposed to the Cultural and Information Center (now the Cultural, Sports and Communication Center) of Thanh Chuong district and the Party Committee and People's Committee of Ngoc Son commune to allow the establishment of the Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club.

In July 2009, the club launched with 24 members. Besides singing together to satisfy their passion for folk songs, the club also helps the commune, district, and various agencies, units, and schools write scripts and stage theatrical programs to promote major holidays, traffic safety, population issues, and drug prevention, etc., in order to raise funds for their activities. Furthermore, the club actively participates in folk song festivals and competitions in Nghe Tinh province and often wins high awards.

Besides maintaining the activities of the Ngoc Son commune's folk singing club, Ms. Van also regularly opens free folk singing classes at her home. Each summer, her classes have around 20-30 students. Recently, Ms. Van has also been very active in promoting the folk singing heritage of Nghe Tinh in provinces and cities throughout the country.

In 2022, she, along with representatives from folk song clubs in the province, traveled to Bac Ninh province to meet and exchange ideas with Quan Ho singers from Diem village (Hoa Phong commune, Yen Phong district) and Hoai Thi village (Lien Bao commune, Tien Du district) to strengthen cooperation and foster a fraternal relationship between the two heritage regions. In addition, she also took members of the Ngoc Son commune's Vi and Giam folk song club to participate in cultural exchanges in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bac Giang province…

One of the activities that Ms. Van is most passionate about is campaigning for the establishment of the Song Lam Thanh Chuong Folk Song Club, to create a larger-scale platform for those who love folk songs in the district; and to provide support for folk song clubs at the grassroots level.

In 2015, Ms. Vo Thi Hong Van was one of the first 12 artisans in the province to be honored as an Outstanding Artisan. In September 2022, she was one of 64 Outstanding Artisans nationwide to be awarded the title of People's Artisan by the President of Vietnam. For many years, she has lived simply in a small house about 2 km from the Cau Ro intersection, with a small eatery in front. This is also the meeting place of the Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club for the past 14 years, and where Ms. Van organizes free folk song classes.

"I only hope that the folk songs of the Ví and Giặm genres..."intangible cultural heritage"The essence of humanity will always endure in the hearts of generations. Therefore, I always want to dedicate all my strength and passion to organizing meaningful activities to spread folk songs, <i>ví</i>, and <i>giặm</i> more widely," People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van confided.

Struggling to keep the flame of passion alive.

Attending a meeting of the Vinh Tan Ward Folk Song Club, one can truly appreciate the pride of its members in participating in this club. Although the club members come from diverse professions, including officials, teachers, traders, freelance workers, and even students, they all share a passion for folk songs and a desire to contribute to the further development of the movement. The person playing a crucial role in keeping that passion alive is the Meritorious Artist Hoang Thi Cam Van – the Club's Chairperson.

Born in 1957 in Dong Hoi town, Quang Binh province, Ms. Hoang Thi Cam Van developed a passion for Nghe Tinh folk songs through the arts movement within the army. In 1995, after 20 years in the military as a medic, Ms. Van was discharged and moved with her husband to Vinh Tan commune (now Vinh Tan ward, Vinh city).

Thanks to her enthusiasm and active participation in local movements, she earned the trust and confidence of the neighborhood residents, who elected her as the Head of the Women's Association in Phuc Tan hamlet (now Phuc Loc hamlet, Vinh Tan ward). With a talent for singing and the enthusiasm of the women's association members, Ms. Van established a performing arts group in the hamlet, actively serving the people and participating in many local cultural and social events.

In 2011, following the city's policy, the Vinh Tan Ward Folk Song Club was established, with the core being the Phuc Tan hamlet's performing arts group, comprising 43 members. This was also the first folk song club of the Vi and Giam genres established in Vinh City. As the club's chairperson, artisan Hoang Thi Cam Van independently researched and collected original melodies, staged programs, studied props, designed scenes for performances, and trained members in singing.

In addition, to attract more young talents to the club, Ms. Van also visited primary and secondary schools in the ward, collaborating with music teachers to search for potential young singers, and then went to the children's families to persuade parents to let their children participate in the club's activities.

Under the leadership of Ms. Hoang Thi Cam Van, the club regularly participates in many cultural programs and competitions at the city and provincial levels, winning numerous awards. In particular, the club won top prizes in all four editions of the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival in 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Furthermore, the club is frequently invited to perform at cultural events in the city, such as night markets and pedestrian streets; and in cultural exchange activities between Vinh City and districts and towns within the province, as well as with sister cities both domestically and internationally.

In 2013, the Vinh Tan Ward Folk Song Club was recognized as a provincial-level model. In 2015, artisan Hoang Thi Cam Van was honored as an Outstanding Artisan. In the story, Ms. Van expressed her deep concern about maintaining and developing the Vinh Tan Ward Folk Song Club in particular, and preserving and promoting the value of folk songs in general: “Compared to the initial more than 40 members, the number of members of the club has gradually decreased, now only more than 30. The reason is that many people, although still passionate and dedicated to folk songs, are old and frail, so they cannot continue participating, while attracting new members is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Furthermore, although the Provincial People's Council has passed a resolution on support policies for People's Artists, Distinguished Artists, and clubs in the field of intangible cultural heritage, effective from January 1, 2022, folk song and <i>ví giặm</i> clubs have yet to receive the support funds. Meanwhile, the clubs' funding mainly relies on voluntary contributions from their members...

"I've always wondered how to raise funds so the club can hold regular activities, and whether young people will still maintain their passion when they have to worry about their daily lives…," Ms. Hoang Thi Cam Van confided.

Minh Quan