To let folk songs and folk songs last forever with human culture

Vi and Giam – Heritage Journey

On November 27, 2014, when the gavel of the President of the appraisal council, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO sounded in Paris - France, everyone burst into joy when their homeland's folk cultural heritage was listed and recognized.

This November 2024, exactly 10 yearsfolk songsNghe Tinh was recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This recognition not only honors the stature and cultural values ​​of regional identity, the soul of Nghe Tinh - the source of love for the land and people of Nghe, but also honors generations of Nghe Tinh people who have created and cultivated a cultural heritage that has gone down in human history.

Regardless of when Vi and Giam were formed, regardless of the ups and downs of history, and the times when they were forgotten, the lasting vitality of a cultural product born from folklore, along with the efforts of the Party Committee, the government, and the artisans who have devoted their lives to their homeland's folk songs, has yielded sweet results. From then on, Vi and Giam will turn a new page, receiving proper attention, preservation, and promotion. The Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, relevant sectors, the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, and the entire community of Nghe An will have more responsibility in making Vi and Giam better, integrating, spreading, and developing with the times.

In the past 10 years, along with the investment of resources (both human resources and funding) to restore, collect and research ancient Vi Giam folk songs, the Nghe An - Ha Tinh cultural sector has had long-term programs and projects for the development of representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Not only searching, discovering, nurturing and nurturing Vi Giam folk song talents to pass on and inherit, the province has also had many more policies to encourage and create conditions for Vi Giam clubs to form and develop. Currently, the whole province has 130 Vi Giam folk song clubs and 48 recognized Vi Giam folk song artists.

Along with organizing annual competitions and festivals of Vi and Giam folk songs, the Department of Culture also coordinates with the Department of Education and Training to bring folk songs into schools, organize student competitions with Vi and Giam folk songs; build performance spaces, invest in developing the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Vi and Giam folk songs; organize competitions to compose folk melodies, promptly commend and honor artists and artisans who have contributed to Vi and Giam folk songs.

These efforts have helped Nghe Tinh folk songs gain a more solid foothold in contemporary life, making the unique cultural heritage of Nghe An known to many people, especially friends in all regions of the country and abroad.

Wallets and folk songs in the contemporary cultural flow

10 years, a journey that is not long but is enough for the two provinces of Nghe An - Ha Tinh to look back on the past, draw valuable lessons in preserving and promoting the world's cultural heritage, from which to have a longer strategy and plan for the development of Vi and Giam in the contemporary cultural flow.

Ví and Giặm are the common heritage of the people of Nghệ Tĩnh, the source of cultural history and the nurturing of the character of Nghệ An people. Therefore, to celebrate the important milestone – 10 years of being recognized by UNESCO, Nghệ An – Hà Tĩnh will jointly organize many exciting cultural activities from November 22-30, 2024.

In Nghe An, from November 22, 2024, the Provincial Cultural Center will open the exhibition "Colors of Cultural Heritage", nature and traditional Vietnamese handicrafts", the opening ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. on November 23, 2024 and will be broadcast live on digital channels of Nghe An Radio and Television Station, expanding the exhibition space to Ho Tung Mau walking street connecting Ho Chi Minh Square. This is an activity organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with Nghe An province. Along with that, the activities of the Traditional Folk Art Festival "Vietnam - Colors of Heritage"; Art Exchange "Return to Heritage"; Art Exchange "Young Life"; Mass Art Exchange "Return to Nghe An" will take place continuously from November 22-25, 2024 at the Provincial Cultural Center.

Especially at 8:10 p.m. on November 23, 2024, at Ho Chi Minh Square, the 10th Anniversary of Cultural Heritage and the Art program "Vi, Giam - Shining Soul of the Country" will be held and broadcast live on NTV, digital platforms of Nghe An Radio and Television Station and rebroadcast on channels and waves of many Radio and Television Stations across the country. In addition to honoring outstanding artisans and artists... who have made positive contributions to the preservation and development of Vi, Giam heritage over the past 10 years, the Art program "Vi, Giam - Shining Soul of the Country" with 3 chapters: Soul of the Country; Vi, Giam Raises Talents and Convergence and Shining has the participation of famous People's Artists and Meritorious Artists such as: Pham Phuong Thao, Vu Thang Loi, Minh Thanh, Minh Thong, Thanh Vinh, Que Thuong and many other art troupes. Hope to leave a deep impression on the audience and the majority of people who love Nghe Tinh folk songs.

A special highlight in the series of activities celebrating the 10th anniversary of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs being honored is the art television bridge "Doi bo vi and Giam" jointly implemented by the People's Committee, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Radio and Television Station 2 of Nghe An - Ha Tinh provinces. The red thread running through is the source of traditional folk culture flowing through the history of formation and development of Nghe An.

The art television bridge will have 3 parts: Part I "Sediments of Nghe An", along with the space for performing folk songs and ancient lyrics, is a narrative report about the land of ancient and spiritual people - Nghe Tinh, where there is Hong mountain, Lam river - the cradle of traditional culture, a red revolutionary address but also famous in history with the sediments and very unique cultural capital of the Central region.

Part II “Heritage Journey” will be about the efforts of the Party Committee, the government and generations of people of Nghe Tinh in preserving and promoting the value of Vi and Giam folk songs in the past 10 years. Along with the reportage, the songs of the fusion between ancient and modern, there will also be exchanges with folk artists, generations of artists and singers who pass on and continue Vi and Giam folk songs.

Part III “Let the source flow forever” will aim for a fresher, younger pace of life, where Vi and Giam folk songs are developed in both form and content to suit and adapt to contemporary life. An inevitable trend for Vi and Giam – a folk cultural heritage to be protected and have a lasting vitality among people, and at the same time be able to take off and spread far and wide.

Nghe An - Ha Tinh TV bridge "Doi bo vi, giam" will air at 8:10 p.m. on November 27, 2024 with the participation of many famous artists and singers such as: People's Artist Hong Luu; Meritorious Artist Que Thuong; singers Bui Le Man, Ha Quynh Nhu; First prize winner of Sao Mai in Nghe An 2024 Thu Ha...

In addition, in Ha Tinh during the Vi and Giam Folk Song Festival week, there are also activities such as: Workshop to evaluate the work of preserving and promoting the value of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk song heritage; Festival to perform intangible cultural heritages of Vietnam recognized by UNESCO...

For example, Nghe Tinh Giam has a latent vitality just like its creator, and vice versa, this folk cultural heritage is the source of creation, enrichment and nurturing of the spiritual character of Nghe An people. In order for the cultural heritage not to be lost or forgotten but to last forever with the nation and human culture, in addition to the efforts of generations of artists and artisans to transmit and inherit, there needs to be proper investment of talent. And to preserve, promote and develop a folk cultural product, the responsibility belongs to no one person./.

Thanh Huyen