I yearn for the folk songs and melodies of my homeland.

On the last day of 2021, during a trip "back to the roots" to the Thanh Chuong district, a region known for its folk songs along the Lam River, the Song Lam Folk Song Association, with over 50 members, held a very meaningful gathering. They sang folk songs like "The Boat and the Wharf" and "My Homeland Nghe An" with sweet and poignant melodies.

Folk song suite "Homeland in the Heart of Man". Photo: Thanh Nga

Many members felt like they were reliving their childhood, reminiscing about nights spent singing folk songs with their grandmothers and mothers, or rowing boats with their fathers during spring festivals. Ms. Hoang Van, an outstanding artisan from Vinh Tan textile ward (Vinh City), believes that these gatherings allow members to sing to satisfy their passion, nurturing their love for folk music that they often neglect due to the demands of daily life.

A performance of the Ví and Giặm folk songs at the "Homeland in the Heart of the People" program. Photo: Đình Tuyên.

Returning to Thanh Chuong means returning to the melodies of the old folk songs of the weaving quarters, which now seem to permeate the lives of the farmers here. Ms. Ngan Hoa, a member of the Song Lam Folk Song Association, said: "Normally, when we're making rice paper rolls to take to the Ro market, we challenge each other to come up with verses that suit the scene, creating spontaneous and heartfelt responses. It's so much fun!" Ms. Hoa shared that spreading the love of folk songs is how we bring them into life, allowing them to flow naturally in the veins of each person.

The Lam River folk singing group on a pilgrimage to spread the art of Vi and Giam singing at Thanh Chuong Tea Island. Photo: Huy Thu.

For almost a year now, the Lam River Folk Song Association has been diligently searching for harmony between the stage and life within the flow of folk songs from their homeland. From there, they have incorporated rustic folk melodies such as boat rowing songs, ferry songs, and songs of advice and songs of flowers into their activities and outings, reviving, to some extent, the atmosphere of folk songs from the past.

The Song Lam Folk Song Association hopes to ignite passion and spread the art of Vi and Giam singing throughout the community. Photo: Huy Thu

However, what they are doing is merely an effort to rekindle love and passion for folk songs, and to understand the precious heritage of folk music in contemporary life. Distinguished artist Nguyen Manh Cuong, Chairman of the Do Luong District Folk Song Club, said: "Although we were established in 1994 and have had many successful activities and won numerous major awards, we still feel we haven't done much to expand and spread it. The spread of folk music must truly become a natural part of people's daily lives and activities. The more people who can sing folk songs, practice folk song call-and-response, and the more activities in neighborhood groups there are, the more effective the spread will be."

A suite of folk songs performed at the "Homeland Folk Songs in the Heart of the People" program. Photo: Thanh Nga

That's certainly true, because besides the people who have the mission to spread folk music, the approach to folk music requires a new performance space, one outside the stage, beyond the velvet curtain and colored lights. The performance space for folk music is the key element that makes folk music honored and deeply ingrained in each person. It could be a folk song sung along the Lam River, as performed by the Hung Tan Folk Song Club during festivals; it could be the setting of a folk song tent organized on anniversaries or major holidays along the banks of the Lam River. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tam, Chairman of the Hung Tan Folk Song Club, said: "To have a performance, we must arrange the acts and performances in a well-rehearsed manner, and the performers are naturally proficient. This creates a beautiful and visually appealing stage, and we get to hear familiar songs that have become ingrained in our ears." But what we need is for every person who comes to listen to be able to sing and recite the verses; only then will we be successful.

That is the concern in the journey of "returning" the heritage to the people, by passing it on to the younger generation. People's Artist Trinh Hong Luu once said, we are striving to make folk songs more sophisticated, theatrical, or artistic, and of course, this is very necessary. But what we need most is to make folk songs permeate life, becoming a natural part of it, so that wherever we go, we can hear the faint echoes of a folk song or a traditional melody...

A suite of folk songs about the Mother of Lang Sen Village. Photo: Thanh Nga

Stage adaptation and enhancement of heritage is how we preserve and promote it, bringing it across the globe so that it can be adapted and integrated into the contemporary flow. That's why folk operas are honored on the golden plaques of traditional theater. That's why artists dedicate their lives to the elegance of folk songs. And on that red carpet stage, we meet renowned figures who sang folk songs in their childhood; we see revolutionary currents conveyed through folk music. But this is "laid a foundation from borrowings of other forms, the rhythmic chants and persuasive singing of Cheo (traditional Vietnamese opera) transformed; and then, step by step, along the way, short plays, long plays, and plays with dramatic plot twists like 'The Girl of the Lam River' and 'The Words of the Nation' become 'classics' preserved for a long time in the minds of viewers...", said artist Thanh Luu, former Head of the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Troupe.

Stepping onto the stage amidst the hustle and bustle of life, artists, artisans, and even those "outsiders" with a burning love for the folk melodies of their homeland are striving to fulfill their mission: to spread it. They find new ways to gather and converse through folk songs, anywhere, anytime, with the hope that folk music will naturally spread to everyone, in every space. "Now, we absolutely must apply Industry 4.0 technology to bring folk music into every corner of life, to every person and every generation. It's difficult, but we, who are no longer young but yearn to live life to the fullest, will do this," shared Nguyen Thanh Ngan, an official at the Hung Nguyen District Cultural Center and Chairman of the Song Lam Folk Song Association.