From a village girl who loved folk singing to the title of People's Artist.

Passion and enthusiasm

Born into a family and village with a tradition of singing.folk songsThe melodies and sweet lullabies of her mother embraced and soothed her from the time she was in the cradle. Ngoc Son village, with its picturesque scenery, the Lam River, Nguoc Mountain, and ancient communal house, is also the cradle of the folk singing movement.

Her childhood, spent tending buffaloes and cutting grass, was filled with the melodious folk songs: "Who knows whether the waters of the Lam River are clear or muddy? Who knows whether life is shameful or glorious..." It was this artistic atmosphere that ignited in the heart of this simple country girl, by the banks of the Lam River, a burning love for folk music.

When she was the captain of the school's performing arts team at the junior high school, "hearing about the opportunity to sing was already exciting." As a young adult, she became a key member of the cooperative's performing arts team, and her family, and later her husband's family, continued to support her participation in cultural and artistic activities.

She gradually became a collaborator with the Cultural Center, the Head of the Folk Song Club of Ngoc Son commune, a member of the Thanh Chuong District Literature and Arts Association, and the Nghe An Provincial Folk Arts Association…

People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van. Photo: Provided by the artist.

Throughout her career, her naturally sweet and soulful voice, combined with diligent training and learning from senior artists and performers, has helped her achieve considerable success and accumulate valuable knowledge and experience.

Not content with just performing folk songs, she actively stayed close to the local area, collecting ancient lyrics and melodies, writing new lyrics for these melodies; composing folk song skits and short plays, staging programs… to serve clubs, organizations, associations, schools, clans, etc.

Her works focus on expressing her love for folk songs, for leaders, and for her homeland; they also promptly reflect specific political and social tasks in the locality (new rural development, traffic safety, family planning, etc.).

At 57 years old, having dedicated decades to folk music, she has written so much that she can't even remember how many works she has written and staged. Some of her representative works that have won awards at various festivals include...Teaching folk songs; Telling stories about Uncle Ho's love for folk melodies; I love the folk songs of my homeland; Preventing drowning; Stories of farmers…Recently, she has had two outstanding works about her hometown that have received much praise:A song of pride for our homeland, Thanh Chuong; Thanh Chuong, a land of beautiful scenery.

People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van (second from the right) and other folk singers from the province perform love songs on Cau Cau irrigation lake. Photo: Huy Thu.

Besides collecting, composing, and performing, she also undertakes the task of transmitting folk song heritage to the community through the activities of folk song clubs, exchange sessions, and training courses organized by the district's cultural and population center. Among the hundreds of students from various generations whom she has directly taught, many have become teachers, artisans, and participate in teaching folk songs.

Over the years, she has participated in speaking, singing, and teaching folk songs at several preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools in the district, hoping to ignite a love for the folk songs of Nghe Tinh in the children. She hopes that Nghe Tinh folk songs will soon be included in the curriculum of schools, so that all students can access and learn about the heritage of their homeland.

Despite facing numerous difficulties in her family life, business (farming, running a shop, renting out performance services), and artistic activities, she persevered through her efforts, passion, and enthusiasm, always embodying the spirit of singing. In the early days of the Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club (2009), she actively recruited members and sought funding from organizations and individuals to maintain its activities.

People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van and her fellow performers. Photo: Huy Thu

Currently, the club, chaired by her, continues to operate regularly, effectively serving the needs of the people and the political objectives of the locality. Under her leadership, the Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club is one of the leading clubs in Thanh Chuong district, participating in many provincial, inter-provincial, and national folk song festivals.

She and the Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club have won many top prizes (A, B, First, Second, Third), and received numerous Certificates of Merit and Commendations from the Organizing Committee of the Nghe An - Ha Tinh Inter-provincial Folk Song Festival, the People's Committee of Nghe An province, Thanh Chuong district, etc.

The Ngoc Son Commune Folk Song Club has toured extensively in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and several other provinces and cities, connecting different heritage regions and contributing to the spread of folk songs and images of the homeland to people in many rural areas across the country.

An honor and a heavy responsibility.

For her contributions, in 2015, she was honored by the State with the title of Outstanding Artisan, marking a milestone in the journey of "Artist Van" in her dedication to the folk songs of the Ví and Giặm genres.

In recent years, every summer, she has also opened folk song classes at her home, attracting many children from the district to participate. She uses her living room as a space to teach the children. What's special is that the students in this class don't have to pay tuition fees.

Every year during the summer, artist Hong Van usually opens free folk singing classes at her home. Photo: Huy Thu

Along with teaching singing at clubs, performing arts groups, and schools, she sees free folk song classes at her home as a way to help ignite a love for the Vietnamese folk music genre in the younger generation, so that they can continue, preserve, and spread the cultural heritage of their ancestors.

During the process of "nurturing young talents," she promptly discovered and nurtured several children with beautiful singing voices, encouraging them to continue their studies and apply to professional schools. Currently, she is also the Head of the Committee for the Establishment of the Song Lam Folk Song Club in Thanh Chuong District.

Recently, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed decisions conferring and posthumously awarding the State honorary titles of "People's Artisan" and "Outstanding Artisan" to 628 artisans who have made outstanding contributions to preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of the nation.

According to Decision No. 1020/QD-CTN, Ms. Vo Thi Hong Van has been awarded the title of "People's Artisan" in the field of folk performing arts, and is the first artisan in Nghe An province to receive this title.

The happiness of People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van and her husband. Photo: Huy Thu

Sharing her joy at being awarded the title of People's Artisan by the State, artisan Vo Thi Hong Van excitedly said: "After all my passion and efforts for the cause of preserving, transmitting, and spreading the Vi Giam folk songs, I have been awarded the title of People's Artisan by the State."

"This is an extremely prestigious award, a great source of encouragement for a folk artist. Along with the honor and pride, I feel my responsibility has become even heavier, and I need to strive even harder to continue contributing to the community."

Her biggest concern right now is the worry that the Ví Giặm folk songs will fade away over time. Ms. Vân believes that after Ví Giặm folk songs were recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the activities of folk song clubs at the grassroots level seem to have stagnated. Therefore, relevant departments at all levels need to take steps to promote the folk song singing movement, especially at the grassroots level, in wards, communes, and schools, to develop to a new level.

People's Artist Vo Thi Hong Van is currently the head of the committee for establishing the Song Lam folk singing club in Thanh Chuong district. Photo: Huy Thu

Her family home, situated along National Highway 46, is filled with the daily sounds of laughter and conversation from relatives, friends, and students, as they exchange and discuss stories related to folk music. The living room of her newly built, spacious two-story house is adorned with numerous certificates and awards she has received.

Her family has generations of folk singers. Her mother, Le Thi Vinh, is an Outstanding Artisan, and her husband and four children all enjoy singing folk songs. Previously, several performances at provincial-level festivals won awards, all performed by her family. The Hong Van family was once awarded the title "Family with many generations of artisans participating in the club" by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Behind the image of a hardworking wife and mother, caring for her family, husband, and children, she dedicates almost all of her remaining time to folk music, as her relatives once admitted, "Mother spends all day, eats, sleeps, and breathes folk music." Every night, she often stays up late, sometimes waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning to compose lyrics for her heartfelt folk songs.

She confided: "I will continue the work I have been doing for so long, and I will find every way, in every form, to contribute to preserving, transmitting, and promoting the Ví Giặm folk songs. I have many dreams, but for now, I am nurturing the idea of ​​writing a 'long-form' performance about Thanh Chương tea island to promote tourism for my hometown and participate in the upcoming provincial Ví Giặm folk song festival."

Speaking about the veteran artisan of his hometown, Mr. Dang Van Hoa - Head of the Culture and Information Department of Thanh Chuong district, said: Ms. Vo Thi Hong Van being awarded the title of "People's Artisan" by the President of Vietnam is an honor and a source of pride for Thanh Chuong district - the cradle of Nghe Tinh folk songs, an intangible cultural heritage of humanity recognized by UNESCO.

I believe and hope that in the future, People's Artisan Vo Thi Hong Van will fully utilize her abilities, intellect, and enthusiasm, together with her colleagues.Folk Song ClubThe Lam River in Thanh Chuong district brings folk songs and melodies to the public more widely; in coordination with the Education sector, folk songs are introduced into schools, contributing to the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage in the district.