Building cultural people in Uncle Ho's homeland

(Baonghean) - During a working session with the District Party Committee and People's Committee of Nam Dan district, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Ho Duc Phoc emphasized: "We must build a cultured people in Uncle Ho's homeland worthy of the title of this land". Currently, the district is continuing to implement the Project "Building the cultural identity of Nam Dan people in the new period" and is being widely implemented throughout the district. Accordingly, each locality chooses its own, creative and practical way of doing things...

Visiting Kim Lien on an autumn day, just arriving at the gate of Sen 3 village, I heard a soulful singing voice: "Coming here is really crowded, greeting the men will offend the women, and greeting the gentlemen will scare the boatmen", it turns out, this is a daily love singing session in the village. Singing vi is not only for performance but also a need to satisfy one's passion, to communicate with each other and with friends from other villages. In the singing group, I especially paid attention to the old man with white hair. He is Tran Van Tu, 87 years old this year but still lucid, especially his vi voice is still clear and soulful.

Since childhood, he followed Mrs. Hoang Thi An's troupe (sister of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan, mother of President Ho Chi Minh) to watch the troupe's dialogue performances everywhere, and witnessed the witty dialogues between Mrs. An and contemporary scholars such as Phan Boi Chau, Vice-Chancellor Le Nguyen Khai, and Bachelor Le Dinh Sach. Mr. Tu said that the people of Nam Dan in the past were very addicted to green tea, and every night they gathered to drink green tea at the house of a fabric guild artisan to discuss about singing vi and duets, to find ways to correct and "defeat" the other party. Or many times, over a pot of green tea, family and neighborhood disputes were resolved, and even experiences in farming were spread widely. Therefore, the village and neighborhood relationships became more closely connected.

Kim Lien Fabric Guild Club performs on Lam River. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Inheriting those quintessential features, the people of Sen and Chua villages in Kim Lien commune today have many unique features compared to other villages, from the way of behaving, responding, and communicating. While following the winding asphalt road to find the house of Village Chief Nguyen Thi Huong in Sen 3 village, the young shop owner from the large grocery store at the intersection ran out enthusiastically, smiling: "Whose house is this? Come with me, or you'll get lost." When leaving, having to stop the car to send a news report to the editorial office, an elderly woman passed by and leaned in: "Are you a journalist? Come in and do some green tea"... feeling warm and close. That much is enough to understand that the village of 117 households, although there are only more than 30 households doing services and commerce and are used to responding and communicating with outsiders, seems to have the elegant scholarly character in the farmers who stick to the fields all year round, with mud on their hands and feet.

Building a new cultural people, of the new rural villages, the most prominent is Nam Cat commune located in the South of Nam Dan district. The Party Secretary of the commune, Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh proudly said: If talking about the culture of Nam Dan people in the new period, Nam Cat people probably have the most advantages, hard-working, hospitable and generous. Following the instructions of the Party Secretary of the commune, we met the Head of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thuan My hamlet - Mr. Nguyen Trong Sy, he said: "In the past few days, the hamlet has been organizing a summer camp and also to celebrate August 19, it has just been launched but every household has volunteered to contribute. Just building inter-village roads and synchronous cultural institutions to complete 19 new rural criteria, some households have even donated tens of millions of dong.

Then Mr. Sy boasted: "We Nam Cat people always consider humanity as important as the couplets my father left behind: The pillars of humanity build new foundations / The past is passed down today, they continue to be strong and lasting." Not only Thuan My but all 12 hamlets in Nam Cat always maintain a warm, fragrant and affectionate village tradition. Every 10-12 households in a hamlet form a self-governing group, and these groups consider the work of member households as their own family's work, sharing delicious food, helping each other when in difficulty. The kindness of Nam Cat people is also known from the campaigns for the "For the Poor" Fund, with typical examples such as Ms. Nguyen Thi Van and Nguyen Thi Sam in My Thuong hamlet, although they do not have a pension, they have saved hundreds of millions of dong to contribute to various funds.

Implementing Resolution No. 23 on tourism development in Nam Dan district for the period 2012 - 2015 with a view to 2020. Party committees and authorities at all levels have deployed to each block, hamlet and residential area the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life", focusing on the movement to build Cultural Families, Cultural Villages and Cultural Units. Up to now, the whole district has 31,930 households recognized as cultural families, accounting for 83%. In which, the movement to build "Cultural Villages" and "Cultural Units" has developed, gradually increasing in both quality and quantity. This movement is contributing to creating a positive direction for localities. Creating cultural standards and cultural lifestyles that gradually permeate each person, each family, each collective.

The district is currently continuing to implement the Project "Building the cultural identity of Nam Dan people in the new period" which was issued in 2006 and has been widely deployed throughout the district. Accordingly, each locality chooses its own, creative and practical way of doing things. For example, Nam Cat chooses to promote the spirit of mutual love and affection, Kim Lien chooses to build a new cultural life in communication and behavior, or Nam Thanh chooses to commit to implementing conventions and village rules. In short, it is to create a new appearance, new people, creating attraction and a strong impression for tourists when returning to the common homeland.

Discussing the cultural people of Nam Dan, the late Associate Professor Ninh Viet Giao wrote: "That is bravery, silence, patience, no embellishment, loyalty, integrity, complete loyalty, valuing righteousness over money, straightforwardness, and readiness to sacrifice oneself for a greater cause." That characteristic has created a stable and lasting cultural nuance that leaves a deep impression on those who come to Nam Dan today.

Khoi Nguyen