Does Nghe An province have conical hats adorned with poems?
Besides heroic songs about the national liberation war, there are also many touching lyrical songs such as "Sending You a Conical Hat with a Poem" by composer Le Viet Hoa, set to music the poem of the same name by author Son Tung.The song was very popular among the people and was on the list of winners of the Vietnam Musicians Association and Vietnam Television in the songwriting competition celebrating the victory of April 30th after the liberation of South Vietnam.
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The conical hat of Nghe An province. |
Composer Lê Việt Hoà had to seek help from writer Sơn Tùng, a native of Nghệ An and author of the poem. Here's the gist of Sơn Tùng's explanation to composer Lê Việt Hoà: "It's true that your song and my poem mention the conical hat of Nghệ An. But someone said that only Huế has these hats, which isn't entirely true. Please listen to the following folk song, the folk song about a wedding challenge:"
I am the daughter of a wealthy family.
My parents demanded a beautiful dowry.
I'll marry you with a hundred pieces of brocade.
One thousand gems,
twenty-eight stars in the sky
The golden tray holds enough for a hundred couples.
Silver medicine tube, gold lime tube
Buy a four-horse carriage to take over.
To have the officials from the bride's family escort the bride.
Three hundred conical hats worn on heads.
Each person has a really pretty Chinese-style fan!
Thus, the "Nghe hat" is a type of hat worn by young women, especially those accompanying the bride, very graceful, and has existed for a long time, associated with folk songs and fairy tales. Hue, on the other hand, has only been the capital of Vietnam since the beginning of the 19th century. And as the capital, specialties from all regions had to be brought to the capital to present to the king and the court. Naturally, when the Nghe hat arrived in Hue, it was elevated to a higher level. Therefore, it's difficult to judge who "copied" whose specialty?!
And Son Tung told Le Viet Hoa to explain it that way in the newspaper. Composer Le Viet Hoa did as instructed, and after that, no one said anything about the song or the poem anymore. The beautiful song "Sending You a Conical Hat with a Poem" has endured through the years, even to this day.
In my opinion, writer Son Tung's explanation is somewhat reasonable. And speaking of this, I've been thinking: Nghe An province is often one of the places where new ideas originate, creating new products, both tangible and intangible, many of which have become famous national "brands" such as Nam Dan soy sauce, Van Phan fish sauce, Trung Luong blacksmithing, Thai Yen carpentry (tangible products), folk singing, boatman's songs... (intangible products).
However, many ideas and products originating from Nghe An province are not given adequate attention in terms of preservation, continuation, and improvement, resulting in them becoming trademarks of other regions with minimal upgrades, like the "Nghe An conical hat" we just mentioned. While this is understandable, it would be better if we strived to make it a trademark of Nghe An. Today, tourists visiting Hue almost always buy a conical hat; some even buy dozens as souvenirs.
And the conical hat has transcended the boundaries of our country, reaching many distant lands, introducing to international friends the softness and charm of Vietnam. This should have happened in Nghe An province, as the Nghe An hat has long been famous. If this were to happen, Nghe An would not only benefit economically and socially in the short term, but the "Nghe An hat" would also become a long-lasting cultural product, enabling Nghe An to compete and integrate successfully in this "flat world." The responsibility rests with all of us!
Teacher Tran Thuc Tuong
