Echoes of Muong

In the middle of the Tan Son mountain range ( Phu Tho ), where the sound of babbling streams blends with the echoing sound of gongs, the simple Vi and Rang singing melodies of the Muong people have been resounding for generations. They are not only the sounds of the village but also the soul of culture, the “spiritual food” imbued with the religious life and soul of the people in the mountainous region.

In Kiet Son commune, Tan Son district, there is a woman who has devoted almost her entire life to preserving and spreading those sounds - Mrs. Ha Thi Tien, Head of the Commune Folk Arts Club. With her passionate love and intense passion, she has become a silent but steadfast "fire keeper" for Muong folk songs that are gradually fading away over time.

According to Mrs. Tien, the Muong ethnic group has many unique folk melodies such as Vi singing, Rang singing, and Lullaby singing... Among them, Vi and Rang are two popular genres with rich artistic value, reflecting the daily life, beliefs, and feelings of the Muong people. The origin of these Vi and Rang melodies comes from the land-birth and water-birth melodies of the Muong people.

Ms. Ha Thi Tien and Ms. Ha Thi Thuy performed the song "Visiting Hung Temple" at the Hung Temple Festival 2025.

From those traditional melodies, Mrs. Tien has diligently composed nearly 50 modified Vi songs, incorporating content about the homeland, country, and people of Tan Son such as: Que huong doi moi, Ve tham Den Hung, Bat tranh que minh... One of the typical works is the song Ve tham Den Hung, written by her with simple words but imbued with pride and gratitude to ancestors.

The journey to preserve cultural beauty is not easy. Because Muong folk songs are mainly transmitted orally, without clear written records, artists need to have a good memory and be flexible in composing or editing songs to suit each student.

Faced with the reality that young people are increasingly less interested in traditional values ​​due to the influence of social networks and modern culture, Mrs. Tien is always concerned about how to preserve the Vi and Rang dances and songs from being lost. With all her passion and responsibility, she has researched, collected, and compiled the ancient lyrics, and taught them to the younger generation as well as local people.

The fruit is also handmade by Ms. Ha Thi Tien to serve the art performances.

Mrs. Ha Thi Tien teaches Vi and Rang singing to local people.

As an excellent student of artist Ha Thi Tien, Ms. Ha Thi Thuy (Kiet Son commune, Tan Son district) has now become one of the "fire keepers" of the art of singing Vi and singing Rang of the Muong ethnic group.

Ms. Ha Thi Thuy said: "Vi and Rang singing are considered the simple spiritual food of the Muong ethnic group, indispensable in daily life. I was taught Vi and Rang singing by Ms. Tien 20 years ago."

Ms. Thuy also said that to sing a Vi or Rang song well, the singer not only needs technique but also must have emotion and understand Muong culture. With Rang than songs, each sentence, each word is poignant and full of love. Such songs cannot be memorized, but must be absorbed and lived with.

For many years, Ms. Thuy and Ms. Tien have actively participated in teaching folk song classes organized by the commune, and regularly performed at festivals and cultural events of the district and province. Not only that, Ms. Thuy also collected and recorded the lyrics of ancient songs passed down by the elders in the village, making a valuable contribution to the local folklore archive.

“I hope that today's youth will love and be proud of their national singing, like Mrs. Tien and I were raised with Vi and Rang songs in the past,” Ms. Thuy shared, her eyes sparkling with faith.

In the current context, when many traditional cultural forms are at risk of being lost, the efforts to preserve them like those of Mrs. Ha Thi Tien and Mrs. Ha Thi Thuy become even more valuable. With their passionate love for their homeland, their dedication and responsibility, the two ladies not only preserve traditional melodies but also spread the love of Muong culture to many generations.

The people of Kiet Son still call Mrs. Tien and Mrs. Thuy with the affectionate name: "The keeper of the Vi and Rang souls of the Muong village". It is people like Mrs. Tien - quietly but persistently - who have been lighting up hope for the journey of preserving the national cultural heritage, so that the Vi and Rang songs can penetrate every mountainside, through the stilt houses, through the hearts of those who love Muong culture, forever resounding in the great Tan Son forest:

"My hometown has nine mountains and ten hills.

The great culture of the cradle of Viet Muong

Going far away is missing home

Remember the small stream, the banyan tree path

Remembering a long poem

Muong village opens the festival with gong sounds

The sound of pounding rice echoed

Mo Muong new dance with drum and gong concert..."

Bao Nhu

Source: https://baophutho.vn/am-vang-ban-muong-231061.htm