Good teacher

Born in An Khanh commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province, a land rich in revolutionary and artistic traditions, Nguyen Thi Thao (born in 1981) is the fourth child in a family of four siblings. Her childhood was closely associated with the sound of the guitar and the simple vọng cổ through the singing of her mother, Mrs. Dang Thi Chien, a performer during the resistance war. It was her mother's artistic blood that was passed on and deeply ingrained in Thao's soul from a young age.

In 1990, the family moved to Ca Mau to start a business. As a teenager, Thao studied pedagogy. In 1999, she started working at Ham Rong Primary School. Two years later, she graduated from Ca Mau Pedagogical College. Not stopping there, she continued her cultural education, then studied at a distance university under the program of Hanoi Pedagogical University, and completed her university degree in 2008.

During more than 20 years of teaching, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao has always been loved by her colleagues for her sincerity, simplicity and her heart that always aches for her beloved students. Not only teaching, she teaches her students with love, patience and love for her homeland and country.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Thao enthusiastically guides students of Class 3B during class at Ham Rong Primary School, where she has been dedicated to teaching for more than 20 years in the land at the end of the Fatherland.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Thao enthusiastically guides students of Class 3B during class at Ham Rong Primary School, where she has been dedicated to teaching for more than 20 years in the land at the end of the Fatherland.

Mr. Vo Hoang Tu, Vice Principal of Ham Rong Primary School, commented: “Ms. Thao is an excellent teacher at the district and provincial levels. Not only is she good at her subject, she is also very enthusiastic in supporting her colleagues and is always proactive in the school's movement activities. Outside of class, she is passionate about the art of composing reformed opera.”

Silently keeping the flame of traditional art alive

Perhaps not many people know that, after her ordinary class hours, teacher Thao is also a famous traditional song composer in Ca Mau with the simple pen name Ly Bong Dua. She explained: “Dua is the symbol of my hometown - Ben Tre, and Ly is a typical style in Cai Luong. When choosing a pen name, I thought of my hometown with the smooth song Ly Bong Dua. So the name Ly Bong Dua was born from 2018 until now”.

What is special about Ms. Thao is that her compositions do not originate from joy but from personal concerns. A hard life, a difficult family situation, and a bumpy love life caused her many sleepless nights, and she turned to reformed opera as a way to express her feelings. The sad and poignant melodies paved the way for her passion for writing lyrics. At first, she wrote 5-7 songs per month, then gradually increased as she gained the admiration of the public and artists.

One of the biggest turning points was when her talent was discovered by composer Dang Minh, author of the famous cai luong play "The Ma Nguu Case". From an amateur writer, Ms. Thao was guided and trained to spread her wings and fly far in the writing world. Her traditional songs gradually appeared on YouTube channels, karaoke, radio and television... To date, she has written more than 500 traditional songs, performed by many famous artists such as: Chau Thanh, Cam Tien, Phuong Hang, People's Artist Hoa Phuong, Vo Ngoc Quyen, Ho Minh Duong... and many young artists such as Chuong Vang Vong Co, Bong Lua Vang.

Not stopping at solo songs, she also wrote cai luong plays and long plays. Notably, the play "Anh sang soi duong" (in collaboration with Meritorious Artist Tien Duong), the play "Duyen lat tinh xuan" broadcast on VOH Radio and the play "Die vi tinh" performed at Saigon Drama Theater. Each work contains a profound humanistic spirit, incorporating messages about morality, humanity and patriotism.

Ms. Thao shares her new compositions with her mother.

Ms. Thao shares her new compositions with her mother.

Currently, Ms. Thao is nurturing a cai luong play called "Lightning", about the journey to find the filming characters in historical battles in Ca Mau, such as on the Tam Giang River or Lung La - Nha The. This is an epic art project, which is receiving attention and support from the functional departments of Ca Mau province. It is known that the play "Lightning" has completed the script, is receiving attention from the leaders; the direction is to release the play in the near future, an art performance, a documentary that proves the heroic history of the province.

Without her own stage, without making a living from art, Ms. Thao has an admirable passion for her profession. Every morning she goes to class to teach the children. Every afternoon she comes home to cook for her elderly mother and daughter. At night, by the light, at her desk, she lets her soul drift to the songs that carry the breath of her homeland.

She confided: “I didn’t study music theory formally, nor did I know how to play an instrument. But every word of vọng cổ seems to be in my blood, flowing from my heart.” She added about her small joy: “Someone commented on YouTube that listening to this traditional song made me miss my mother and my hometown. That alone is enough to warm my heart.”

Since 2019, Ms. Thao has been a member of the Ca Mau Province Literature and Arts Association. In 2024, she was admitted to the Vietnam Theater Association, an important milestone recognizing her contribution to the art of reformed opera.

Her achievements are not only limited to the number of works or the reputation in the art world, but also clearly demonstrated through the quality of her compositions. In the “Chung mot co do” contest organized by the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, two of her works won prizes: “Khuc tri am” won the A prize and “Neo dong liet su” won the B prize, with the content praising the resilience of the people of Ca Mau during the resistance war, the loyalty in love between couples combined with the ideal of loving the homeland.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao was honored to receive an award at the writing contest

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao was honored to receive an award at the writing contest "A Common Vietnamese Foundation" organized by the Provincial Literature and Arts Association. Photo: NGOC LAM

Although life is full of worries as a single mother living with her elderly mother and taking care of her school-age daughter, Ms. Thao still diligently teaches every day, persistently maintaining her love of art with her heart and creativity./.

Hoang Vu

Source: https://baocamau.vn/can-man-gioo-chu-giu-lua-nghe-thuat-a39229.html