"The Gen Z Xẩm Girl," or Huyền Xẩm, is the nickname people often give to Nguyễn Thị Huyền. (Born in 2001). Introducing herself, Huyen describes herself as a marketing girl who loves singing traditional Vietnamese folk songs (xẩm).
Nguyen Thi Huyen currently lives and works in Ha Long City as a marketing employee for an international hotel. Huyen was born in Ninh Binh , the hometown of the late Xam singing artist Ha Thi Cau, so her love for folk culture has been "rooted" in her since childhood.
Huyen first performed Xam singing in 2014, at a school festival, when she was just 13 years old. In 2016, Huyen had the opportunity to meet Mr. Dao Bach Linh - a student of Ms. Ha Thi Cau - and was fortunate enough to be taught not only the techniques of Xam singing but also her love for this traditional folk art form. The more she learned about and worked with Xam, the more her love for it grew.
Huyen shared: "To pursue Xam singing, besides talent, you also need perseverance, diligence, and repeated practice so that the melodies become deeply ingrained in your memory. Every week I still dedicate time to practicing Xam singing. I pursue Xam because of my passion and love for it, and also with the desire to preserve the folk melodies of my homeland."
With her unique love for Xẩm (a traditional Vietnamese folk art form), Huyền joined the Xẩm 48h Club and, together with other young people in the club, carried out projects to bring Xẩm more into contemporary life. Founded in 2016, the Xẩm 48h Club has been operating for eight years, employing an experiential learning model that attracts an increasing number of young people interested in learning about this folk art form.
As an active member of the 48h Xam Club and participating in many Xam singing performances, Huyen and other club members were honored to win third prize at the 2019 National Xam Festival and second prize at the 2021 National Xam Festival. She has also participated in more than 100 Xam singing performances for domestic audiences as well as foreign tourists.
For two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023, Huyen participated as an artist in the "Vietnam Creative and Design Festival," an annual event jointly organized by RMIT University Vietnam, the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts (VICAS).
With her journey alongside Xẩm singing, Huyền and other young people who love traditional culture are striving to find different ways to "revive" Xẩm and bring it back to life in the modern era. Besides combining traditional Xẩm melodies with modern music ; selecting Xẩm songs with easily understandable lyrics and meanings relevant to contemporary life so that young people can easily learn and appreciate them; integrating Xẩm into music lessons and extracurricular activities in schools, she also actively promotes Xẩm singing through digital platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, and performs Xẩm in tourism promotion programs to spread it more widely.
Huyen shared: "In Hanoi, we are organizing many community activities such as the 'Xam in the City' program, introducing Xam singing in festivals, and implementing the 'Xam on the Bus' program - experiencing Xam singing on double-decker buses to serve tourists."
As for Quang Ninh, at the end of November, our group will be performing Xam singing for tourists in Ha Long and collaborating with the Center for Promotion and Dissemination of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Vietnam to create a cultural space in Ha Long City, promoting the folk art and culture of the ethnic groups of Quang Ninh province in particular and Vietnamese folk culture in general to friends and tourists both domestically and internationally.
With her creativity and youthful enthusiasm, this Gen Z girl, along with her friends, is spreading the beauty of Xam singing, quietly igniting a love for this traditional folk art form.
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