Proposal to organize a regular festival to honor the author of Tinh Anh Ban Mat

Mr. Vo Phung speaks at the conference - Photo: CHI QUOC

The workshop " Tourism and investment promotion in Nga Bay city - your opportunity" took place on the morning of June 29 and is one of the programs within the framework of the Tourism and Investment Promotion Festival in Nga Bay city taking place on June 28 and 29.

At the workshop, Mr. Vo Phung - former director of the Culture - Sports Center of Hoi An city ( Quang Nam ) - proposed to enhance the value of the song Tinh anh ban chieu to develop local tourism.

Mr. Phung shared: "I have listened to the song Tinh anh ban chieu since 1992, but until now I still have an extremely interesting and elated feeling when listening to this song.

Not only me but many people in Quang Nam also enjoy it, the whole country also enjoys it, that is unique.

There should be an annual exchange and festival program, maybe with the theme name "The Mat Seller's Love" . Either the province does it, or the city of Nga Bay does it. It's fine to have a festival or an exchange.

Mr. Phung proposed that this October is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late composer Vien Chau.

Should we take October 21 (his birthday) every year as a festival or exchange to honor the artist who has a heart, making this land shine with the work Tinh anh ban mat . This will attract people in the Mekong Delta and the whole country.

The scene "The Mat Seller's Love" was recreated in a series of events at the Nga Bay City Tourism and Investment Promotion Festival - Photo: TRUNG PHAM

"Of course, organizing is a process, but creating a new product is groundbreaking and daring. With the mark and value of this work, I think we will succeed," he said.

Responding to this proposal, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hau Giang province, affirmed that she will restore Tinh Anh Ban Mat .

"Carrying a pair of cotton mats, how can we recreate the river scene very realistically? We consider this a future tourism product of the city and will maintain and develop it," said Ms. Ly.

Playwright Vien Chau's real name is Huynh Tri Ba, born in 1924 in Tra Vinh. He is considered by connoisseurs as "the king of cai luong kings".

Many artists of the next generation are loved and known by the audience through the works of the late composer Vien Chau such as: artist My Chau with the song Hon vong phu , artist Ut Tra On with the song Tinh anh ban chieu . He passed away in 2016 at his home in Ho Chi Minh City.

At the conference, composer Nham Hung (Southern culture researcher) said he had directly asked the late composer Vien Chau about the circumstances of the birth of the song Tinh anh ban chieu (The Mat Seller's Love) .

The late composer said he went to a funeral in Bac Lieu, on the way back to Saigon, when he reached Phung Hiep bridge (today's Nga Bay bridge), his car broke down. The driver said that while waiting for the car to be repaired, the passengers on the car went to the houses on both sides of the road to rest and wait.

At this time, he saw the image of a closed house, with a man carrying a pair of cotton mats standing waiting. He asked why he was standing there, and the man replied that the owner of this house had ordered a pair of cotton mats but was not home when he came to deliver them.

From this true story, he wrote the song "Love of the Mat Seller" , but it "assigned" to a love story between a boy and a girl as the song's content.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-xuat-to-chuc-lien-hoan-dinh-ky-vinh-danh-tac-gia-tinh-anh-ban-chieu-20240629121507623.htm