The cultural center in O Dien commune was more bustling than usual on the weekend. Sitting in the center, Meritorious Artisan Ngo Thi Thu (67 years old), Head of the Tan Hoi Rowing Club, attentively listened to each song sung by her young students: "Oh, my fellow boatmen/ When you hear the sound of the cymbals, turn your heads/ From bow to stern, arrange the oars evenly/ Listen to the cymbals singing, and row slowly."

The Tong Goi boat rowing performance during the ceremony to receive the recognition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, March 2026.

Those are the lyrics from the song "Boat Song"—one of the 20 ancient melodies that have been passed down orally intact for centuries. As soon as the verse ended, artisan Ngo Thi Thu carefully corrected the characteristic intonation and embellishments for her students.

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Tracing back through history, the Tong Goi boat-rowing performance (comprising four ancient villages: Thuy Hoi, Thuong Hoi, Vinh Ky, and Phan Long) originated in 1683 to honor the merits of the village's tutelary deity, General Van Di Thanh, who successfully repelled the Ming army and secured the borders. Because this area was formerly a swamp, and the resistance fighters primarily used boats for transportation, the people created a unique "boat-rowing on land" performance using wooden elephants and dragon boats as props to recreate that martial spirit.

After the 1922 festival, due to historical upheavals and war, the singing festival was interrupted for nearly a century. It wasn't until 1998, based on recordings from 1960 by the Institute of Music (Vietnam National Academy of Music) and the memories of elderly people, that this heritage was officially revived. From a 25-year cycle, the festival is now held every five years on the full moon of the first lunar month.

To prevent boat rowing from being confined to the village setting, local authorities and artisans have proactively integrated the heritage into schools. At Tan Hoi Secondary School, boat rowing is no longer a foreign concept but has become part of the local education program, through subjects such as: Art , drawing boat processions, designing posters, making dragon boat models; Music, where students directly learn how to play percussion instruments and perform traditional melodies.

Comrade Do Van Muoi, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of O Dien commune, said: “We have determined that preservation must rely on the community. Many training classes have been opened, boat rowing has been introduced into schools, and conditions have been created for the club to perform for the people. To date, the Tan Hoi Boat Rowing Club has more than 70 members, including 4 who have been awarded the title of Outstanding Artisan.”

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To realize the goal of integrating heritage into the flow of the capital's cultural industry, the local government and experts have identified groundbreaking steps: strong promotion on digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and professional tourism websites; combining the Tong Goi boat race with the Thuong Mo traditional singing and the Ba Duong Noi kite festival to create a series of experiential tourism products in the Doai region.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/giu-lua-cheo-tau-tong-goi-1047671