Artist Nguyen Thi Thuan with the dream of bringing Vi and Giam folk songs far and wide

Love for wallets and purses since childhood

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan (born in 1967), was born and raised in Phan Village, Thong Lang, now Thong Tan Commune, Hung Nguyen District. Ms. Thuan said that she grew up in Phan Village and grew old in Phan Village. The special thing about Phan Village is that the folk songs of Vi and Giam are a means of transporting joy and sorrow, sharing the sweet and bitter of the villagers. People sing while working, sing when sad, when happy. Adults sing, children listen and absorb it, then sing along and fall in love without realizing it. Like that, generation after generation, folk songs are the breath of life, a way for people to share the sweet and bitter.

Folk song class taught by artist Nguyen Thi Thuan. Photo: NVCC

Mrs. Thuan said that during the process of preserving and practicing the heritage, her mother taught her the beauty of folk songs. Her mother also taught her the knowledge of Vi and Giam melodies, so when singing, Mrs. Thuan firmly grasped the spirit of the Vi verses.

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“In Vi, we must understand that Vi is a free singing style, recited in the form of six-eight, seven-seven-six-eight and six-eight variations, with a simple structure, but expressing many emotional nuances and conveying many literary contents. Vi singing has only one melody, but depending on the performance space and different occupations, it has many names such as: Vi Do Dua, Vi Phuong Dan, Vi Phuong Cua, Vi Phuong Vai, Vi Phuong Non,... Among them, the most popular are Vi Phuong Vai, Vi Leo Non, Vi Do Dua, Vi Phuong Cay...".

Artisan Nguyen Thi Thuan - Phan Village, Thong Tan Commune, Hung Nguyen District

Ms. Thuan also believes that due to the environment and time of performance, the singer’s feelings and mood, and different conditions, it sounds like there are many different melodies. Therefore, singers in love affairs and in work often weave their emotions into the pauses, into the rhythm of the verses in each situation, each space…

One of the roles performed by Artist Nguyen Thi Thuan (sitting in the middle) won an A prize at the festivals. Photo: NVCC

Over 40 years of being immersed in Nghe Tinh folk songs, artisan Nguyen Thi Thuan has collected more than 20 folk songs, folk songs, and ancient folk songs from the elders in the village and commune. Some typical songs have been used as documents for the folk songs club of Hung Tan commune (now Thong Tan commune) to practice and perform, such as: "Mother advises son to keep the way of being a du"; "Be a man worthy of being a man"; "Verse of 12 districts of Nghe An "; "Talking to father"; "Buon gao cho Vinh market"...

Diligent transmission

Since 2012, Ms. Thuan and the artisans in the Club have taught Vi and Giam folk songs to women, union members, youth, teenagers, and children so that everyone can sing their hometown folk songs. During the summer, every Saturday evening, she and the Club's Board of Directors go to the Cultural Houses of the hamlets to teach children, or organize classes right at her house. Up to now, Ms. Thuan has taught about 170 students. Among them, some members have become core actors of the Club, participating in many Folk Song Festivals and winning high prizes such as: Nguyen Thi Cam Tra, Nguyen Van Hao, Phan Xuan Dai, Phan Kim Luong, Nguyen Quynh Tram, Ho Thi Yen Nhi...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan (far right) in the performance space on the Phan Village field. Photo: Thanh Nga

Since its establishment, the Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Songs Club of Hung Tan Commune (now Thong Tan Commune) has participated in 3 Vi and Giam Folk Songs Festivals at the provincial and inter-provincial levels, winning 1 First Prize, 1 Second Prize, and 1 Third Prize for the entire group. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan herself has participated in all the festivals as well as performed for the public in districts and cities such as Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Vinh City, Ha Tinh City... Some of the works she performed won high prizes such as: Performance "Echo of the Countryside" (won A Prize); "Duyen Phuong Banh" (won A Prize); Performance "Trai Khon Tim Vo Cho Dong" (won A Prize); "To khuc Hung Tan Khuc Hat Nghia Tinh" (won A Prize); "To khuc Dang Le Duc Thanh Hoang Muoi" (won B Prize)...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan (far left) in a performance space. Photo: Thanh Nga

In addition, since 2022, she has regularly joined the artists in the Club to participate in all programs to recreate the space of performing folk songs Vi and Giam at Ho Chi Minh Square to serve tourists. She is also a member participating in performances to welcome hundreds of domestic and provincial delegations to visit the model new rural commune in Thong Tan commune.

Since 2024, the Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Phan Village, Thong Tan Commune was newly established, and Ms. Thuan was elected as the Chairwoman of the Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Phan Village. Initially, the club had only 25 members, but after only 1 year, it had 100 members. The members include 80-90 year old women and 5-6 year old children. During the club's activities, the sound of instruments and singing resounded throughout the village as a unique and attractive activity in this countryside.

The interesting thing is that Mrs. Thuan continued the transmission of Vi and Giam folk songs from her mother and now she has passed them on to her son. Her son now sings better than Mrs. Thuan and is one of the core members of the Phan Village Vi and Giam Folk Song Club. Mrs. Thuan said: "Not only my family but many families in Phan Village have 3-4 generations participating in the club, we come to folk songs as a natural thing, as a cultural charm of the village. Therefore, despite being busy, despite economic difficulties, we overcome everything to be able to participate in folk songs, to stand on the village stage, the commune stage or larger stages, the main thing is to satisfy our passion".

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With artists who are passionate about folk songs like Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan, the Vi and Giam songs will always fly far and wide, not only in the performance spaces of her home district and province, but also in the lands that love folk songs of Nghe An.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Tam - Vice Chairman of Nghe Tinh Vi Giam Folk Song Club, Thong Tan Commune

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/nghe-nhan-nguyen-thi-thuan-voi-giac-mo-dua-dan-ca-vi-giam-bay-xa-10297048.html