Folk song "fire keepers"

- Lang Son - where ethnic minorities live together in villages, alleys, on the hillsides. They live like pine trees, cypress trees standing tall on the border with traditional culture preserved and passed down like their own lives.

Exchange and perform Then singing at Hoa Hoi Rest Stop

In the cultural treasure of ethnic groups, the Tay and Nung people in Lang Son have unique, distinctive and more popular features. Especially, the Then ritual holds an important position in spiritual life, this is also a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Therefore, the functional sector, artists and folk artisans of Lang Son have been and are having many ways to make Then complete and spread...

Drunk

Being an active and enthusiastic person, Ha Mai Ven - a famous artist in Lang Son is always concerned with preserving and developing Then into contemporary life. She is a Nung Chao ethnic group, born and raised in the indigenous cultural space of Thuy Hung mountainous commune, Cao Loc district (now Dong Dang commune, Lang Son province). Since her childhood, she has been imbued with the Sli Slinh words of the village elders and elders. When she reached childhood, little Mai Ven often eavesdropped on the Sli singing exchanges of young men and women during spring festivals and forgot the way home... Over 20 years old, with a clear, shrill voice and a talent for responding, she was often invited to be the bride's escort, specializing in singing exchanges at weddings. And also through these encounters, many people became husband and wife...

"Lark" Ha Mai Ven - Photo: Hoang Chien

I followed Artist Mai Ven down the memory lane. She is 57 years old this year, but she still looks young, full of energy and is still the leading lark. With her round, clear eyes, she looked at the rolling mountains running along the border and introduced: “In the concept of the Tay Nung people, Then means heaven. Then singing aims to narrate the journey of people to Heaven to pray for good luck and a good life, while fairies also have the meaning of teaching people how to behave, how to work to create good crops. Then is closely associated with the daily life of the Tay and Nung people from birth to death. The sounds of the Tinh Tau (tinh lute), the sound of the music... and the bustling, passionate Chau dances all night long have been deeply ingrained in the consciousness of many generations”.

According to artist Mai Ven, those who are drunk on Then are often considered to be “well-intentioned and destined”, and are noticed and commanded by the Supreme Being. Among the thousands of Then singers in Lang Son, many of them are Mo masters, Tao masters, and Then masters who specialize in serving spiritual purposes, practicing rituals to pray for good harvests, pray for peace, ward off bad luck, cure diseases, and give blessings…

“We Nung people have a saying: “Ke qua tang ngan nghe Luon Then/Mua luon tang pieu pon bao on…” which means “Old people passing by hear the sound of Luon Then/ Returning home, they become young men”, which speaks to the value of Then singing in life. Maybe because I went on field trips to collect ancient folk songs from Lang, I recently suffered from osteoarthritis, severe knee effusion, and had to use crutches and could not walk. However, when I heard that a group of UNESCO experts came to Lang and wanted to listen to and watch local Then, I felt like I had an inner strength, so I tried to gather artisans to practice and perform. I don’t know why, but the disease gradually receded, and I and my fellow Then disciples danced Chau passionately and with unusual energy…” - Artisan Ha Mai Ven recounted heartily.

From early morning, when dew drops still lingered on the tree branches, in the traditional indigo blue dresses that filled the Ky Lua market area and Hoang Van Thu monument, everyone looked forward to the Tinh lute and the vibrant, intense Sli, Then voice of artist Pham Khang. The singer is nearly 60 years old this year, but on holidays, spring festivals, and Independence Day, September 2, he is always present and sings with local boys and mountain girls.

“Pham Khang is a Kinh ethnic, a doctor of Oriental medicine, but he is fascinated by the folk songs of Lang Son. Since the late 80s of the last century, he has always been present in the crowds in the market to sing Sli and Luon. He himself did not attend any class on the Tinh lute, but he plays it very skillfully and his voice is also standard with the folk songs of Tay-Nung region”, commented artist Ha Mai Ven.

The “couple” with actor Pham Khang who often appears at the singing sessions is the beautiful singer Thu Trang. She is currently a vocal music lecturer at Lang Son Pedagogical College. Thu Trang confided: “I don’t know why, but the traditional music gradually penetrates me, I can’t help but sing for free with the people at the market. Every time I hear Sli’s voice, I feel restless.”

The West also loves it.

During the days of preparation for the Independence Day on September 2, the family of Then “Leader” Mo Thi Kit in Pac Sao village, To Hieu commune, Binh Gia district (now Binh Gia commune, Lang Son province) was busy preparing a Then feast. The “Luc su” (students) from all over the country returned with the “Big Tree” Kit (102 years old this year) to happily join in the fun. Despite her old age, Then Kit was still sharp and could sit and play the guitar and sing Then for several hours. She said: “It was fate that brought me to Then, so I learned the skillful fingering of the guitar, and memorized tens of thousands of ancient Tay poems mixed with Vietnamese and Nom poetry. Having been attached to Then for 86 years and being awarded the title of People's Artist by the President in 2019 is an honor for the Then journey…”.

The nucleus of Then singing and Tinh lute of Lang region

In addition to the respect and admiration of the ethnic groups in the Viet Bac region, Then Kit is also loved by foreign audiences who witness the "Chau dance" performances led by her. Mr. Pierre Massei, 79 years old, living in Corsica, France, often returns to Vietnam and visits Then Kit's house to listen to her singing. He has accepted this "Big Tree" of Then as his adoptive mother...

In mid-July 2024, a delegation of experts from the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) came to Lang to conduct a field assessment of the application for recognition of Lang Son Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark. During the field trips, Mr. Tuncer and Ms. Kristin, two experts from the UNESCO Global Geopark Network, were very interested in folk songs, especially Sli singing and Then performances of Lang region. Ms. Kristin was fascinated and participated in the bustling and attractive Chau Cau Mua dance many times. On April 17, 2025, UNESCO officially recognized Lang Son Geopark as a Global Geopark. This event marked an important turning point for Lang Son province to join the UNESCO Global Geopark Network.

Pass on the fire

Mr. Nguyen Dang An, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son, said: Since 2023, the sector has implemented Project No. 6 on "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development". Currently, the province has 22 ethnic minority folk culture clubs in remote villages. The members are the core, folk artisans who operate very effectively, creating a great influence, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the identity of the land and local people. Among them, there are many children, teenagers, and children of the Tay Nung and Kinh ethnic groups who enthusiastically participate, demonstrating their talents, passion, and responsibility...

Lang Son is one of the provinces with the cultural heritage "Then practice" of the Tay - Nung - Thai ethnic groups recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in December 2019.

“Currently, the locality has 5 folk artists and 29 excellent artists. They are the ones who keep the fire burning, preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic minorities in Lang Son. It can be said that the ethnic communities in the border land of Lang Son have created and preserved many rich folk performing arts. Among them, the Then singing of the Tay and Nung people is a type that carries the cultural identity of Lang Son, recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This type of performance is continuing to be preserved, promoted and increasingly spread with the contributions of artisans in the village and hamlet communities,” Mr. Nguyen Dang An emphasized.

Every Sunday afternoon at the Hoa Hoi rest stop on the side of National Highway 1A in Nhan Ly Commune, Lang Son Province, people from all over Lang Son enjoy Then singing and Tinh lute performances by Lang Son’s ethnic minority folklore clubs. In the idyllic setting, everyone passionately and harmoniously joins in the singing and dancing. We see people from the lowlands and foreigners in traditional Lang Son indigo blue dresses. Then naturally connects people in a happy and friendly way on this sacred land…

Source: https://baolangson.vn/nhung-nguoi-giu-lua-dan-ca-xu-lang-5056660.html