Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong (far right) is giving a tour to visitors. Photo: THUY TIEN
"To let history touch the hearts of the listeners..."
Amidst the crowds of visitors of all ages at An Giang Museum's first campus, many are captivated by the warm voice and expressive eyes of 36-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong. After graduating from university, she worked as a tour guide in Ha Tien before transferring to the museum in 2018, where she has been dedicated to her work as a tour guide for the past seven years.
For Ms. Phuong, tour guiding is the art of connecting artifacts and people, the past and the present. “Each age group has a different approach. I always try to make the story easy to understand, but still maintain depth, so that history touches the hearts of the listeners,” Ms. Phuong said, her eyes still following each artifact in the museum. For young children, she chooses a concise and lively storytelling style. When guiding students and researchers, she leads them into cultural documents about the Oc Eo culture, national hero Nguyen Trung Truc, Mac Cuu – the founder of Ha Tien… For families, she gently introduces the ancient architecture, each photograph, and each exhibit.
The job might seem repetitive, but for Ms. Phuong, each tour is a new experience. She doesn't just memorize the material; she breathes life into each story. Sometimes, when recounting the story of the national hero Nguyen Trung Truc or the battles fought by the people and army of An Giang during the two wars against France and the US, her voice softens, and her eyes well up with tears. Tourists are also moved, some even shedding tears. "The greatest success for a tour guide is to bring tears to the listener's eyes," Ms. Phuong says softly, but her eyes betray a deep sense of pride.
Maintain your profession through passion and continuous learning.
Tour guiding is more than just storytelling. It's a job that demands flexibility, communication skills, the ability to understand psychology, and most importantly, a wealth of knowledge about history and culture. In particular, a tour guide must have an expressive voice and know how to "breathe life" into the story. Understanding this, Trinh Ngoc Thao, 26 years old, one of the young tour guides at the An Giang Museum, constantly strives for excellence.
In the early days, she faced many difficulties, from voice training, posture, and interaction to understanding the psychology of tourists. To perform her duties well, she constantly learned from colleagues, frequently watched documentary films, and read additional materials to expand her knowledge and practice her presentation skills. “I often followed my colleagues, putting myself in the listener's shoes to learn how they explained things, observed their emotions, and their storytelling style… Then I practiced every day to find my own style,” Ms. Thao recounted. Now, Ms. Thao has her own unique style: coherent, gentle yet confident, approachable yet full of emotion. She wants her listeners not only to understand, but to feel as if they are reliving history. When emotions are conveyed, history will no longer be distant.
The woman tells stories from the heart.
On Hon Dat Island – where the sea and land meet – the Ba Hon National Historical and Scenic Site stands as a silent witness to wartime. This is where fierce battles took place, and where the heroine of the People's Armed Forces, Phan Thi Rang (Sister Su), bravely sacrificed her life. Welcoming visitors at the site is Ms. Nguyen Thanh Binh, a tour guide who has been with the area for many years. Dressed in simple traditional Vietnamese clothing, with a rustic demeanor and a gentle voice, she recounts each battle and historical detail with heartfelt sincerity. “Being in this place, being able to tell the glorious story of my homeland, I feel very proud,” Ms. Binh said emotionally.
Ms. Binh knows every story, every battle, every artifact, every detail, no matter how small, by heart. “Unlike tour guides who travel to many places, tour guides like me work in one fixed location. Each story may have to be told hundreds of times, but that doesn’t mean it can be dry or boring. A tour guide must always ‘breathe life’ into the artifacts and relics, conveying enthusiasm from the past to the present,” Ms. Binh said.
One principle she always adheres to is that history must be accurate. However, the way it is conveyed needs to be flexible. Depending on the audience, such as students, veterans, or international tourists, she will choose the appropriate language and approach. Sometimes, she tells stories until she loses track of time, because "each time I tell a story, it's like reliving it."
In An Giang, a land rich in revolutionary traditions, tour guides like Ms. Phuong, Ms. Thao, Ms. Binh, and others serve as a bridge between artifacts and memories, between history and the present generation. Each has their own voice and style, but they all share a common trait: they tell stories from the heart and convey their emotions. They not only help visitors understand history better but also awaken pride and love for their homeland. In the digital age, such tours become even more valuable, serving as vibrant and accessible "extracurricular lessons." It's where history emerges from textbooks, coming alive through the voices, eyes, and hearts of the storytellers.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nhung-nguoi-ke-chuyen-lich-su-a461749.html
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