People who "pass on the fire" to preserve cultural heritage

A life of passion

At the age of 50, artisan Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen (Thanh My village, Ninh Quang commune, Ninh Hoa town) is at her peak, possessing all the elements of understanding, performance skills and especially passion for the profession. “I was born into a family where both parents follow traditional arts. Since childhood, I was taught the basic melodies of the art of Bai Choi, Xuan Nu and Xang Xe, and was "passed on" with love and passion for Bai Choi. Therefore, when I grew up, I researched, practiced and learned more about the art of Bai Choi to become more proficient,” said artisan Phuong Uyen.

Artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen sings Bai Choi at the 2023 Provincial Cultural Villages Festival.

The journey of pursuing the art of Bài Chòi of artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen requires a great love for this art form. She herself knows how to sing both traditional music and classical opera, and both of these art forms are loved by audiences in the villages of Ninh Hoa. Meanwhile, the art of Bài Chòi in Ninh Hoa town has been absent for a long time when there are no more singers and no place to perform. However, artist Phuong Uyen still perseveres with her passion. And to have more motivation for herself, she has sought out traditional art performance competitions and television game shows to perform and introduce the art of Bài Chòi in Khanh Hoa .

From 2019 to present, the flourishing of the Bai Choi singing movement in Ninh Hoa town has had the positive contribution of artisan Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen. After a training course on the art of Bai Choi directly taught by People's Artist Minh Duc (Binh Dinh province), artisan Phuong Uyen has become one of the core elements to restore the art of Bai Choi in Ninh Hoa town. As the Chairwoman of the Ninh Hoa Ancient Bai Choi Club, she has encouraged and connected members to actively participate in performances serving people in communes, wards, and schools in the town.

With artist Nguyen Sy Huynh (Vinh Nguyen ward, Nha Trang city), this year he is 77 years old, but he is still very active in performing the art of Ho Ba Trao. Recently, in the fishing festival at Truong Tay communal house (Vinh Nguyen ward), we still saw him sometimes instructing the boatmen how to dance, sometimes beating the drum to keep the rhythm for each part of the performance, and then there was a part where he took charge of singing the melodies...

Artist Nguyen Sy Huynh performs with the "ho ba trao" troupe of Truong Tay communal house.

Born and raised in Hoai Nhon (Binh Dinh province), at the age of 16, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh learned the art of Ho Ba Trao from his uncle. After moving to Nha Trang City, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh still maintained his love for Ho Ba Trao. “In 1982, with my own efforts and the support of the locality, I established a Ho Ba Trao team of 19 people to serve the fishing festival at Truong Tay communal house. In 2003, I participated in popularizing and teaching to form the Ho Ba Trao team of the Provincial Traditional Arts Theater. In 2005, I continued to contribute to the formation of the Ho Ba Trao team in Vung Ngan Residential Group (Vinh Nguyen Ward)”, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh shared.

For those interested in the art of Ho Ba Trao, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh is a familiar face. In the Sea Festivals that have been held, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh always appears to perform with the Ho Ba Trao team at Truong Tay communal house to serve the audience. During the fishing festival occasions at many communal houses in Nha Trang city, people also see him perform. His skills in arranging the dance formation, hanging the rowing boat, offering words; Ho Ba Trao; singing and playing the roles of Tong Thuong, Tong Lai, Tong Mui, Trao Phu in Ho Ba Trao... are things that few people still possess. For more than 60 years of being attached to Ho Ba Trao, for artist Nguyen Sy Huynh it is a journey of great passion. “Looking back, I feel proud to have contributed my part in preserving the folk culture, as well as participating in many important cultural events taking place in Nha Trang City. Currently, we are urgently preparing for the performance activities in the 2025 Sea Festival,” said Mr. Huynh.

Actively promote heritage

The common point is that both artists Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen and Nguyen Sy Huynh are very active in teaching traditional art forms to those around them, especially the younger generation. “I always try to encourage and mentor each new member of the team, especially the young ones. Only then will the art of Ho Ba Trao be passed down for a long time,” artist Nguyen Sy Huynh confided. Artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen said: “Recently, Ninh Hoa town opened classes to teach the art of Bai Choi and I was lucky to be chosen as the one to teach. After the class ended, many people came to my family to learn more, including some children who have a passion for the art of Bai Choi.”

Up to this point, artist Nguyen Sy Huynh has directly trained many people to play the role of rowing boatmen, as well as contributed to building many rowing boat troupes for mausoleums and communal houses in Nha Trang City. Notably, there are people who have loved and been attached to the art of rowing boat troupes for many years, such as: Nguyen Hoang Loc (role of the boat captain), Vo The Anh (role of the boat captain), Phan Dinh Hoang (leader of the rowing boat troupe)... "The art of rowing boat troupe is a reenactment of the journey of fishermen at sea, so it feels very familiar and easy to absorb. Therefore, I studied with artist Nguyen Sy Huynh and was taught a lot of in-depth knowledge and skills about this art. From the role of rowing boatman, I was gradually able to take on the role of leading the rowing boat troupe. This role is responsible for guiding and simulating the movements of dancing, singing, and shaping to increase the appeal of the performance", said Mr. Phan Dinh Hoang.

The "ho ba trao" team of Truong Tay mausoleum performed for the audience at April 2 Square.

For artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen, in addition to her efforts to maintain the number of members of the Ninh Hoa Ancient Bai Choi Club, she has also proactively sought out new elements from the local art movement to teach the art of Bai Choi. In particular, she pays special attention to selecting students with talent and a passion for this subject to teach. We had the opportunity to talk with two children, Nguyen Tan Khang and Le Huyen Tran (students of Quang Trung Secondary School, Ninh Quang Commune), who are young members actively participating in the town's art activities. With the guidance of artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen, the two children have gradually become confident in performing Bai Choi singing in the role of a "Mr. Hieu" calling the cards. “I really like listening to singing and watching Bai Choi performances. Therefore, I have joined the Ninh Hoa Ancient Bai Choi Club for many years now. With the dedicated instruction of artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen, from being able to sing only a few popular tunes and songs, I can now perform many tunes and call out many cards,” Nguyen Tan Khang shared.

Every time we have the opportunity to meet with artisans Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen and Nguyen Sy Huynh, we appreciate and believe that the heritage of Bài Chòi and Bá Trao will continue to be preserved and spread. Both artisans are also role models for others who have a passion and love for traditional art forms to firmly stick with their profession.

Mr. LE VAN HOA - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism: The two artisans Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen and Nguyen Sy Huynh are dedicated, devoted to their profession, and exemplary in practicing and protecting intangible cultural heritage. In particular, these are artisans recognized and admired by their colleagues and the community. Both have outstanding talents and professional skills in the intangible cultural heritage of bai choi and ho ba trao; at the same time, they have done many practical things to protect and promote the value of the cultural heritage they are holding. Therefore, after a period of widely consulting the community, the Council for considering the title of Meritorious Artisan and People's Artisan of the province unanimously proposed to the ministerial-level Council to consider the title of Meritorious Artisan for these two artisans.

FAMILY

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202504/nhung-nguoi-truyen-lua-bao-ton-di-san-van-hoa-a550183/