Say the Hmong flute melody

At 85 years old, Mr. Lo Van Tung, from Hamlet 3, Thuoc Ha, Tan Thanh Commune, still regularly performs with his Hmong flute.

Mr. Tung was born in 1940. Previously, his family, along with 20 other Mong ethnic households, moved from Xin Man district, Ha Giang province to Tan Thanh commune, Ham Yen district. In his new homeland, Mr. Tung still keeps the two Mong flutes he bought in his old hometown; he continues to practice the graceful and skillful flute dances. Not only does he perform at festivals and celebrations in the commune, but he is also selected by the commune to participate in cultural exchanges and performances at the district and provincial levels.

Mr. Tung shared that he had been passionate about playing the Hmong flute and performing Hmong flute dances since childhood, so at the age of 20, he sought out a teacher to learn to play and dance to the flute. In three years, his teacher taught him 360 Hmong flute pieces, making him a proficient flute player.

When learning to play the khaen (a type of bamboo flute), the most difficult part is using the fingers in sync with the movements and breath control. Some people have good breath control but forget to control their fingers, making it impossible to perform the piece. Therefore, a skilled khaen player and dancer is someone who understands the music and seamlessly combines hand and foot movements with breath control. That's why not everyone can play the khaen and dance skillfully at the same time.

Mr. Lo Van Tung, from Hamlet 3, Thuoc Ha, Tan Thanh Commune (Ham Yen District), plays the Hmong flute.

Lo Van My, Mr. Tung's son, said that he and his siblings all enjoyed listening to their father play the Hmong flute and dance to the Hmong flute, but none of them could learn it as well as him. However, he always taught his children to preserve their ethnic cultural identity, so he and everyone else participated in traditional sports such as stick pushing and tug-of-war.

Recently, at the Mong ethnic arts and sports festival organized by the District People's Committee, he competed in the stick-pushing event and won first prize. He also regularly participates in sports competitions organized by the commune. This is an opportunity for people of different ethnic groups in the commune and district to interact, learn from each other, and together preserve and promote the unique cultural features of their ethnic groups in the locality.

Mr. Lo Van Tung talks to his grandson about how to learn to play the khene (a type of bamboo flute).

Enjoying listening to her grandfather play the mouth organ, nine-year-old Lo Thi Hien, Mr. Tung's granddaughter, said that she always enjoys hearing him play. Her grandfather told her that she's still young, and if she develops a passion for it later, he will teach her. She believes that with genuine passion and persistent practice, she will learn to play.

On every holiday and festival, Mr. Tung plays the Hmong flute and performs for the local people. These are songs praising the Party, the beloved President Ho Chi Minh, and the renewed homeland. Mr. Tung says that thanks to the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, the Hmong people have land to live on, fields to cultivate, and can live peacefully, focusing on production and economic development. Through the cheerful and lively sound of the flute, he always hopes to enrich the spiritual lives of the people, and this is also his way of preserving the cultural identity of the Hmong ethnic group in this area.

Source: https://baophutho.vn/say-dieu-khen-mong-219588.htm