Southern Vietnamese folk music, with over a century of existence and development, has become a cultural identity in the lives of people in the Mekong Delta.
Southern Vietnamese folk music – the "soul" of the South – permeates space and transcends time with its vibrant energy.
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"Many people in Southern Vietnam are attached to the musical instrument their whole lives, and my father is proof of that. Although he was a pure farmer, he had a very artistic personality. I don't know who he learned from, or when, but he knew how to play almost all kinds of traditional musical instruments. Therefore, our house was often the gathering place for singing and socializing after a hard day's work," recalled Uncle Sau Hau, originally from Ca Mau .
Now nearly 100 years old, Uncle Six is one of the witnesses to the formation and development of the traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music genre. He recounts that around 1972, when his family lived in Gia Rai, Bac Lieu, their house was hit by an oil bomb, and all their documents and possessions were burned. But what saddened his father most was the complete destruction of his set of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments: the fiddle, gourd-shaped lute, and other instruments.
Heading south to listen to the melodies... Photo: Phan Thanh Cuong
"The musical instrument set accompanied my father for decades, bringing joy to the poor in the neighborhood. Later, I had a craftsman restore the set, but those instruments no longer bore the scratches and loving fingerprints of my father," Uncle Six said sadly.
Through their father, Uncle Six and his siblings all learned to play musical instruments and sing. He felt: "Traditional folk music, with its poignant melodies and voices, embodies the character of the people of the Mekong Delta: free-spirited, sharing, sociable, and receptive to new things and new friends, despite the harsh nature and ever-present risks... Even in his old age, when the family moved to Can Tho , my father remained deeply attached to this art form until the day he passed away..."
Traditional Vietnamese folk music performance. Photo: Vu Thong Nhat
Nearly 20 years ago, I was surprised and delighted to attend a memorial service in Ca Mau. The humble thatched house was adorned with walls covered in traditional Vietnamese stringed instruments like the đàn cò (a type of fiddle), the đàn còn-fretted guitar, and the song lang (a type of percussion instrument)... "I'm holding this memorial service to pay tribute to my ancestors. Thanks to the music and songs, neighbors are connected day and night," the homeowner revealed. That night, he and his friends played music and sang merrily until dawn. Although he was an amateur musician, playing for fun, he was truly a man of great sincerity.
On this fertile alluvial land, even in their cradles and hammocks, children would blink their eyes with delight when they heard their parents playing traditional folk music. Traditional folk music is deeply intertwined with the three distinct cultural layers of the delta's inhabitants: rivers, rice paddies, and orchards.
The artistic and refined spirit runs in the veins of many generations of residents here. They play and sing as if they were working in the fields and gardens, as if they were swimming in the canals and streams. Whether at home, in the garden, or by the fields and riverbanks, all it takes is rubbing their feet, climbing onto a mat, sipping rice wine, and humming a few melodious tunes or strumming a few notes – and strangers become like brothers. Traditional Vietnamese folk music has even followed Vietnamese people to Australia, France, the United States, Canada, and other countries.
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Before Tet 2019, I went to Cao Lanh - Dong Thap to meet with music master Vinh Bao, a "living treasure" of Southern Vietnamese traditional music, who was then 102 years old. Witnessing his sharp wit, intelligence, humor, and the passionate dedication to his craft, I realized many things about the wondrous transformations of Southern Vietnamese folk music.
While Western music requires seven notes to express emotions, Vietnamese music only needs the pentatonic scale and five strings to stir the heart, creating countless sweet and rich melodies that express a full range of feelings: joy, anger, love, and sorrow. Cao Văn Lầu's "Dạ cổ hoài lang" is sublime due to its profound melody and emotionally charged lyrics. "Tứ đại oán" is poignant and deeply moving, while "Hành vân" and "Xuân tình" are cheerful and lively...
"Now that the silkworm's thread is exhausted, I send this to my dear friend, though it's too late..." - as soon as he finished the "Nam Ai" piece, Mr. Vinh Bao's fingers suddenly moved nimbly, plucking, pressing, and rubbing... on the zither's strings. The smooth, melodious passages of "Luu Thuy Truong" flowed forth. "Traditional folk music is not just for entertainment, but also teaches the philosophy of humanity and the ups and downs of human life. Playing and teaching music is also about returning to the roots and origins of our ancestors," the late music master emphasized.
Bac Lieu honors and preserves traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music.
Southern Vietnamese folk music (Đờn ca tài tử) is deeply imbued with the love for the land and people of the South. It is an art form that is both scholarly and folk-like. Its free-spirited, unconstrained nature is evident in the variations in rhythm, from 2-beat and 4-beat rhythms up to 16, 32, and 64 beats – like the persistent and resolute footsteps of our ancestors who pioneered and settled the land.
The melodies of the traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music (đờn ca tài tử) – 6 Northern, 3 Southern, 7 Lower, and 4 Lament – blend harmoniously with other instruments such as the kìm, cò, tranh, flute, and bầu, creating a captivating and evocative sound. The very act of playing reveals the artistry and skill of the players. Without embellishment and playful improvisation, the music would be like a moonless night, like a river running dry...
In 1972, musician Vinh Bao, along with Professor Tran Van Khe, recorded the album "Southern Vietnamese Traditional Music" for Ocora and UNESCO in Paris, France. Thanks to his masterful playing, he received the Medal of Arts and Literature from the French Government. The albums featuring the performances of these three exceptional talents – musician Vinh Bao, Professor Tran Van Khe, and musician Nguyen Huu Ba – were among the best-selling albums of the time.
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Traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music (Đờn ca tài tử) has enjoyed remarkable vitality for centuries thanks to its perfect blend of artistic and folk elements, its ability to connect communities, its creative flexibility, and its cultural and historical value. Is there any other art form in Southern Vietnam alone that, by 2011, had as many as 2,500 clubs, groups, and families with tens of thousands of participants?
It is a remarkable and creative artistic journey of our ancestors, coupled with the dedication and passion of the people of the South. Even at over 100 years old, Master Musician Vinh Bao still diligently teaches traditional music online to young people, including foreign students. With Professor Tran Van Khe, everyone was moved to see him, in a wheelchair, being carried up the steps into the auditorium to speak at a conference in Bac Lieu in 2014 seeking solutions to preserve the art of Southern Vietnamese folk music. They all grew up in the cradle of Southern Vietnamese folk music and have dedicated their lives to this art form.
That passionate flame still burns brightly today, spreading to many places. People's Artist Truong Ut, residing in Can Tho City, who has been involved with traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music for over 40 years, believes that maintaining the roots is essential for the branches and twigs to develop. The origin of the folk singing genre, the precursor to modern-day Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera), is traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music.
According to Meritorious Artist Truc Linh in Can Tho, many years ago, Western music researchers traveled to Vietnam to record all the traditional folk songs and classical music, and she was one of the people invited. After recording, they took everything back with them.
When artist Linh Huyen first sketched a segment of "Da Co Hoai Lang," director Miguel and co-screenwriter Fazendeiro were so moved that they immediately incorporated it into the script; contributing to "Grand Tour" winning the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.
In Can Tho, the "art museum" of artist couple Tran Thien and Kieu My Dung is well-known. Although retired for a long time, they still diligently teach the younger generation. Traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music is also taught through online classes on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, attracting tens of thousands of followers and comments.
"Heading south to listen to the melodies...". Since the art of Don Ca Tai Tu (Southern Vietnamese folk music) was recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, and as an invaluable spiritual cultural asset of many southern localities, the National Don Ca Tai Tu Festival has been held three times.
Along the Tien and Hau rivers, it's impossible to recount all the "threads" that weave and preserve the cultural identity of each region. "The wife waits anxiously for news of her husband / Please, do not be cruel..." For centuries, through periods of prosperity and decline, the voice of the longing remains poignant, like an echo of humanity and ancestral roots. It is the voice of the delta, an echo of eternity!
Source: https://nld.com.vn/thien-thu-vong-mai-tieng-don-giong-ca-196250114145843617.htm
