The trumpet band connects joy.

Young children perform on their trumpets at the 10th Southern Region Trumpet Festival hosted by Ho Chi Minh City – Photo: DUY XUAN

Now in its 10th year, the "Our Team's Trumpet" 2024 festival brings together 54 units from children's palaces, youth centers, and youth activity centers in the southern provinces and cities. Each performance showcased unique cultural characteristics and the spirit of different regions, creating a colorful and vibrant festival scene.

The team members only need basic guidance from their teachers; they mainly practice, review, and refine their skills together. This helps each student develop self-discipline and cultivate strong self-learning abilities.

DIEP THAI NHAT HOANG ( Phu Yen Youth Activities Center)

Hard work, but full of emotion.

Ms. La Thi Ngoc Diem, deputy director of the Kien Giang Children's House, recounted that the children were extremely excited and put all their effort into practicing for the festival. Some practiced so enthusiastically that their lips bled. "At times like that, I had to encourage and motivate the children, but also remind them to take care of their health so they could participate well," Ms. Diem said.

The journey from Kien Giang to Ho Chi Minh City was quite long, so the group had to ask parents for permission for the students to gather and depart at 4 am on August 8th to make it on time. Yet, upon arriving in the city, the students seemed to forget all their fatigue, immediately jumping into practicing and getting acquainted with the stage instead of checking into their rooms to rest, so they could be ready for the opening ceremony that evening.

The weather in Ho Chi Minh City also made things a bit more difficult for the children. “It was quite tiring, but we wanted to contribute to the overall success of this Southern regional festival, which was organized quite grandly, so the whole team tried their best,” Ms. Diem said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Tran Phuong Bac – deputy head of the professional department of the Lam Dong Youth Activities Center – said that the 72 members of the team representing the province had been preparing since the end of May. For more than two months, teachers and students practiced together with an intensity of 3-4 sessions per week.

The most touching moments were the rainy days in Da Lat, when parents braved the rain to bring their children to the training ground. "Every time we participate in the festival, it's an opportunity to learn from each other, to reflect on the strengths of other teams, helping us improve and change so that our team becomes even better," said Bac.

Our Team's Trumpet Sound: Fun and Learning the Best Things

Nguyen Quoc Hoai (from the Binh Chanh District Children's House, Ho Chi Minh City) recounted that during rehearsals, everyone strived to coordinate and harmonize their voices to make each performance as seamless as possible. However, they wanted to participate in the festival with the spirit of "learning from peers is better than learning from teachers," because by carefully observing and listening, they could learn valuable lessons from other teams.

Meanwhile, Diep Thai Nhat Hoang (Phu Yen Youth Activities Center) expressed his excitement at being able to attend the festival in person. He noted that in 2022, when the festival was held in Kien Giang, his team only submitted a video and didn't have the chance to experience the vibrant atmosphere of the past few days.

In particular, the opening ceremony was electrifying, with a joyful atmosphere that energized the teams. Hoang said the most difficult part was practicing the pieces that hadn't been practiced in a long time, especially the fast-paced sections, pauses, and syncopations, which required a lot of time to master. But everyone persevered because they hoped to participate in the competition in Ho Chi Minh City.

“All the teams are very strong, and everyone shows their passion through every drum beat and trumpet tune. I see that everyone seems very enthusiastic. For me, this is a very beneficial playground because it helps each person develop their passion and skills,” Hoàng shared.

Along with the brass instruments, the festival was also vibrant with the rhythmic drumming of drums from many provinces and cities in the southern region – Photo: Q.HUY

A journey full of memorable moments

Counting from the first time Ho Chi Minh City hosted the national-scale festival in 1998, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, the festival has now been running for 26 years. Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Secretary Ngo Minh Hai said that 26 years of formation and development of the "Our Team's Trumpet" Festival is a long journey with many significant milestones, having been organized on various scales and in different regions.

Present at the opening night, the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Nguyen Ho Hai, on behalf of the city's leaders, thanked the Central Youth Union Secretariat and the Central Children's Council for allowing the city to host the 10th festival with the theme "Song of Reunion". "Through this festival, I hope the children will have very memorable and heartwarming days, and retain many positive impressions of Ho Chi Minh City," Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai stated.

Evaluating this event as useful and offering many new things for the team members and children, Mr. Ngo Minh Hai believes that the festival contributes to improving the quality of the Youth Union's activities and creates a training environment for each child participating in the festival. This is evidenced by the many ceremonial and drum-trumpet teams that have been established and have developed both in quantity and quality.

Mr. Hai said that this year's festival was held on a very special occasion when the youth and children of Ho Chi Minh City are participating in many activities leading up to the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country (April 30, 2025). Therefore, within the framework of the festival, the participants visited and experienced many historical, cultural, and tourist sites and landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City.

“I hope you all have meaningful and memorable experiences during your stay in Ho Chi Minh City. Especially, I hope you'll create many beautiful memories, forge new friendships, and strengthen bonds between different localities, all starting with the sound of the marching band,” Mr. Hai expressed his hope.

Accompanying your child

Closely following her child's journey, Ms. Le Nguyen Dinh Thao (from Binh Dinh province) said she realized her child had developed a love for and interest in playing drums since elementary school, so she enrolled him in the ceremonial band for training. Now in middle school, her child has switched to playing the trumpet.

To ensure her son could participate in the festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Thao supported him both mentally and in maintaining his health, sharing in his enthusiasm and cheerful spirit. Many times, seeing him practice in the hot weather back home, the mother worried, but always stood by him, encouraging him to push a little harder, both because it was his love for the movement and a way to contribute something to his province.

"These activities and movements are very meaningful and beneficial, helping the children to accumulate knowledge while having fun and becoming more mature, which is very good for their future," Ms. Thao expressed.