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>> The Forest Worship Ceremony and the "Khắp Cọi" Art ( Yen Bai ) are National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Yen Binh focuses on teaching the art of Khap Coi performance.

According to the Tay elders of Muong Lai commune, Luc Yen district, the art of "Khap Coi" has existed throughout the history and development of the society and community. The further back in time we go, the more people sing it. Greetings, inquiries, blessings, courtship, tests of skill, courtship, dialogues, and even songs sung during breaks in the fields while working are all expressed through the lyrics of "Khap Coi." "Khap Coi" has become widespread and popular within the community, becoming an inherent cultural value that every Tay resident needs to cultivate in order to integrate into the community.

Meritorious Artisan Hoang Quang Nhan from Muong Lai commune shared: "The Thai people also sing 'Khap,' but the singing style and melody are simpler than the 'Khap' of the Tay people. Each line of the Tay 'Khap' in Luc Yen has a more graceful, sweet, and rich melody, and especially requires a more difficult singing technique."

The musical instruments commonly used in the "Khắp cọi" art form include the two-stringed fiddle, the transverse flute, and drums. In reality, the use of "Khắp cọi" in productive labor has declined compared to its peak during the socialist construction years in North Vietnam.

During the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s, while working in cooperatives, people often sang songs during breaks to relieve fatigue and hardship. They even sang love songs while working in the fields, with young people getting to know each other, exchanging feelings, and some even getting married. The "Khắp Cọi" folk singing tradition also faded for a time due to war, from the late 1960s until the reunification of the country.

Meritorious Artisan Hoang Quang Nhan added: During the resistance war against the American imperialists, especially from 1964 to 1967 and continuing until 1975, young people participated in the resistance across all battlefields. The country faced hardship, and the smoke and fire of war were constant, so "Khắp cọi" (a type of folk song) subsided. When peace was restored in 1976, "Khắp cọi" was revived when young men carried betel trays to ask for wives' hands. Since then, it has been revived in engagement ceremonies, weddings, celebrations, housewarming parties, greetings, and spring festivities, bringing the traditional folk melody back to life.

Dedicated individuals like Mr. Hoang Quang Nhan established clubs for lovers of "Khap Coi" folk songs, collecting and compiling traditional "Khap Coi" songs, and teaching them for free to children in the village. This was the approach taken by the local community and those passionate about traditional culture to preserve the "Khap Coi" folk song during the years 1990-2010.

The local government is gradually paying attention to and providing financial support for the teaching, restoration, and integration of traditional culture in general, including the Tay people's "Khắp cọi" art form, into resolutions, projects, programs, and plans for preservation and promotion. This creates an environment for disseminating and educating about cultural traditions, helping the younger generation to love, be proud of, and gradually absorb the value of this unique heritage. To date, "Khắp cọi" has spread increasingly widely within the community. This heritage has grown richer, the number of practitioners has increased, and it has become a source of pride for the Tay community in the Chay River region.

The Tay people created the art of "Khắp cọi," preserving and passing it down through generations to become a heritage deeply rooted in their ethnic identity. Each melody, song, and performance reflects the noble philosophies of the community, showcasing creativity and a high level of artistic skill. This art form originates from the working, producing, and fighting lives of the ethnic group, nurtured and cultivated by the natural, working, social, and cultural environments of the ethnic group, creating opportunities for the heritage to survive and develop throughout the history of the ethnic group.

To this day, "Khắp cọi" continues to affirm its position in the cultural heritage of the ethnic group and has been honored as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage - a source of pride for the Tay community in the Chay River region.

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