Yen Bai: Preserving the Mong flute sound in the Tram Tau highlands

The Mong people in the Tram Tau highlands ( Yen Bai ) still preserve many unique cultural features of their people. The Khen is not only a musical instrument for them, but also the voice of the mountains and forests, the voice of the Mong people and the connection between the past, present and future. To make the Khen sound last forever, generations of Mong people in Tram Tau district always diligently preserve this unique cultural feature.

Contribute to preserving eternal culture

In Ban Cong commune, Tram Tau district, there are still people who are persistently and silently nurturing the Mong people's panpipe to last forever. They are artisans, the "soul keepers" of the Mong people's panpipe. With a burning love for culture and a passionate heart, they strive to pass on the torch to the younger generation, so that the Mong people's panpipe will never fade away with the flow of time.

In the cultural space of the Mong people, the sound of the Khen has a sacred meaning, especially in a solo performance, the sound of the Khen seems to become the voice of the man's heart.

Therefore, from childhood, Mong boys in Tram Tau have been taught the secret of playing the khen by elders and masters in their families and clans. However, for the khen to truly touch the hearts of the community and be respected by the community is a journey that requires constant practice and passion.

Folk artist Ho A Thao in Ban Cong commune, Tram Tau district teaches the Khen to Mong youth. (Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA)

Mr. Ho A Thao, a folk artist in Ban Cong commune, Tram Tau district, is a person with a love and passion for the panpipe. The sound of the panpipe has been ingrained in his blood since he was a young boy. Now, whether happy or sad, the panpipe is always his confidant.

Every time his panpipe sounds, in that sound, listeners can feel the majestic beauty of Tram Tau mountains and forests, the simplicity and kindness in the lives of the people here.

The locals here compare Mr. Thao's flute sound to a picture, a story about the land and people of Tram Tau. Because the sound of the flute is so sweet and moving, many Mong families, despite their difficult lives, are determined to entrust their children to artisan Ho A Thao to teach. Not only improving his own skills, in recent years, Mr. Thao has also opened classes, wholeheartedly instructing Mong children throughout the Tram Tau highlands.

As a teacher of Mong flute for many years, according to Mr. Thao, learning to play Mong flute is not difficult, but to understand the soul of the flute and perform it fluently in many different genres is a big challenge.

In early 2025, he was honored to be awarded the title of Folk Artist by the State and Yen Bai province. This is a motivation for him to make more efforts to help the next generation have more people who are good at playing the Mong panpipe, contributing to preserving the Mong culture forever.

Mr. Thao A Chang, in Xa Ho commune, Tram Tau district, confided that in the past, whenever there was a festival, he only dared to stand from afar and watch his elders play and dance the panpipe. Now, with the dedicated teaching of Mr. Ho A Thao, he has learned many tunes and songs and confidently performs them during important community holidays. He is very happy and grateful to Mr. Thao for helping him learn to play the panpipe, contributing to not losing the identity of the nation.

Sharing the same passion as Mr. Chang, Mr. Ho A Teinh, from Ban Cong commune, Tram Tau district, has been with Mr. Ho A Thao's class for nearly two years. Mr. Teinh and Mr. Chang are two of more than 30 students that Mr. Thao has been guiding since 2022. Up to now, they are all promising "birds" of the Mong Tram Tau panpipe.

Mr. Ho A Tenh shared that thanks to the encouragement and enthusiastic guidance of Mr. Thao, from getting familiar with each note to practicing complex songs, he can now master the panpipe and confidently perform many different songs. He will try to learn the panpipe better so that he can pass on this passion to his children and grandchildren.

Arousing pride in national identity

The Hmong flute is often performed in many forms: soulful solo, rhythmic ensemble or majestic group. The difficulty lies not only in the player blowing the melodies, but also in the flexible combination between the flute sound and unique dances, requiring high technique and imbued with artistry.

The panpipe dance movements such as strong jumping, skillful spinning in place, and bold rolling all create a performance that is both captivating to the ears and pleasing to the eyes.

However, in the current flow of modern life, the number of young people who are passionate about and study the Mong panpipe is decreasing, the risk of losing this precious cultural heritage is inevitable. With the desire to preserve, maintain and promote the value of the traditional panpipe, Mr. Giang A Su, former Secretary of Tram Tau District Party Committee, always tries his best to teach the younger generation each musical note and breathing technique.

Mr. Giang A Su said that when he was 15 years old, he was very passionate about the Mong flute. Even though he is old now, the passion for the Mong flute in his heart has never faded. According to Mr. Su, to be able to play the flute into a complete piece, with soul and rhythm, requires the learner to be persistent. Therefore, he not only tries to teach the skills to young people, but also inspires the love and passion in each person. Only then will the children progress quickly, Mr. Su shared.

According to Mr. Su, the best age to learn the Hmong flute is around 10 years old. If you study hard, it will take about 2 years for you to be able to play some basic flute pieces. When you are good at it, you can play even the most difficult flute pieces just by listening to them.

To preserve the Mong flute, the crafting is also very important. Having been involved in the craft of making flutes for nearly 35 years, Mr. Cu A Sang, in Tram Tau commune, Tram Tau district, is a talented flute maker.

Mr. Cu A Sang confided that for the Mong people, the khen holds a very important position in the spiritual and cultural life, so it is necessary for all levels to pay attention and open classes to teach khen making to young people. In order for the profession of making khen to not be lost, he hopes that families will let their children and grandchildren learn the craft and bring their children and grandchildren to him to teach them how to make khen.

The Hmong flute is not only a musical instrument, but also an indispensable part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Hmong people; clearly expressing profound spiritual, religious and traditional values. The classes of the Hmong flute “soul keepers” have contributed to spreading the love of culture, arousing pride in the national identity in the highlands of Tram Tau./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/yen-bai-gin-giu-tieng-khen-mong-o-vung-cao-tram-tau-post1041619.vnp