Bắc Ninh
A lifetime devoted to quan ho
From the age of six, Nguyen Thi Them accompanied her mother to singing sessions, so Quan ho singing has become an indispensable part of the life of this artisan who was born in Bac Ninh Province in 1959. She is regarded as a nucleus in preserving and safeguarding many ancient and complex quan ho melodies and has successfully passed them on to successive younger generations.
Born and raised in Viem Xa, one of the original quan ho villages, the childhood of Them was steeped in folk tunes through her mother’s lullabies and songs. Her mother, artisan Nguyen Thi Cac, was a renowned singer with a rich quan ho repertoire.
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Nguyen Thi Them (right) with her elder sister, Nguyen Thi Sang. |
As she grew older, Them mastered hundreds of quan ho verses and gained a deep understanding of quan ho customs, social codes of conduct, and spiritual beliefs.
Artisan Them considers herself fortunate to have been immersed in the quan ho cultural space from an early age. Later in life, she was equally blessed with the understanding and support of her husband and his family, who have always shared her passion and created favourable conditions for her to pursue it.
Continuing the love for quan ho she inherited from her mother, in 1990 she joined the Viem Xa Quan Ho Club, actively collecting and learning songs from fellow artisans through oral transmission and storytelling, while also taking part in exchanges with other clubs.
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A quan ho singing session. |
Inheriting her mother’s voice and through continuous study and self-discipline, she developed a voice that meets the exacting quan ho standards, mastering the techniques known as “vang, ren, nen, nay” — qualities widely recognised and admired.
Not being content with that, Them has continued to pass on her love to future generations by teaching quan ho free of charge to enthusiasts, local children, quan ho clubs both within and beyond the province, as well as in schools and institutions for traditional arts training such as the Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk Song Theatre and the Bac Ninh School of Culture, Arts and Tourism.
Among her many long-standing memories connected with quan ho, the most unforgettable is from 2009 in the United Arab Emirates. There, she and her elder sister, artisan Nguyen Thi Sang, represented the 49 original quan ho villages to receive a certificate recognising quan ho singing as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Sixteen years on, the emotions of that proud and momentous day remain vivid in her memory.
“Pride and honour, intertwined with a sense of responsibility, that was how I felt then. Wearing the traditional costume, carrying the grace of a quan ho singer, and representing the quan ho community, the greater the pride, the greater the responsibility I felt. It is the responsibility to preserve, safeguard, and promote the values of quan ho folk songs in accordance with Viet Nam’s commitment to UNESCO, ensuring that quan ho endures and spreads far and wide,” Them said emotionally.
Alongside their shared passion for quan ho, Them and her sister Sang conceived the idea of establishing the “Sang Them Quan Ho Library” to preserve and safeguard quan ho values for future generations. After many years of painstaking collection of documents and artefacts, they officially set up the family library at Them’s home in early 2022.
Today, the library houses hundreds of documents preserving quan ho melodies from clubs across the province, along with materials and artefacts related to quan ho practice, such as costumes and footwear.
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The two sisters introduce their collection of quan ho memorabilia to the public. |
Among them are particularly valuable items, including quan ho costumes dating back more than half a century, featuring designs and materials that are now extremely difficult to reproduce.
With more than 60 years devoted to quan ho, Them has received numerous awards at festivals and performances. She has been presented with Certificates of Merit by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for her outstanding contributions to the success of the “Viet Nam-Sweden Traditional Music Exchange Programme”, as well as for her role in compiling the dossier submitted to UNESCO for the inscription of quan ho folk songs on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, along with many commendations from Bac Ninh Province.
In 2022, she was honoured by the Vietnamese President with the title of People’s Artisan in recognition of her significant and exemplary contributions to the safeguarding and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of Bac Ninh Province.
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