Artisan Luong Van Nghiep from Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district in the central province of Nghe An is well-known in the region for his knowledge and enthusiasm for Thai ethnic people’s folk songs.

Nghiep has not been educated at any professional arts college, but he owns warm and emotive voice along with a strong passion for singing since his early childhood.

He and other local people regularly practise singing and playing music in preparation for festivals or contests held in the locality. This is also in joint efforts to keep the folk songs alive.

The man thought that besides being able to perform the songs emotively, the artist should also be a good composer who can create lyrics reflecting various aspects of local life.

He has spent a large amount of his time seeking, collecting and preserving carefully such musical instruments as pan-pipes, flutes, and two-string violins.

As an expert in the field, Nghiep is regularly invited to stage programmes and arts performances at the district’s festivals such as the Mon Son-Luc Da festival, which is held annually in April.

In 2010, he set up a folk song club at Cang village with the participation of 16 members. Two similar clubs were established later in Xieng and Tan Son villages.

Members of the three clubs can learn from and share their experiences with each other through a number of contests in the field.
Nghiep said he hopes youngsters will show more interest in Thai ethnic people’s folk songs in order to widely popularise this traditional music genre among domestic and foreign visitors whenever they visit Mon Son commune.-VNA