Artisan Ho Van Hanh, living in A Nieng Le Trieng village, Hong Trung commune, A Luoi district, Hue city, is a man who has devoted his life to "preserving the soul" of Pa Co cultural identity.
Learn good things from your ancestors
Village elder and artisan Ho Van Hanh, also known as Vo Duong (A Dot), is nearly 80 years old. He has devoted his life to learning, researching, and exploring the good and right things from his ancestors to pass on and teach today's descendants about their national cultural identity.
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| Artisan and village elder Ho Van Hanh passionately talks about the sounds of the panpipes and dances of his ethnic people. Photo: Nguyen Tuan |
In 2019, village elder Ho Van Hanh was considered for the title of “People’s Artist” in the field of intangible cultural heritage, which is Folk Performing Arts. With his great contributions in the field of culture and art, in early 2025, village elder Ho Van Hanh submitted a dossier to the superiors requesting the title of “People’s Artist” in the field of intangible cultural heritage.
Sharing about the way of life and knowledge and skills of the Pa Co ethnic culture, artisan Ho Van Hanh said that since he was young, he learned from his ancestors. Although there was no formal school, he learned through both studying and practicing, exploring and learning, taking advantage of his free time, during festivals and important events of the village through the village elders Konh At (Vo Nhuong), Vo Cuong, Vo Hinh, Vo Nghia...
Among them, village elder Konh At, the head of Vel An Trieng village, now Le Trieng village, had the most influence on him. Artisan Hanh said: During his lifetime, Konh At was not only famous in the village but also in the region for his skills in managing all activities and resolving and reconciling political security and social order and safety in the village; his skills in using and making musical instruments, using folk songs, folk dances, and folk music; he summarized folk songs and proverbs with philosophical meanings in contemporary life.
“ Through that, I always try to collect, learn, and preserve the knowledge and experience of my ancestors about traditional cultural values, folk songs, dances, the use of traditional musical instruments, and the oral transmission of beautiful words and ideas in life that my ancestors have summarized, preserving the architectural patterns on ancestral tombs and the large and small traditional rituals of the Pa Co ethnic group ,” village elder Ho Van Hanh shared.
The keeper of the Pa Co ethnic culture
According to the Department of Culture and Information of A Luoi district, artisan Ho Van Hanh is currently the one who holds the knowledge and skills of folk songs of the Pa Co ethnic group such as singing the antiphonal songs "Cha chap", "Câr lợi", "Târ tôi"; singing antiphonal songs on topics, content and random situations with the other party to resolve an issue (on the occasion of weddings, housewarming, a riêu - a za) or sharing good things and right reasons, propagating policies and guidelines, sharing joys and sorrows in daily life, praising good people and good deeds.
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| Instructing and teaching the next generations about the culture, melodies and musical instruments of the Pa Co ethnic group. Photo: Nguyen Tuan |
At the same time, preserve the life experience summaries of our ancestors, teach melodies and songs that advise people not to be greedy beyond their own capabilities, which will lead to bad things happening, causing disaster to everyone around.
In addition, we also perform folk dances of the Pa Co ethnic group such as: A Dun Par Cheeng Coong dance, buffalo stabbing dance around the Neu tree, singing and dancing the Car Loi dance; dancing in the A Rieu Piing festival (grave reburial) ...; skillfully use some traditional musical instruments, play drums, gongs to the tune of funerals, housewarming, wedding, confession, blow trumpets to the sad confession of the image of a young woman captured by the French and praise the spirit of fighting against foreign invaders; blow the mouth organ to express love between couples ...
“I always try to promote the knowledge and experience I have acquired from my ancestors, and at the same time constantly explore and research more about the unique cultural values of my people to preserve and maintain them so they do not fade away over time,” artisan Hanh shared.
In addition, through village meetings, he always propagates that people must preserve and promote traditional beauty such as wearing their ethnic costumes on holidays and Tet; orally passing down folk songs and proverbs of the nation filled with past and present life experiences.
In the village and hamlet cultural programs, the national solidarity day cultural programs, and the programs organized by the commune, there are folk cultural performances imbued with national identity. At the same time, the annual organization of the A Za ceremony of the Pa Co people is maintained regularly.
In particular, he participated in the program to preserve the cultural identity of the Pa Co people at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo - Son Tay - Hanoi for 2 years from 2017 - 2019.
Ms. Le Thi Them - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of A Luoi district - said: Village elder Ho Van Hanh is very knowledgeable about the culture of the Pa Co ethnic group and is one of the artisans who "preserves the soul" of Pa Co ethnic culture to young people and the community. During the Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festivals in the district and province, cultural activities at the Cultural - Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Dong Mo..., village elder Ho Van Hanh often participates and directly performs, introducing to the community the traditional cultural identities of his people.
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| Village elder Ho Van Hanh was honored to be one of the delegates attending the meeting of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with village elders, village chiefs, and prominent people. Photo: Archive |
“During our research and collection of typical festivals of the Pa Co and Ta Oi people, village elder Ho Van Hanh also directly provided valuable information and documents to the cultural sector,” Ms. Them added.
| Artisan and village elder Ho Van Hanh received many noble awards such as: First Class Resistance Medal - for his contributions in the resistance war against the US to save the country; Title of Meritorious Artisan; Certificate of Merit for achievements in the mass movement to protect border security; Certificate of Merit for the patriotic emulation movement; Commemorative medal for building the mass armed forces; Certificate of Merit for preserving the culture imbued with national identity... and many certificates of merit from local authorities for Prestigious people in the emulation movement for skillful mass mobilization, studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh... In 2018, village elder Ho Van Hanh was honored to be one of the delegates attending the meeting of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with village elders, village chiefs, and typical prestigious people. |
Source: https://congthuong.vn/nghe-nhan-ho-van-hanh-nguoi-giu-hon-van-hoa-pa-co-373471.html
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