The person who "fuels" the love of Bai Choi

Meritorious artist Nguyen Van Thu was born and raised in the coastal area of Binh Son. His childhood was associated with village festivals and Tet holidays when he followed his father to the village communal house or Lang Van to listen to the elders sing Ba Trao, make offerings to the gods, especially the Nam Hai Ong worship ceremony.

While in high school, he began learning to play traditional instruments such as drums, erhu, trumpet and singing coastal folk songs.

In 1983, Nguyen Van Thu was admitted to the Music Department of Thua Thien Hue High School of Culture and Arts (now Hue Academy of Music). However, due to difficult family circumstances, he had to put aside his dream of becoming a musician.

Returning to his hometown, while making a living by the sea, he continued his passion for collecting folk songs, folk songs, singing bai choi, ba trao and learning to play traditional musical instruments. Not only preserving, he also composed new lyrics for folk songs, making the old melodies more closely related to contemporary life.

In 2011, the Binh Thuan commune government established the Folk Song and Instrument Club (now renamed the Binh Thuan Commune Bai Choi Folk Song Club), with artist Nguyen Van Thu as the Club's Chairman from 2018 to present. He is always dedicated to preserving and promoting folk art, not only performing but also actively teaching Ba Trao singing to students of local schools.

After 8 years as the Chairman of the Bai Choi Folk Song Club of Binh Thuan commune, he brought the Club to perform in many provinces and cities across the country, including Hanoi.

“Ba” means the hand holding the oar, “trao” means the oar, representing the image of a fleet of boats going out to sea. The Ba Trao singing team consists of 15 people, of which the three leaders are Tong Tien, Tong Thuong and Tong Lai, the remaining 12 people hold the oars - called 13 Trao - together vividly recreating the working atmosphere and rituals of coastal residents,” said Mr. Thu.

In 2019, artisan Nguyen Van Thu was honored to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan by the State. This is not only a source of pride but also a motivation for him to continue to be attached to and passionate about folk songs of Bai Choi and Ba Trao.

Currently, the folk song club of Binh Thuan commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province has 30 members. What Mr. Thu worries about most is preserving and teaching the younger generation. “In the midst of this bustling and noisy Dung Quat industrial park, indigenous culture must be preserved and maintained. No matter how difficult it is, we must do it, because culture is the root of human life,” Mr. Thu said.

Nowadays, when tourists come to Bau Ca Cai mangrove forest, they will be able to admire the beautiful mangrove forests and listen to the rustic and profound Bai Choi melodies. In particular, visitors can directly participate in the Bai Choi game, an intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. A meaningful experience, especially for many young people who want to explore the beauty of traditional culture.

“Enjoying the melodies and trying your hand at singing Bài Chòi has become an indispensable part of the journey of discovery for tourists when they come to visit and experience here. In particular, the Club also invites Bài Chòi artists from many different places to interact and exchange experiences. This contributes to enriching the melodies and bringing a more diverse and attractive cultural exchange space for visitors,” Mr. Thu shared.

“Bai Choi is a beautiful cultural feature of the village, so I want to do my best to develop the club and the art of playing Bai Choi in my hometown sustainably, thereby passing on the passion for Bai Choi to the younger generation so that this art form will never be lost,” Mr. Thu expressed.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nguoi-tiep-lua-tinh-yeu-bai-choi-144604.html