Performance of Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh in Kim Lien Relic Site

Since September 2015, the art program themed “Performance of Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh - Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” will be organized free for visitors in Kim Lien Relic Site (Kim Lien Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province).
The program will take place in the morning of every Saturday and Sunday in the precinct of the newly rebuilt thatched cottage of Mr. Vuong Hoang My – a neighbor of Uncle Ho’s family in Kim Lien Village. Every morning, there are 2 performance shows of Vi and Giam folk songs. Each show lasts for 30 minutes and includes Vi and Giam folk songs combined traditional and contemporary styles and songs with Vi and Giam folk timbre praising Uncle Ho and Nam Dan land.
The artists of the program come from Centre for Conservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh Folk Song Heritage and Vi and Giam clubs in Nam Dan District.
The performance area also includes the stall which sells souvenirs as books, CDs, photos… introducing Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh.
Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh occupy an important position in the cultural and spiritual life of people of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. This is a type of art that has long lasting life, imbued character and manner of Nghe Tinh people and is the precious heritage in Vietnamese cultural treasure.
Originated from two Nghe Tinh folk forms of Vi singing and Giam singing, Vi and Giam folk songs are practiced in almost daily activities of local people such as lulling children to sleep, cultivating rice in the fields, rowing boats, making conical hats… Vi songs are named according to different performing contexts, such as “rice-seedling transplanting Vi”, “conical-hat making Vi”, or “weaving Vi”. Vi is performed in three styles: non-alternating, alternating and “organized group” singing. Giam is performed in two styles: recitative and alternating boy and girl call-and-response songs. There are various types of Giam songs known as “lullaby Giam”, “narrative Giam”, “advice Giam”.
Vi and Giam lyrics use the specific dialect and linguistic idioms of the Nghe Tinh region and practitioners sing with the particular singing voice of Nghe Tinh people.
Thu Giang.